I think this has been posted before, the problem is some member's aren't always on at the same time.
It's something Shane tried, and with shane TV he has a similar problem. Not everyone is online at the same time so ratings/viewers are low. Interest in a chat room is fairly common, the ability to talk 1 on 1 with collectors.
You could always get MSN.. they allow Multiple convo's but again getting everyone together at the same time is difficult.
Rich