The Debut Of The Civil War Network

There is a wonderful new resource that, having recently broken virtual ground, is ready for its official debut. I speak of The Civil War Network, which describes itself as "the home of Civil War podcasts."
Oh yes, please!
I've had www.thecivilwarnetwork.com on my blogroll since its first post on July 24th of this year, and have been following the site's development and preparation with growing anticipation. This site was started by Francis Rose, who brings a wealth of broadcast experience to this endeavor, and will most certainly fill a large void in online Civil War discussion and learning.
I want to share Francis' mission statement, which I have taken verbatim from the website (italics added because it deserves to be italicized):
"The mission of The Civil War Network is to inform, educate, and entertain people interested in the Civil War. The Civil War Network will fulfill its mission through audio, video, the written word, and other forms of media presentations. The Civil War Network will fulfill its mission while adhering to the highest journalistic, entertainment, and ethical standards."
The last few weeks have been studded with previews of the programs to come: an interview with Dr. James McPherson, author of "Battle Cry of Freedom" talking about touring battlefields, Harry Smelzer of "Bull Runnings" discussing the digitization of a Civil War battle, and Paul Taylor of the blog "With Sword and Pen" chatting about, wait for it, collecting Civil War books!
Yes, I am that excited!
There is also an open request for input on future programs, and given what I've been writing about lately (read: the Battle of the Wilderness and Wal-Mart's encroachment), I'm going to ask for one about efforts at battlefield preservation, hopefully with a member of the Civil War Preservation Society. Better yet, an interview with Warren Wilkinson, the author of the regimental history of the 57th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
The first program will be available for free no later than August 27th, and can be downloaded for free on iTunes as well. It's just so exciting to have creative thinkers putting their work out there for all of us who have the same interest to share in, and The Civil War Network certainly promises to be at the forefront.