Obligatory Year End Recap: 2011 Edition

Before getting to the year end stuff, I'd like to take a moment and give my sincere thanks to all FatCat Radio listeners, artists, & supporters. YOU rock! Shortly after the passing of our beloved mascot, 'Big Fat G' in January, I came very close to shutting down FatCat entirely and riding off into the sunset. Obviously that didn't happen but things are quite different around here 12 months later. 2011 saw the most significant changes to the station in years. The biggest differences were my 'semi-retirement', the end of all live broadcasts, reduced blog output & the further simplification of the website. Sorry to say to the handful of hardcore fans still holding out hope for the return of The BIG Show - it ain't gonna happen. After six years of hosting the show I didn't miss it one bit & quite enjoyed having my Wednesdays back.

In gaining a little more healthy balance between the internet radio stuff and real life, I was able to focus my time seeking out new music. That's always been the most enjoyable aspect of it for me and something that suffered greatly the last couple years as I felt weighed down by the responsibilities of running all things FatCat Radio. I added a ton of new artists to the rotation in 2011 and plan on adding even more in the coming year (early focus on adding more blues). While I never got around to the proposed 'occasional' special or artist interview (I'm telling you I really have enjoyed hanging up the mic!!), we did manage a few well received world premieres, all day marathons, and prize giveaways. Those things are a lot of work to put together but I hope to have more of that stuff in 2012 as well.

So if you're wondering if a formerly personality driven internet radio station can survive simply playing music, with no DJ chatter, no chatrooms, etc the answer is a resounding YES. In fact both total listener hours & hits to the website increased in 2011. With a promotional budget of $0, & virtually no advertising other than word of mouth, we saw an 8.8% increase in traffic vs 2010. Our worldwide reach grew by an additional 7 8 countries bringing the total to 97 98. The quest for 'global domination' continues!!!

A huge thanks to those of you out there that helped FatCat Radio remain on the air for our 10th year by making a donation and to those who purchased something at Fat-Mart. I also greatly appreciate the more than 60 artists & listeners who took the time over the past 12 months to record station ids, song intros & promos. Last but certainly not least, thank you to all who 'Clicked on the Cat' this year (as well as the increasing numbers who listen via their mobile devices). I trust you heard something you liked. Have a happy and safe holiday !!! This is One Angry Swede signing off...until next year.