Ian is another radio contact from 4ZZZ in Brisbane. He knows an amazing amount of Australia's activist history. He's very involved in community projects and runs a show that I was previously involved in called Paradigm Shift. Ian is very interested in technology and we have been trying to perfect the technique for the ultimate long-distance radio interview.
There are two major challenges with conducting long-distance interviews. The first is that audio is severely compressed to enable it to be sent in real time over the internet or the phone. The second is that there is a loss of rapport when an interview is conducted from a distance.
The best technological fix for the rapport is online video chat. It's not perfect, but it's certainly something to be able to see another person's facial expressions.
To really maximise audio quality the interview must be recorded at both ends and then aligned into one file. Ian and I have had a few goes to perfect this technique. It's been enjoyable working on the problem together.
Today we simulated a live radio program. With some complicated routing we managed to record at both ends, look at each other's faces, and even play audio clips. I'll edit the show and it will be played on 4ZZZ in mid-August.