The Basics Of Webcast Radio
Webcast radio, also known as internet radio or e-radio, confusingly enough, is not a form of radio at all. This is because radio, strictly speaking, comes in the form of radio waves sent from a radio transmitter onto a radio receiver. As we shall see in a bit, this webcast does not involve sending audio in the form of radio waves in the sense normal radio does. A more proper description of webcast radio would be either live or recorded streaming audio files that are distributed to listeners through the internet.
Webcast radio, of course is a form of internet broadcasting or webcasting, as it is transmitted with the use of the World Wide Web rather than traditional wireless means. As in normal radio, listeners have no control over the content as the audio is streamed. It is distinguished from podcasting, a related but differing concept, as it does not involve downloading.
As webcast radio is transmitted via the World Wide Web, it can be accessed and listened to from any part of the world, with the only practical limitation being the internet infrastructure set in place. The largest webcast radio stations are often affiliated with regular wireless radio stations. There are also smaller webcast operators, mostly independent and unaffiliated with any traditional and mainstream radio stations.
The programs and formats present in webcast radio stations mirror just as what one would expect from regular wireless radio stations. Indeed, the advent of internet radio has made it possible to listen to genres and programming that would be otherwise non-existent in local traditional radio stations. Genres as diverse as classical music, new age, and black metal can be heard anywhere throughout the world. There are also talk shows of all types catering to sometimes very specific audiences, as transmitting over the internet has made it feasible to reach small groups of people and subcultures that previously would not have been numerous enough in size to merit culture specific programming. Internet radio, along with podcasting and other related innovations that have proliferated throughout the internet has made possible very fast music and culture cross pollination which previously, would have taken much longer to occur. As a result of the accessibility and the variety present in webcast radio, it has become very poplar amongst expatriates who would not have any other reliable access to radio programs and music from home. Webcast radio is not by any means a new technology. The first radio station was set up in 1993, by Carl Malamoud. Since then, various individuals and institutions have set up thousands of internet radio stations and many innovations in the medium have been made. An innovation that may be available in the following months may allow mobile phone users to listen to radio just as they would on a computer. Webcast radio stations earn money through a variety of ways, which mirror normal radio stations. Most often, content is paid for by advertisers and in some cases, paid for by government subsidy, such as BBC webcast radio. Different jurisdictions will have different laws regarding the legislation of webcast radio. For instance, in the United Kingdom, independent internetradio station streams are restricted so that only listeners in the United Kingdom can listen to them, with BBC stations being the only webcasts readily available anywhere else in the world.
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