15. The OAC Problem
A discussion on the Odyssey Adventure Club's flaws.
By David Hilder | December 21, 2013
A discussion on the Odyssey Adventure Club's flaws.
By David Hilder | December 21, 2013
After I wrote the editorial For Fifteen Dollars More the Adventures in Odyssey producers Dave Arnold and Paul McCusker answered questions on the Official Podcast and they explained more about the Odyssey Adventure Club. They emphasized the role the club will play in serving God through other ministries around the world. It’s clear that these are the best of intentions. Who wouldn’t want to combine their love of Odyssey with supporting missions overseas? And let me just say this: an attack on exclusive episodes is not an attack on missions. The problem with the OAC isn’t its mission work. That is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness and help others. The problem is that as a consequence of this club’s design it will exclude fans who can’t afford to pay for AIO.
During the podcast producer Dave Arnold talked about partnering with overseas mission groups and educating listeners about opportunities to help around the world. This includes financial support for those ministries which will be paid through club memberships. This is a great idea and I’m glad Focus on the Family has taken the initiative to create this project. Dave also said that Odyssey is expensive to produce and is supported by loyal listeners who purchase the show, a well-known fact. But I’m not sure excluding people from the show is the solution to pay for it. The OAC will narrow the listening audience to only those who can afford $180 a year. Limiting your audience like that doesn’t seem like the right choice, especially since the reason AIO has been so successful in the past is because it appealed to a wide audience.
Dave Arnold also said that investing in the club is a way to ensure that future generations can be blessed by AIO. But many people won’t be allowed join the club or listen to these exclusive episodes. How can people remain engaged with the show if their favorite characters are off on adventures they don’t have access to? Will this really preserve the show for the future? There are different ways to preserve something. Either you can keep it locked away where few have access to it, or you can share it. For example, food is preserved when it is locked away in the freezer, but the Gospel is preserved when it is shared with everyone. I don’t think the best way to preserve AIO is to keep its episodes locked away. The show needs to be shared if it is going to reach more people. That’s how new listeners become interested in the show in the first place.
Is there a possibility that these exclusive episodes won’t remain exclusive forever? Dave answered that question when he said “At this point we really don't know because we're developing this club in a way that we want to make sure that the value is there for the club members. But we don't want to alienate the listeners that maybe don't have a need to get into the club. And so, I would say at this point we really haven't worked those details out. We may do it at some point in the near future but it really just does depend on how things with the club play out and we're just really trying to find our way through—I mean, this is a new endeavor.” What does that mean? It means the OAC episodes are going to remain exclusive until further notice. But I think the issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
The club is not real issue here. Like I said in my previous editorial on this topic, the club is a good idea. Just because it’s a subscription service doesn’t make it a bad thing. There’s an insinuation that the reason AIO fans don’t like the club is because we don’t like change. But that’s not the real reason. Introducing exclusive episodes is completely different than what happened with the 2010 relaunch. We were concerned about those changes in Album 51 because they happened so fast and all at once. Exclusive episodes, on the other hand, seem like a bad idea no matter how much time goes by. The Odyssey Adventure Club is a bundle of things including Clubhouse magazine, video documentaries, Webquest activities, devotionals and games. It’s basically a lot of stuff you may not be interested in but will be forced to purchase if you want to keep hearing AIO’s new episodes. If you can’t afford all of that, you are left out completely.
I don’t think exclusive episodes will expand the ministry of AIO to more households. While the club will help support more people in need in the short-term, it has the potential to hurt fans and degrade the show’s audience in the long-term. Is the incentive of exclusive episodes really necessary for the club? People are not going to stop supporting missions just because they no longer get exclusive episodes as a result. Whether it’s through the OAC or some other venue, Christians will continue to support missions whether they personally benefit or not. Many Odyssey fans cannot afford to buy the albums at all but are just as loyal fans as those who do buy them. Those are the people who will be left behind by this club.
