 | In the early days of internet broadcasting, before podcasting was a household word, BlogTalkRadio (BTR) changed the game. Founded in 2006 by Alan Levy and Bob Charish, BTR offered anyone with a phone and internet connection the power to host a live talk show. It was raw, accessible, and revolutionary, a true equalizer in a media world dominated by gatekeepers. But on January 31st, 2025, BlogTalkRadio officially shut down. Its final social media post read like a eulogy, and its once-bustling homepage now only displays a "404" notification. What went wrong? |
A Voice for the Voiceless
At its peak, BTR hosted thousands of shows across every topic imaginable from paranormal investigations to political debates, niche hobbyists to independent journalists. It even drew the attention of high-profile figures like Barack Obama, who used the platform in 2008 during his campaign to speak directly with grassroots audiences.
For many, it wasn’t just a platform, it was a community.
“Squatch-D TV first started out on BTR as Squatchdetective Radio. At the time, it was an innovative revolution and a great way to put a voice out there and interact with others who shared similar interests.”
— Steve Kulls, Founder of Squatchdetective.com
That’s the kind of connectivity BTR made possible. It was a direct, unfiltered pipeline to an audience—something that, back then, was hard to come by. But behind the scenes there was quite a bit of controversy that is often overlooked when recounting this now passe innovator.
For many, it wasn’t just a platform, it was a community.
“Squatch-D TV first started out on BTR as Squatchdetective Radio. At the time, it was an innovative revolution and a great way to put a voice out there and interact with others who shared similar interests.”
— Steve Kulls, Founder of Squatchdetective.com
That’s the kind of connectivity BTR made possible. It was a direct, unfiltered pipeline to an audience—something that, back then, was hard to come by. But behind the scenes there was quite a bit of controversy that is often overlooked when recounting this now passe innovator.
The Betrayal
When BlogTalkRadio emerged to entice new content creators (a term we use now, but didn't back then), it presented itself as a partnership. They distributed PDFs and advertisements that promised a shared revenue model—BTR would provide the platform, run advertisements, and split the ad revenue 50/50 with hosts.
That promise was short-lived.
Once ad placements began, the model quietly shifted to a click-through ratio, which meant fractions of a cent per listener. In many cases, even successful shows struggled to reach a quarterly payout of more than $20 to $30.
“Squatchdetective Radio had one show where the platform had to open up bandwidth to accommodate over 31,000 live listeners. The payout? Forty dollars. That was Betrayal #1.”
— Steve Kulls
This bait-and-switch wasn't just financial—it was personal for many creators who had helped build BTR’s content ecosystem from the ground up.
“When Squatchdetective Radio began airing, I’d get calls from their program director, Amy Domestico. After some conversations, and at my urging, they opened up a new category: ‘Paranormal.’ We were the first Bigfoot-themed show on the platform and the first in that category. That was innovation.”
— Steve Kulls
But soon after, came Betrayal #2, the platform’s transition to charging hosts to continue creating content.
For years, BTR had offered the ability to broadcast for free. Then came the price tags: $39.99 per month, later discounted to $29.99 for some. Yet, even with a dedicated audience, Squatchdetective Radio operated at a loss.
“They wanted us to pay to give them content—and it wasn’t cheap. And despite that, they never truly invested in upgrading the technology on the host side. They polished the listener interface, but we were still struggling with sound quality and technical limitations. But for us, it was about passion not dollars.”
— Steve Kulls
Many creators resorted to hacks like Skype just to get cleaner audio. But BTR never met them halfway. Over time, the passion remained, but the platform didn’t.
That promise was short-lived.
Once ad placements began, the model quietly shifted to a click-through ratio, which meant fractions of a cent per listener. In many cases, even successful shows struggled to reach a quarterly payout of more than $20 to $30.
“Squatchdetective Radio had one show where the platform had to open up bandwidth to accommodate over 31,000 live listeners. The payout? Forty dollars. That was Betrayal #1.”
— Steve Kulls
This bait-and-switch wasn't just financial—it was personal for many creators who had helped build BTR’s content ecosystem from the ground up.
“When Squatchdetective Radio began airing, I’d get calls from their program director, Amy Domestico. After some conversations, and at my urging, they opened up a new category: ‘Paranormal.’ We were the first Bigfoot-themed show on the platform and the first in that category. That was innovation.”
— Steve Kulls
But soon after, came Betrayal #2, the platform’s transition to charging hosts to continue creating content.
For years, BTR had offered the ability to broadcast for free. Then came the price tags: $39.99 per month, later discounted to $29.99 for some. Yet, even with a dedicated audience, Squatchdetective Radio operated at a loss.
