Web broadcasting brings Teller County together

Teller County residents are discovering community and entertainment in cyberspace.

Founded a year ago in Woodland Park, TellerNetcast.com offers audio talk shows on Teller County culture, business, music, legal matters and lifestyles, as well as postings on weather and county news.

If you want to find out about tornado warnings, see a live weather Web cam of Woodland Park, check on what county real estate is for sale, or get tips on how to shoe a horse, Teller Netcast has you covered.

“We wanted to create a place where people could get news updates, but also learn more about events and people in Teller Country,” said Web site co-owner AJ Hotchkiss.

Hotchkiss, a business mogul who owns Prudential Colorado Real Estate in Woodland Park, thought up the idea when he was a volunteer for Florissant Volunteer Fire & Rescue during the Hayman fire in 2002. He noticed  how difficult it was to get information about the fire to the public.

Teller Netcast launched with eight radio shows. The station now has four paid staffers and 16 radio shows, all hosted by volunteers.

At first, Hotchkiss was the sole source of financing. But a second phase launched this summer, emphasizing sales and marketing, has enabled the station to increase its audience and revenue, said Lenore Hotchkiss, AJ’s wife and co-owner of the company. Page views have increased 20 percent in the last three months, she said, with 47,000 coming over the last 30 days.

“Things are beginning to get pretty exciting here,” she said.

Teller Netcast hosts are county residents whose shows reflect an area of expertise they’ve developed from a hobby or vocation. Shows include “Heaven and Earth,” a metaphysical program, “Saddle Chatter,” all about horses, “Legal Matters,”, “Teller Fitness Forum” and “Motoring in the Mountains,” which covers mechanical repairs to automobiles and motorcycles.

Listeners call in questions to the weekly live shows or e-mail questions during the week.

Each show airs live and repeats twice on tape throughout the week. A station calendar lists when the shows air. Archives of past shows are available on the site.

Bob Powell, a 65-year-old Woodland Park psychotherapist, is host of the station’s “Woody’s Jazz Café,” where he plays rare CDs by blues and jazz artists, and tells stories about the songs and musicians.

Powell says his program introduces listeners to little-known artists, and he lauds the network’s format.

“This is an innovative way to bring people information and entertainment,” Powell said.

 —
Contact the writer at 636-0367.

MORE INFORMATION

Tellernestcast.com and 687-4600