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Green Living Streamer Celebrates First Anniversary

Glimmerglass Radio also reaches programming milestone

Over the past year, Glimmerglass Radio has carved a unique niche. Founder and solo operator John Kosmer says the Internet streaming station is “America’s only green living talk radio station.”

Kosmer has celebrated this milestone by completing a programming lineup of 54 shows dedicated to the eco-friendly lifestyle he espouses. Because he has no operating budget or advertisers and runs the station by himself, the programming is sourced from existing shows and from volunteers who create their own podcasts. The content mix includes radio broadcasts such as “An Organic Conversation,” “Big Picture Science,” “The Farm Report,” “Home Style Green” along with “Democracy Now!”

Glimmerglass Radio has been able to reach agreements to have the streamer rebroadcast shows from the United States, as well as England, Australia and Japan. Eight hours of shows are repeated three times daily, providing 24 continuous hours of green broadcast programs each day.

According to Kosmer, who is retired and does not have a background in radio, he spends two days a week on the station. One is dedicated to downloading the content, and the other is focused on uploading it to the website. His Cooperstown, N.Y., home studio is decidedly low-tech — it consists of his 27-inch iMac and no other specialized equipment. Nonetheless, he says he — and Glimmerglass Radio — is “a product of technology.”

He spent a year prior to launching researching things like what streaming servers are the cheapest and what size audio files will give the sweet spot between good-enough quality without taking up too much bandwidth.

Kosmer says that he deliberately runs a “lean and hungry operation” because his initial focus is just getting the station on the map. He has hopes of later making the operation financially sustainable.

“The response and acceptance of our dedicated green radio station has been encouraging,” said Kosmer. “We’ve put together a unique mix of green topics that touch on everything from climate change to food, wine and spirits. During the week listeners can learn about green living and building, science and technology, renewable energy, farming, gardening and cooking.”

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