The Voice of Geeks Network is excited to announce that we are moving our live programming from internet radio to Twitch, which means an added element of video to our broadcasts as well as enhanced discoverability so others can join the community you all have enjoyed over the years.

We will be starting this conversion on Sunday, December 16, 2018, with the first live video airings of The Bobby Blackwolf Show and Orange Lounge Radio on the VOG Network Twitch channel. On January 15, 2019, Anime Jam Session will be moving over to their own Twitch channel. The current 24/7 internet radio station will then be taken offline.

Why the change?

When we started VOG in 2012, we were recreating something familiar to us. We had started in the land of internet radio, and gained a following in the land of internet radio. We had done some video streaming in the past at places like Ustream and Justin.tv, but none panned out for us. (Fans of Bobby Blackwolf's old Friday Night Gaming show can relate.) We did have video content - Under Sedation Live was video throughout it's entire run on VOG - but the core of the VOG Network was around radio and podcasts.

It is now coming on to 2019. Video streaming is easier than it ever was before, and the discoverability opportunity is huge. Less and less people are listening to internet radio, and gamers specifically aren't going to internet radio to find live content anymore. We've had individual success on the Twitch platform, even gaining affiliate status, and decided to refocus our efforts for VOG using what we've learned.

Does this mean video archives?

Before we start this section, I want to put this in bold: Nothing any of our podcast listeners currently get will be taken away. However, there are some new things that come with video and streaming on Twitch that might not be as "free" as what we've had.

Twitch automatically archives video, so obviously you'd think that we'd have video archives available! And the answer to that is - yes and no. We actually plan on locking our video archives to those who subscribe to our channel on Twitch, either using their one free Twitch Prime subscription a month or by actually spending some money to subscribe. So, you will be able to watch our unedited video archives, but only if you're a subscriber.

The good news is, "the first hit is free" - the VOG Network Twitch channel is not at Affiliate level yet, and probably won't be until late January. So all video archives will be open to all!

Once we become an affiliate, we will also be accepting "bits" (Twitch's version of tips) - which means that, for the first time since VOG Network's existence, you can finally support us monetarily, which is something people have asked for often.

Another note in bold: It will cost you no money to watch our live video or download our audio podcasts. Nothing that you currently get will be taken away.

So what happens to the Internet Radio station?

Well, except this - it's going away. The 24/7 internet radio station is the single biggest expense that VOG Network has - moreso than the domains and website hosting. We do applaud the few of you who listen to our music feed during the week, but we know that people only tune in for our live programming. It was a wonderful and great idea in 2012, and we are happy to have been on the air for the past six years. But, it's coming onto 2019...Times have changed.

So what happens to the Podcast network?

Nothing!!!! Absolutely nothing. We are still dedicated to being a network of podcasts around geek culture. The only thing that will go away is the scheduled airtimes on our internet radio station - but, we also see the metrics and how popular that has been recently. Our website will still gather all of the latest episodes and announce them to our social media, and we will still look for the cross-promotion that we have been doing since we started. We do look forward to having more shows join our network.

So what happens to the chat room?

For the time being, when there is no live content going on at VOG, the IRC chat room will still be shown on Live.VOGNetwork.com. When there is live content on VOG, we will be replacing the chat applet to point to the either the VOG Network or Anime Jam Session Twitch video and chat room. Once the radio feed goes away, we will permanently be showing the VOG Network Twitch feed and chat unless a show that uses their own Twitch channel is live (such as Anime Jam Session.)

If you would like to be able to chat with other members of the community, we encourage you to join our Discord server. It is more active during the week than the chat room and (now closed) forums have been for the past few years.

So what happens to Checkins and Site Loot?

For the time being, we will still be offering checkins and loot on the site. We will also still continue doing the passphrase for our podcast programming. All this is subject to change in 2019, however.

Shut up and take my money!

Okay, you didn't actually say this, but we'll be accepting Twitch subscriptions and bits hopefully in January. Go ahead and follow VOGNetwork and AnimeJamSession on Twitch to be notified when they go live - we plan on taking the VOG channel live during the week sometimes to get some of the prerequisites for becoming a Twitch Affiliate out of the way, so we'd love it if you'd watch during those times to help us out.

"See" you soon!