“They wanted us to pay to give them content—and it wasn’t cheap. And despite that, they never truly invested in upgrading the technology on the host side. They polished the listener interface, but we were still struggling with sound quality and technical limitations. But for us, it was about passion not dollars.”
— Steve Kulls
Many creators resorted to hacks like Skype just to get cleaner audio. But BTR never met them halfway. Over time, the passion remained, but the platform didn’t.
Where It All Fell Apart
1. Monetization Missteps
Originally a free service that championed independent voices, BTR introduced tiered pricing models that locked essential features—like show length, archiving, and analytics—behind paywalls. This reversal alienated loyal creators and exposed what many saw as a cash grab. Around the early 2010s, BTR moved to a paywall model, introducing paid plans for key features like live broadcasting over 30 minutes, archiving shows, or accessing basic analytics.
Many long-time users felt betrayed by what was once a free speech-driven community. Critics accused the platform of exploiting its user base after gaining traction. Smaller podcasters with limited budgets found themselves priced out or forced to migrate to newer and more affordable platforms.
2. Audio Quality Never Evolved
While other platforms embraced modern recording methods, BTR stuck to its telephone-based system. The result was often garbled, low-fidelity broadcasts. BTR relied on traditional telephony (POTS – Plain Old Telephone Service) as its primary input method. As competitors adopted VoIP, XLR mic support, and multitrack recording, BTR stuck with an outdated system that produced tinny, compressed audio. Additionally, guests calling from different devices led to massive volume disparities. There were limited post-production tools on the platform to correct this.
3. Technological Stagnation
BTR failed to evolve with the medium. It lacked:
Originally a free service that championed independent voices, BTR introduced tiered pricing models that locked essential features—like show length, archiving, and analytics—behind paywalls. This reversal alienated loyal creators and exposed what many saw as a cash grab. Around the early 2010s, BTR moved to a paywall model, introducing paid plans for key features like live broadcasting over 30 minutes, archiving shows, or accessing basic analytics.
Many long-time users felt betrayed by what was once a free speech-driven community. Critics accused the platform of exploiting its user base after gaining traction. Smaller podcasters with limited budgets found themselves priced out or forced to migrate to newer and more affordable platforms.
2. Audio Quality Never Evolved
While other platforms embraced modern recording methods, BTR stuck to its telephone-based system. The result was often garbled, low-fidelity broadcasts. BTR relied on traditional telephony (POTS – Plain Old Telephone Service) as its primary input method. As competitors adopted VoIP, XLR mic support, and multitrack recording, BTR stuck with an outdated system that produced tinny, compressed audio. Additionally, guests calling from different devices led to massive volume disparities. There were limited post-production tools on the platform to correct this.
3. Technological Stagnation
BTR failed to evolve with the medium. It lacked:
- Real podcast distribution to Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
- No Native Mobile App for Hosts (Until Very Late).
- Multitrack recording or stereo audio.
- Mobile-friendly tools for hosts.
- Integration of visual or multimedia content.
- Poor Analytics.
- No Real-Time Chat or Listener Interaction Tools such as polls or easy chat moderation.
- No video broadcasting features.
- No investment in creator tools like guest booking tools and automatic transcription.
The Collapse of Support and Engagement
Another major failing of BlogTalkRadio was its complete disengagement from its creator community in its final years. Despite social media being one of the most powerful tools for brand communication and user support, BTR’s official Twitter (now X) account shows a shocking lack of presence between late 2019 and its shutdown announcement in March 2025. In nearly six years, the account was effectively dormant. No updates, no community highlights, no technical notices, and certainly no outreach.
Worse still, what little activity remained on their posts was dominated by frustrated broadcasters complaining about technical issues, audio malfunctions, and platform instability. These weren’t casual gripes, but rather, they were creators reporting that their live shows were failing in real time, often with no response or resolution from BTR. This silence marked a stark contrast from the early years, when BTR had a program director like Amy Domestico who would personally call hosts to troubleshoot problems or collaborate on platform improvements.
“They used to treat us like partners. The people who mattered. By the end, we were just subscription numbers on a spreadsheet. And if your show failed because their platform didn’t work, tough luck.”
— Steve Kulls
The deterioration of customer support, particularly the loss of live, real-time assistance, was a final insult to the community that had helped build BTR’s brand. For many, it wasn’t just that the platform stopped working, it was that no one seemed to care anymore.
Worse still, what little activity remained on their posts was dominated by frustrated broadcasters complaining about technical issues, audio malfunctions, and platform instability. These weren’t casual gripes, but rather, they were creators reporting that their live shows were failing in real time, often with no response or resolution from BTR. This silence marked a stark contrast from the early years, when BTR had a program director like Amy Domestico who would personally call hosts to troubleshoot problems or collaborate on platform improvements.
