"Internet Radio" Portion of Historical Dictionary of American Radio

"Internet Radio"
Segment from Historical Dictionary of American Radio (Editors: Don Godfrey & Fritz Leigh)

by Steven Daniel Anderson

Audio programming delivered by way of the Internet (on the World Wide Web) in real-time from one computer to other computers. The audio data is transmitted over the Internet from the station's server and arrives via modem to the user's computer. Key to the development of Internet Radio was the 1995 arrival of "streaming." Previously, users had to wait for an entire audio file to download and then listen to the file off their own hard-disk. A 10-minute audio file might take 2 hours to download. Streaming allows the user to listen to audio programming and music as it arrives in real-time. The user simply clicks on a word or icon associated with the audio programming they desire and the audio is brought directly to their computer where it can be played, rewound or fast-forwarded. In other cases, the user can select a program source that is happening live.

Internet Radio requires a relatively fast computer, a modem (preferably at least a 28.8Kbps baud modem), a sound-card and special software matching the software used by the station to encode and transmit the signal. Two companies have been most responsible for the development of Internet Radio software, Progressive Networks in Seattle, Washington and Xing (pronounced Zing) Technology in Arroyo Grande, California. Progressive Network's "RealAudio" and Xing Technology's "StreamWorks" can be downloaded by the user at no cost on the Internet.

Intenet Radio audio quality is usually far less than radio listeners are accustomed to hearing from traditional over-the-air radio broadcasting. Sound quality is sacrificed because of the need to compress the signal into the narrow bandwidth of modem-based telephone connections. (However, those with faster connections, such as 128 Kbps ISDN, will be able to approach CD-quality stereo sound).

Most often, Internet Radio is used by existing traditional radio stations to stream their over-the-air signals on the Internet with the potential of reaching a new and geographically broader audience, attracting more listeners and increasing revenues. Technology companies may be especially interested in advertising on the new medium. For "local" listeners who move out of an area, Internet Radio expands their ability to access news, live sporting events and even live talk shows where they can call in from across the country or around the world.

In some cases, Internet Radio stations exist only on the Internet and often play lesser known groups with independent labels. For music composers, recording artists and publishing companies who find it difficult to get "play-time" on over-the-air stations, Internet Radio provides a more easily accessible alternative. The cost of starting up an Internet Radio station is far less than the cost for setting up an over-the-air radio station. An Internet station can be started with as little as $10,000, as compared to about $250,000 for even a rural low-power AM station.

At this time, the Federal Communications Commission does not regulate Internet Radio and therefore Internet Radio stations do not need to go through the costly and time consuming process of obtaining a license to operate. Anyone with access to a web server and the encoding software could create an Internet Radio station and broadcast to a potential international audience.

Author: Steven D. Anderson, Ph.D.