Hawai'i Tech
Internet radio days
By John Yaukey
Gannett News Service
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Then it's time to tune in to Internet radio, which is radio broadcast as data over the Internet. With thousands of stations worldwide to choose from, Internet radio is a gold mine of popular and obscure music and other content all just a few clicks away. News junkies can use it to get the latest on breaking stories from radio stations around the globe. Talk addicts will find hours of chatter devoted to golf, gardening, geopolitics and gravimetry.
Internet radio relies on a technology known as streaming audio, which allows broadcasters to send their content to your computer as compressed data so it plays in real time just as a signal does on a traditional radio.
But because Internet radio doesn't require an airborne signal, distance is not an issue, so you can pick up anyone who is broadcasting online from Alabama to Zimbabwe.
"We were getting listeners in from Mexico to China on our Webcast,'' said Jim Bezak of WSNY in Columbus, Ohio.
What's more, Internet radio isn't regulated so anyone can do it. Content runs the gamut from conservative to controversial; political punditry to raucous rap.
"The Internet really lowers the barriers of entry into radio,'' said Tom Streeter, director of the Streaming Media Project at the University of Cincinnati. "So a lot more people outside the mainstream can get in.''
Many Internet radio shows are produced by stations that also broadcast over the airwaves. But an increasing number of them can be found only on the Internet.
If you have a PC or a Macintosh with a sound card, speakers and an Internet connection (28.8 kilobites per second will suffice, but 56.6 kbps is better), it's not going to cost you a dime to tune in and wander the world.
To receive Internet radio stations you'll need the proper software — called a player — so your computer can interpret the data stream.
The three major players are all user-friendly, fairly interchangeable, and, best of all, free over the Web. Downloading them is a simple point-and-click procedure. To download players, simply go to the player Web sites listed below and follow the instructions.
If you want to read a helpful primer before you start, visit the Q&A page at Internet Radio List's Web site (www.internetradiolist.com).
Opinion differs about which player is best, but you can try them all.
Once you've loaded your player, you're ready to catch some vintage Captain & Tennille at Berlin's Radio Paradiso or the newest in Japanese pop at Shibuya-FM, Tokyo.
The players include:
RealPlayer by RealNetworks (www.real.com).
This is the granddaddy of the players, now in its eighth iteration, RealPlayer 8. The RealJukebox feature is helpful for finding music. The basic package is free. RealPlayer 8 Plus, which comes with enhanced audio control and other features, costs $29.99.
RealPlayer is available for PC and Macintosh computers.
Windows Media Player 7 (www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia) by Microsoft.
Media Player 7 comes with a lot of the radio features available on RealPlayer 8. A variety of skins, or overlays (available at the Media Player Web site), let you customize the way Media Player looks and feels. If you're using Windows Me, you won't need to download Media Player 7. You'll find it already well integrated into your operating system.
A special Media Player is also available for the Mac.
QuickTime (www.apple.com/quicktime/download). QuickTime by Apple also comes in a Windows-compatible version.
Once you've loaded a player, it's simply a matter of deciding what you want to hear.
"What's great about Internet radio is that it's loaded with a lot of well-honed subgenre stations,'' said Kurt Hanson, publisher of RAIN: Radio And Internet News-letter. "So if you're in the mood for California rock from the '70s or Sinatra you can tune right in.''
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But how do you find it?
Gannett News Service
With thousands of Internet radio stations to choose from worldwide, sifting through them all would be impossible without some kind of indexing. These Web sites will guide you to the content you're looking for:
Internet Radio List (www.internetradiolist.com). This directory contains more than 1,500 radio stations, including Internet-based broadcasters and conventional radio stations. The site's FAQs have all the information beginners need to get started.
Radio-Locator (wmbr.mit.edu/stations/list.html). This site features a no-frills, searchable database of thousands of online radio stations.
Yahoo!Events (www.broadcast.com). Called the Wal-Mart of online audio sites, Yahoo!Events is a clearinghouse for streamed productions from basketball games to talk radio.
RadioJump! (www.radiojump.com). This site lists and independently reviews hundreds of radio stations with links. Search by location or format.
Radio Tower (www.radiotower.com). This site has links to 1,200 live feeds from 80 countries broadcasting all day, every day. It allows you to search by call letters, category and country.
V-tuner (www.vtuner.com). An "Events on Now" feature displays currently airing programs in every imaginable genre, plus events that will be broadcast within the next three hours.
World Radio Network (www.wrn.org). Hear what's going on around the world by listening to live news direct from its source. This site is ideal for those living abroad or with roots in another country.
Live365.com (http://live365.com/home/index.live). Tune into more than 25,000 independent radio feeds posted by amateurs. Some of this stuff can get pretty weird.
