Internet Radio

The Story of Internet Radio by Phil Young

For many years now, radio programmes have been successfully transmitted over the world wide web. In this article we will take a look at the story of internet radio so far.

Internet radio can be more accurately referred to as ‘webcasting.’ This is due to the fact that it is not transmitted via traditional wireless means. Instead, it is ‘streamed’ through an on-demand service via a computer.

In layman’s terms, this involves splitting the audio files into ‘bits’ and transporting these from a computer to an internet radio unit over a wireless network. Once the bits have arrived at the radio, they are re-assembled and played back to the user. Often, this results in a delay which is known as ‘lag time’

Internet radio was first conceived in 1993 by Carl Mamalud who launched Internet Talk Radio, a weekly talk show comprising interviews with computer experts. A year later, the Rolling stones became the first band to be broadcast over the internet in a ‘cyberspace multicast concert.”

1994 was a groundbreaking year, as it also marked the launch of the first commercial station to embrace the new platform. WXYC of North Carolina, USA began broadcasting their FM programming over the net on the 7th November that year.

In 1995, the first internet-exclusive radio station ‘NetRadio’ was founded. This initially proved to be successful, growing to provide over 100 channels of music and spoken channels, but went under during the dot com boom in 2001.

Today, many FM radio stations now broadcast over the internet. In addition to these, the new medium has opened up the airwaves to thousands of independent, internet only stations.

Internet radio is popular with expatriates, who may not be in range of their favourite stations. It is also a good medium for alternative and niche programming, which may not always find its way onto commercial FM stations.

Electronics e-tailer Big Box shop have 2 of the best internet radios around, both of which allow users to listen to thousands of radio stations directly from their computer. These are:

BT internet radio

BT’s internet radio complements their range of broadband and on-demand services around the home. This top-spec unit comes with the superb sound quality and all the features you would expect from such a well-renowned brand. The BT internet radio is available at Big Box Shop with 29% off RRP at just £105.74.stratus 1500 range.