Listening to radio doesn't mean tuning in using a traditional box. With the proliferation of Web radio, you can hear the music and news over your Internet connection. Sometimes in ways you never expected.
In this day of cable, satellite and digital TV, and the World Wide Web there are still countless radio listeners tuning into the old audio box. And why not? You can get all sorts of music, news, and information -- much of it with an actuality lacking in other media.
But even with AM and FM and shortwave, it's frequently difficult to find the types of programming you want to hear. Searching through program guides is a lot of work. And station surfing, while fun, gets to be boring after a while -- especially when you consider that finding something is, at best, trial and error.
Believe it or not, a great place to turn for radio programming is the Web. Sure, everyone talks about per-to-peer and file sharing networks, but we seem to forget about Web-based radio stations. There are thousands of them worldwide pumping out all kinds of programming, from music to news to talk and opinion. And they're doing it legally.
Internet radio is perfect for radio junkies in the Internet age. You can find the programming you want, and you don't need a lot of extras -- just the right software. A high-speed connection can't hurt, but it's not 100% necessary.
How It Works
Internet radio acts a lot like it's "over the air" counterpart. Instead of tuning with a dial, you go to a Web site. Once you get there, you start using something called push technology. Push technology sends, or "pushes", content to your Web browser when you click a link. It's just like changing channels on your radio. The information is there and is waiting for you to tune into the right station to view it. The biggest difference between Internet and traditional radio is that with Internet radio, you never miss a portion of a song or program. It starts when you want it to.
What gives Internet radio its flexibility is the ability to stream information. As the name suggests, streaming sends data so that your computer can deal with it in a stable, continuous flow. Unlike downloading, streaming starts playing a song or program before all of it reaches you. In essence, you get the next best thing to viewing content in real time.
The only drawback of streaming is that your computer must be able to gather the information and present it to you as it arrives. If it can't, the computer and the software youre using to listen to the broadcast must be able to buffer the video. Buffering saves the data you haven't heard in memory until your audio software catches up with the stream.
File Formats
As you might expect, there is no single file format for Internet radio. While the situation isnt as bad as it is for graphics (with literally hundreds of types), there are two major audio formats. The first is RealAudio from Real Networks, which is the de-facto standard for online audio. RealAudio is a well-developed format that is designed especially for streaming. It offers superior sound quality over various connection speeds.
The second major format is Windows Media, which is the default audio format on Windows. Windows Media isn't a bad format, but it's not as well-developed as RealAudio. And you really notice the difference in sound quality over different connection speeds. In this case, a faster connection really is better.
The other widely-used format is MP3. MP3 is a compressed audio format that offers near CD-quality sound, and which can be played back by most media players on any operating system.
Tuning In
Of course, all of this doesnt work without the proper software. This type of program is called a media player. To play RealAudio, you need the RealPlayer, which is a freeware application for Windows, the Macintosh, and Linux. To listen to Windows Media files, you don't need to download anything -- use the Media Player application that comes with Windows. You may need to upgrade to version 7.0 in order to listen to some content. You can do this automatically by selecting Check for Player Upgrades from the Help menu of the Media Player.
To listen to MP3 files, you can use the RealPlayer or Windows Media Player. Or, you can download a dedicated MP3 player like WinAmp or Apple's QuickTime player.
What's Out There?
Perhaps the question should be "what isn't out there?" There are hundreds, if not thousands, of radio stations on the Web. And as with conventional radio, it's hard to find something that you like. Your best bet is to use Internet radio portal sites, which contain links to some of the better content available, for your search. A listing of portals is included at the end of this article.
To get you started, here are a few interesting Internet radio offerings.
Live365 is what I call a quasi portal. The site contains links to countless stations broadcasting music in just about every genre. Everything from jazz to alternative to world beat. What's nice about Live365 is that it also lets you know the speed at which the audio is coming to your computer. MP3 is the preferred format here, and the folks at Live365 suggest that you use their proprietary player (although you can use any media player supporting MP3).
For music, I've found that nothing beats Iceberg Radio. Iceberg Radio presents a diverse range of music, from classical to raock and pop to jazz to country. And even within each category, there is a lot of choice. If, say, you're a jazz fan, you can select the hot jazz station, the classic or electric jazz ones, and more.
For news, I'm partial to the BBC World Service. Not only does the World Service offer hourly updates, it also presents some interesting short feature stories based on current news and trends.
I'm also a fan of National Public Radio. For years, I lamented the fact that I couldn't tune in. Thanks to the Web, I can now listen to hourly newscasts and shows like All Things Considered.
Fans of radio shows from the 1930s and 1940s should check out The Mercury Theatre on the Air. This is the radio troupe headed by Orson Welles, which created a Martian invasion panic in the 1930s. You can listen to some of the troupe's best work here.
As you can see, Internet radio has a lot to offer. More so even than conventional radio. There's so much out there that you may find the term "channel surfing" taking on a whole new meaning.