Steve-
This thread has made me finally break down and register so I could reply. That's how important this is to me. I have always had a difficult time following and posting to forums.
That said... On with the show.
You sir, are a class act.
Your initial excursion into the dark wilderness of podcasting has revolutionised the arena.
You started out with one audio fiction podcast and now have three, each with massive followings.
Each week your three children bring us, literally, the best in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and I bless you for that.
You have found stories which have made me uncomfortable. Some made me cry. Heck, you publish a lot of Mike Resnik, so I did a lot of crying. Escape Pod brought me the universe of Union Blues. It has brought me to the heights of the future and into the depths of dystopia.
In short: you, Sir, have created a Juggernaut.
This is a good thing.
Take your time with the re-organisation, for you have created something with a life of its own. Escape Pod will continue to thrive and grow as long as Escape Artists follows the ideals you set forth originally with your first broadcast. Hosts and editors will come and go. New writers will submit their work. New listeners will subscribe.
PseudoPod and Pod Castle have proven this. As long as you remain, whether actively guiding Escape Pod, or watching quietly from the sidelines, Your creation will still bring us challenging, entertaining and provocative fiction.
I thank you, I thank your staff and I thank everyone who has been, is and will be involved with the production of all the Escape Artist 'casts. I will wait patiently, yet on tenterhooks, for the next edition of Escape Pod. It may take a month. It may take a year, or more. Either way, I have hope for I know the level of quality you inspire in other people.
As for the future, I leave you with this two word mantra oft-quoted by J. Michael Straczynski:
"Faith manages."
--G. T. Blake
(Whose long-winded posts are another reason he usually avoids forums...)
I am an incorrigible punster, filker and writer, addicted to RPGs and karaoke. Oh gods, the Humanity!
If you're on RuneScape say "How Do" to MacDubghaill.