There is still hope that changes will be made to the club. Like producer Dave Arnold says, this is a brand-new endeavor for them. So FOTF should be given the benefit of the doubt. But ultimately I don’t think keeping exclusive episodes exclusive forever is a defensible position. The club is supposed to help people and teach listeners about the Christian faith. Excluding people does the opposite. And the more people are pushed away from AIO, the less people will remain in the audience.
During the podcast producer Dave Arnold talked about partnering with overseas mission groups and educating listeners about opportunities to help around the world. This includes financial support for those ministries which will be paid through club memberships. This is a great idea and I’m glad Focus on the Family has taken the initiative to create this project. Dave also said that Odyssey is expensive to produce and is supported by loyal listeners who purchase the show, a well-known fact. But I’m not sure excluding people from the show is the solution to pay for it. The OAC will narrow the listening audience to only those who can afford $180 a year. Limiting your audience like that doesn’t seem like the right choice, especially since the reason AIO has been so successful in the past is because it appealed to a wide audience.
Dave Arnold also said that investing in the club is a way to ensure that future generations can be blessed by AIO. But many people won’t be allowed join the club or listen to these exclusive episodes. How can people remain engaged with the show if their favorite characters are off on adventures they don’t have access to? Will this really preserve the show for the future? There are different ways to preserve something. Either you can keep it locked away where few have access to it, or you can share it. For example, food is preserved when it is locked away in the freezer, but the Gospel is preserved when it is shared with everyone. I don’t think the best way to preserve AIO is to keep its episodes locked away. The show needs to be shared if it is going to reach more people. That’s how new listeners become interested in the show in the first place.
Is there a possibility that these exclusive episodes won’t remain exclusive forever? Dave answered that question when he said “At this point we really don't know because we're developing this club in a way that we want to make sure that the value is there for the club members. But we don't want to alienate the listeners that maybe don't have a need to get into the club. And so, I would say at this point we really haven't worked those details out. We may do it at some point in the near future but it really just does depend on how things with the club play out and we're just really trying to find our way through—I mean, this is a new endeavor.” What does that mean? It means the OAC episodes are going to remain exclusive until further notice. But I think the issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
The club is not real issue here. Like I said in my previous editorial on this topic, the club is a good idea. Just because it’s a subscription service doesn’t make it a bad thing. There’s an insinuation that the reason AIO fans don’t like the club is because we don’t like change. But that’s not the real reason. Introducing exclusive episodes is completely different than what happened with the 2010 relaunch. We were concerned about those changes in Album 51 because they happened so fast and all at once. Exclusive episodes, on the other hand, seem like a bad idea no matter how much time goes by. The Odyssey Adventure Club is a bundle of things including Clubhouse magazine, video documentaries, Webquest activities, devotionals and games. It’s basically a lot of stuff you may not be interested in but will be forced to purchase if you want to keep hearing AIO’s new episodes. If you can’t afford all of that, you are left out completely.
I don’t think exclusive episodes will expand the ministry of AIO to more households. While the club will help support more people in need in the short-term, it has the potential to hurt fans and degrade the show’s audience in the long-term. Is the incentive of exclusive episodes really necessary for the club? People are not going to stop supporting missions just because they no longer get exclusive episodes as a result. Whether it’s through the OAC or some other venue, Christians will continue to support missions whether they personally benefit or not. Many Odyssey fans cannot afford to buy the albums at all but are just as loyal fans as those who do buy them. Those are the people who will be left behind by this club.
There is still hope that changes will be made to the club. Like producer Dave Arnold says, this is a brand-new endeavor for them. So FOTF should be given the benefit of the doubt. But ultimately I don’t think keeping exclusive episodes exclusive forever is a defensible position. The club is supposed to help people and teach listeners about the Christian faith. Excluding people does the opposite. And the more people are pushed away from AIO, the less people will remain in the audience.
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