With all the recent activity, I wanted to post this in an effort to keep all of our older fans informed as well as allowing our new visitors to get an insight on what this site is about. Below you will find a rather lengthy article as opposed to a video, so please take the time to read as I’m sure it will benefit all of us in the long run.

First off, let me get past the recent revisions to the site. Many of these have been up and coming, but have taken a backseat as I’ve been busy; however, I’m sure many of you noticed the new, detailed navigation. This was both a request from the staff and from our recent guests to the site. Since we have so many shows it will definitely help keep things in place. It should be noted any shows on hiatus will more than likely not be in the list, but under a general category and not a sub-category. If you’re looking for a certain show not on the sidebar then please use the search for now. Our navigation system might change once more, but for now we’ve found a decent set-up.

I’d also like to note that the Shows page has been updated. I’ve also added a new feature at the bottom of all of our posts called Share & Save, it’s ideal for sending friends interesting articles on any type of system imaginable. Lastly, I’ve added a feature to accommodate wide screen monitors and go hand in hand with the new size of our video players. If you notice on the top right hand corner of the screen, above the sidebar, you’ll spot two arrows. With a simple click you can modify the site, so please enjoy this for easier navigation. Of course, you can keep it the way it is if you already are pleased with the look of the site.

While we will continue to update the look and functionality of the site, I would also like everyone to be aware of what has occurred and what will happen in the near future. As many of you are aware, we just finished our visit to Metrocon. The timing could have not been more perfect, and as such corresponded to a spike in massive hits (at least massive for us) within the last week. Roughly, we expect to reach within either this month or the next 30,000 unique hits. While this might not appear to be a lot, one must keep in mind that 91.8 The Fan as a site has only been around for four months.

However, Metrocon will not be our only convention stop this year. In fact, we have already openly told everyone about AnimeExpo which is a week away! Afterwards, we plan on also attending AnimeVegas and Saboten-Con (tentatively). In 2010 we plan to double our number of conventions covered, which means that we’re just starting to show you a sneak peek of what might come of all these interviews, footage, and photo galleries. We have very high hopes for our future convention hopping, and only hope that you will all stay tuned for more updates!

Of course, that isn’t the real meat of what else we have planned. As stated within our mission statement, something we have been very open about, is the launch of an online anime radio station. Sandgolem, our founder, pitched the idea years ago and many of our current staff has followed him since. Many of us strongly feel that as the first 24/7 live station that covers anime and promotes the industry, our chances of success are extremely strong. We are still aiming for a July/August release date between our convention coverage, but despite how easy the idea seems on paper, it’s rather difficult to even fathom getting that aspect of the site launched.

We’ve already received phenomenal support from fans, and absolute dedication from our current staff. I would actually like to take this moment to thank everyone who works so hard because they are the backbone of the site and the future of it. While we can do nothing without our visitors, we can do even less without the amazing content providers. Many of us on staff are putting a lot into 91.8 The Fan—this includes hard work, but also extends to money from our own pocket, resources, support from family, etcetera. We are all very dead set on seeing the site succeed despite the odds we might have against us during a minor recession.

Though when it all comes down to it, our funds have run pretty much dry until a later time. We have attempted every legal way to get support financially whether it be by loan, sponsors, investors, etcetera. Obviously if we had struck it rich, the site would be brand-spanking new with the station launched in a superb quality. As you can see, this is not the case sadly. Our last place to turn at the moment is those who have already made us famous in our own eyes. Those who comment, visit, share us with your friends, and just generally support 91.8 The Fan are our only hope. With the spike of hits, I believe the team who does all this work for free would like to say that if anyone has any resources to share we will gladly use them. With our only gift in return is to provide you with new and exciting content.

We’re not asking for money, while that is a portion of what we do need, it won’t make 91.8 The Fan successful. In fact, we are looking for any of the following: comments, suggestions, questions, volunteers, links back to us, convention invitations, and believe it or not even old anime costumes or Gothic-Lolita clothes! We have a ton planned for the future, even subtle things like offering to print flyers and pass them at school is a great help to us. While we don’t expect donations, as nice as they are, we feel that some extended support would be wonderful.

In short, 91.8 The Fan will continue to bring you the best entertainment it can muster provided we get the support, criticism, and love you think we deserve! Thank you sincerely for reading, and we hope you continue to enjoy the content we provide.