Decent Internet Radio

Plate Cap · **Posted:** Wed May 23, 2012 2:24 pm

FredLeonard wrote:

Turkeytop wrote:

"Decent Internet Radio" is an oxymoron. The Internet isn't radio. Never will be. Internet streaming is as much like real radio as intravenous feeding is like fine dining.

Oh, C'mon. The product is what's key - not the delivery system. The product is audio entertainment: music, talk, news, personalities. Who cares if it comes through a rusty tower? Your metaphor is totally off. Fine dining is fine dining whether you have dinner in the hotel dining room or order room service - have the meal catered or a really good cook prepares dinner in your kitchen.

Tell me, if I listen to a radio station's audio stream is that not radio?

I think it's more about the reluctance to let go of something familiar. Kind of a YAY TEAM! thing that the buggy-whip manufacturers desperately embraced when the automobile came around.

There are more/less the two things that terrestrial broadcast has going for it:

1. Most listeners are unfamiliar with internet radio, the medium is still new and growing, and it is a little tedious to operate. They confuse it with XM/S, they think you have to pay, etc.

2. Portability

Item #1 will naturally resolve itself as time passes and technology improves

Item #2 will vaporize the moment mobile data carriers stop being greedy, and reasonably seamless mobile data is available at reasonable recurring cost.

The best friend terrestrial broadcasters ever had right now are the greedy mobile carriers, who are killing off unlimited data plans, and scurrying about trying to increase that $62.9 BILLION dollars/year they are collecting on mobile data. It will give broadcasters a couple of years of breathing room until the market eventually demands reasonable mobile data plans.

There will always be terrestrial broadcast, in some form, but the cost to deliver one program stream to a 30-40 mile radius via RF is hideously more expensive than via internet broadcasting. There are DAMN few WHMI's out there, with local news every 30 minutes and an honest, local-live presence. They will survive....probably not prosper, as few will see a reason to have a radio just to listen to them. Their internet stream will have better numbers.

Terrestrial broadcast, and Ibiquity, dropped the ball terribly with HD implementation, which would have at least given their listeners more choices. It might have kept one more generation at least somewhat interested in radio. It's probably too late now.

We have already seen, and this board discusses every day, the demise of live announcers and unique programming. Young people simply find broadcast radio irrelevant, and will embrace internet radio more every day. The local small engine repair shop in Wolverine, MI was listening to Pandora last Monday when I picked up my weed whacker from repair. He has a dial full of choices....but look what he listens to all day long.

Like I said a couple of years ago, my 21 year old niece rarely if ever listens to radio, and she is typical of her age group. She will have babies who will likely grow up in a home without over-the-air radio, and at that point the entire medium will be a quaint anachronism in the history books.

Sparky · **Joined:** Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:35 am **Posts:** 1100

Very few of us actually watch TV "Over the Air", and TV Stations have survived just fine. If Radio totally goes to the internet someday, then so be it. We'll have to deal with it or die. Denying new technology is never the answer.

As for Data, I think the free market will fix that. There are still carriers that offer unlimited data, and probably a few others will start to spring up to take advantage of disgruntled former customers of companies who stopped offering unlimited.

Internet radio is incredible. If y'all ever get a chance, do down under and listen to 2CA from Australia online. Its very cool! Great music and jocks, and they are about 14 hours ahead of us. Listen to the morning show as you drive home from work. :smokin

FredLeonard · **Joined:** Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:02 am **Posts:** 1732

Lest we forget, you don't need an Internet Radio to listen to radio on the Internet. A PC or Smartphone works just fine. Check out tunein.com.

Sparky · **Joined:** Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:35 am **Posts:** 1100

FredLeonard wrote:

Lest we forget, you don't need an Internet Radio to listen to radio on the Internet. A PC or Smartphone works just fine. Check out tunein.com.

In addition, if you use your PC, get a splitter, plug in your computer speakers, and plug this in too:
http://www.ccrane.com/radios/fm-transmi ... 71YLVKvO7M

Now you can listen on ANY radio in your house.

Or, if you use a Smartphone, get this:
http://www.geekgaz.com/goto/electronic- ... er-system/

They may be little, but they sound damn good!

Decent Internet Radio

Who is online