91.8 The Fan

FAQ

This page is currently under construction!

We get questions concerning the functions of our site all the time, and we thought it was time to revamp our FAQ to better address said inquiries. If you have a question or concern, please make sure to see if it is addressed here before contacting us.

Below you’ll find a list of different aspects of our site, please click on the one that has to do with your question to be properly directed. Thank you!

Community
Forums
Interviews
IRC Chat
Miscellaneous
Radio
Site Related

Q: Wait, you do interviews…? With who?
A: As of July of 2010 we have conducted over a hundred radio and video interviews. We are willing to interview any person of interest in terms of anime, music, manga, video games, voice acting, visual arts, comic books, or various other aspects of geekdom. We can do an interview in two ways, this is either over our radio or via video during a convention. The reason for interviews is to give recognition where recognition is due! It is very rare that figures in anime are given the love they deserve, and we wish to promote said individuals to the best of our ability.

Both types of interviews can be found in our interview section here.

Also, a full list of people we’ve interviewed can be found

Q: Why haven’t you interviewed “so and so” yet?
A: It is very possible that we’ve tried to do so in the past, but were unable to due to conflicting schedules or said individual wasn’t interested. We will do our best to get your favorites, but please understand we can only do so much! If you’re a Fanatic then you can request a guest here.

Q: Why didn’t you ask “so and so” about this?
A: Usually when we ask someone for an interview, we try our best to touch upon their most current work as it is still fresh in their mind. It could be possible that the question just didn’t come up or work in the current conversation. It could also be that we were notified beforehand not to ask.

Q: During a radio interview, what happens during breaks? Or how does the call even start?
A: What a good question! We actually record all of the call, and leave it up for our Fanatic users. We still take liberties to cut out any information that would get a voice actor or industry icon in trouble. Personal information is also cut, we hate the idea of anyone literally stalking someone. The awkward in-between chit-chat can be relatively funny.

If you’d like to know about becoming a Fanatic to listen yourself, you can do so here.

Q: I would like to be interviewed by 91.8 The Fan, how does it work and who do I contact?
A: We interview voice actors new and old as well as musical artists and cosplayers! If you’re willing to be interviewed by us you have two options: radio or video. Radio is the most popular of the two interviews as it can be done from the comfort of your own home over phone or Skype. While with video we would need to meet you at a convention to have the chance to talk, and as such is more difficult than the former.

All of our interviews are fairly comfortable, and we try to keep them as conversational as possible. We don’t wish to grill anyone or get them in trouble. As such, most of our interviews are about having fun and learning about your work! For more information, please send a message to our Guest Relations Manager here.

Q: Why an online radio station?
A: There are many reasons honestly. Though in general, anime fans usually want their news and they want it now. What better way than with a twenty-four seven system? Our radio station has DJs who are fans of geekdom just like you! They want to share what they find out whether it concerns games, anime, manga, music, or comics. In short, what better way to get news as soon as it happens?

Q: Why are their numbers in your name? Isn’t that only for terrestrial broadcast?
A: The numbers in our name actual refer to something. Since we started as internet radio, simply take the nine and compare it to the alphabet. You’ll get the letter I. If you use this same principal for eighteen then you will land on the R. This gets you I and R, which stand for “Internet Radio”. Are they needed for now since we’re online? No! However, who said the plan was to stop at an internet only station?

Q: If you have numbers in your name then why don’t you have a call sign?
A: This is actually asked quite a bit, but before I get into that let me explain what a call sign is…

In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters, or abbreviated as a call) is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In some countries they are used as names for broadcasting stations. A call sign can be formally assigned by a government agency, informally adopted by individuals or organizations, or even cryptographically encoded to disguise a station’s identity. — Source

This should not be confused with call numbers, which refer to the decimals on a library book. Technically, regulations require all FM/AM broadcasts in the United States to have a call sign. However, as of late this rule is quickly becoming debunked and is rarely enforced. In relation, by the time we become something more than an online broadcast these sort of restrictions won’t matter.

We do check up on the laws periodically however, and if this changes we will begin using a call sign.

Q: What sort of music do you play?
A: Most of our music is from your favorite anime, which means theme songs that you love. We also play Japanese music from popular musical artists, but we don’t stop there! To help spread Asian culture, we also play Korean and Chinese music as well. We wish to expand in the future with other languages, but this requires a bit more research and time on our part.

Q: That’s stupid! Why should I listen to radio when I can just listen to songs I know I like on YouTube?
A: Because you never know if you’ll find something else you like. Radio is a great chance to hear something new that you wouldn’t normally listen to. It opens up a new world in a way, and broadens your horizons. You also get live convention coverage on our radio, live DJ shows, and anime news.

Also, it should be noted listening to your favorite song on YouTube over and over again isn’t exactly legal.

Q: So you’re telling me this is complete legal?
A: Yes! While there are plenty of other ways to get your dose of Asian music, they might not help or support the artist. 91.8 The Fan prides itself on being completely legal. We do this by going through over ten royalty companies that range from the United States all the way to China. This means that (depending on our agreement with a certain agency) we pay to be able to play any of the music we use. We also buy every single CD, album, or other piece of music unless otherwise stated.

Q: That’s not true! I’ve heard English people singing on your station, what’s up with that?
A: We do have some songs in English released by certain musical artists, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t released in Japan, Korea, or China as such.

However, if you’re referring to a singer that does not release items in those area, we might have gotten written permission to play their music. Below is an up to date list on said artists:

If there’s an English artist you feel would fit our station then please make sure to contact us.

Q: You guys don’t have “so and so” on the radio!?
A: You can request artists here on our forums, and we’ll do our best to get it up as soon as we can. Please be patient however as we have paperwork, organization, and funds to secure the ability to play said music.

Q: Okay, okay… you convinced me! So how do I listen to this radio?
A: There are several different ways, but the most obvious is the big listen now button or you could try the following:

Q: What’s the difference between “heavy” and “lite”?
A: Our heavy stream broadcasts at 128kbs while our lite streams at 96kbs. Heavy also runs on Icecast while lite runs on Shoutcast. In our experience, the lite player has more of a delay of up to about thirty seconds depending. Though which stream is best for you is more dependent on how well your internet speed preforms.