Effective February 1, BlogTalk Radio is making some changes that is going to affect many hosts who have been using the internet radio site for FREE. This change is being done in an effort to get more hosts to become Premium Subscribers–which involves paying an annual fee:

BlogTalkRadio’s Premium Host Package is offered in two payment plans: $39.95 per month or a discounted $399 per year or the Premium Plus Package: $99 /per month or $999/ per year.

Hosts are not obligated to sign up for the premium packages and will still be able to broadcast their shows for free but here are the new changes:

Starting today hosts will only be able to allowed to have one, 30-minute show per day

No shows can be scheduled during during prime-time hours (7-11pm ET)

Hosts will only be able to upload and store a maximum of three audio files for use during their shows. This means if you play music during your show, it will be limited to three songs in 30 minutes or 3 sponsor ads, 3 PSA’s. You will also not be able to store more than 3 podcasts in your library for airing.

To learn more about whether becoming a premium subscriber is the way to go, join me for a special presentation: “Gimme the Mic” on Thursday, Feb. 24 6:30pm at the Center for Excellence in Raleigh, NC.