“They used to treat us like partners. The people who mattered. By the end, we were just subscription numbers on a spreadsheet. And if your show failed because their platform didn’t work, tough luck.”
— Steve Kulls
The deterioration of customer support, particularly the loss of live, real-time assistance, was a final insult to the community that had helped build BTR’s brand. For many, it wasn’t just that the platform stopped working, it was that no one seemed to care anymore.
A Passion That Outgrew the Platform
"Over time, new platforms emerged that let us not only talk about our research and investigations but actually show our audience what we were seeing such as video, stereo sound, real-time media sharing. That's when I realized BTR wasn't just behind; it had become a burden.”
— Steve Kulls
In July 2019, Squatchdetective Radio made its final transition to Squatch-D TV on YouTube. It was the logical next step: a platform that let creators show, share, and connect with far more impact.
“I don’t believe BTR was short-sighted. I believe it was greedy by trying to squeeze every dime out of creators without putting that money back into innovation. It felt like a ruse. Bait and Switch. A 'sorry, not sorry' shrug from the people who ran the place. We helped build their empire and they handed us a bill.”
— Steve Kulls
— Steve Kulls
In July 2019, Squatchdetective Radio made its final transition to Squatch-D TV on YouTube. It was the logical next step: a platform that let creators show, share, and connect with far more impact.
“I don’t believe BTR was short-sighted. I believe it was greedy by trying to squeeze every dime out of creators without putting that money back into innovation. It felt like a ruse. Bait and Switch. A 'sorry, not sorry' shrug from the people who ran the place. We helped build their empire and they handed us a bill.”
— Steve Kulls
The Final Sign-Off
In its shutdown notice, BTR said:
“While there are no other platforms that offer the live guest call-in option... "
But that “unique feature” had long stopped being relevant as anyone can now purchase a Rodecaster board and add a Bluetooth phone connectionadd in a Google Voice number, yes, you CAN have a call-in option.
The podcasting world had evolved. BTR hadn’t.
As companies like iHeartMedia absorbed the remnants of the brand and reallocated its assets, the writing was already on the wall. For the diehards, those who had stuck with it through the thin and thinner, BTR’s fate was no surprise.
“I was one of the last OGs to leave. Five and a half years later, the whole platform folded. Why? Because in the end, BTR became the kind of platform where creators paid to give someone else their content and got very little in return, let alone anything new.”
— Steve Kulls
“While there are no other platforms that offer the live guest call-in option... "
But that “unique feature” had long stopped being relevant as anyone can now purchase a Rodecaster board and add a Bluetooth phone connectionadd in a Google Voice number, yes, you CAN have a call-in option.
The podcasting world had evolved. BTR hadn’t.
As companies like iHeartMedia absorbed the remnants of the brand and reallocated its assets, the writing was already on the wall. For the diehards, those who had stuck with it through the thin and thinner, BTR’s fate was no surprise.
“I was one of the last OGs to leave. Five and a half years later, the whole platform folded. Why? Because in the end, BTR became the kind of platform where creators paid to give someone else their content and got very little in return, let alone anything new.”
— Steve Kulls
Legacy versus Lesson
BlogTalkRadio was a pioneer. It opened the airwaves to voices that never had a mic. It gave rise to shows, communities, and conversations that might never have existed otherwise. It started with innovation, empowering a generation of internet talkers before “podcasting” became mainstream
"The original Bigfoot podcasts on BTR had a comraderie like no other I have seen since. It was truly a brotherhood and sisterhood. I keep in contact with many of those broadcasters today."
-Steve Kulls
But its refusal or inability to keep up with industry standards and user expectations led to a slow, inevitable decline. However the mourning of BTR is short-lived when its broken promises, treating podcasters like customers rather than partners where everyone would like to see success and its prioritization of profit over partnership sealed its fate.
For those that left years prior was not a question of if this would happen, but when.
Till Next Time,
Squatch-D
"The original Bigfoot podcasts on BTR had a comraderie like no other I have seen since. It was truly a brotherhood and sisterhood. I keep in contact with many of those broadcasters today."
-Steve Kulls
But its refusal or inability to keep up with industry standards and user expectations led to a slow, inevitable decline. However the mourning of BTR is short-lived when its broken promises, treating podcasters like customers rather than partners where everyone would like to see success and its prioritization of profit over partnership sealed its fate.
For those that left years prior was not a question of if this would happen, but when.
Till Next Time,
Squatch-D
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