Saturday, March 19, 2005

From music to talk, broadcasters reach out to listeners who have computer
connections.
By Susan Whitall / The Detroit News

Detroit radio stations are jumping on the Internet streaming bandwagon -- or
jumping back on -- faster than weeds grow in April.

"Streaming" is a continuous online audio feed that you can listen to on your
computer.

Expect more stations to go online every day, as industry giants Clear
Channel and Infinity have both hinted that they're going full-bore ahead
into the Internet world.

.. Classic rock WCSX-FM (104.3) relaunched its Webstream Friday at wcsx.com,
after shutting it down three and a half years ago.

"We'd been hearing from people who worked inside the Ren Cen and couldn't
pick up the signal," WCSX operations manager Bill Stedman says. "Now they'll
be able to listen at their computers."

Greater Media's WRIF-FM has been streaming morning hosts Drew and Mike and
all its shows all along.

.. For talk and news-talk stations, streaming has been less of a headache
because they have mostly background music to license. Salem Broadcasting's
conservative talk WDTK-AM (1400) has been streaming its shows online for
some time. Progressive talk WDTW-AM (1310) streams most of its content and
promises its morning show will be up soon.

.. This past Valentine's Day, news-talk WJR-AM (760) started putting its
programs up live on the Internet. WJR is streaming all of its programming
except for Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, Dr. Dean Edell, Matt Drudge and Ann
Delisi.

President and general manager Mike Fezzey says the station is already
getting a lot of calls outside its geographical reach. "Any opportunity to
extend the brand and allow people to listen to us where they haven't been
able to before is a good thing," Fezzey says. "There are people traveling
who want to stay in touch, people who might go to a winter home in Florida
or Arizona. Some people have a radio, but it's just easier to listen online
if you're at the computer."

.. This past Monday, all-news WWJ-AM (950) was among many Infinity stations
nationally to start streaming as well. Rich Homberg, vice president and
general manager for WWJ, is excited about throwing the station's "live and
local" programming up online. Now anyone around the globe with a computer
can hear all news all the time, including Joe Donovan's 20/20 News-style
alliteration, updates on freeway closures and the latest on Detroit politics
and Hines Drive flooding.

"Streaming is just another way that we're moving from a 'we' world to a 'me'
world," Homberg says. "We want to move onto the devices of the future,
whether that's computers or iPods. That's where the world is going, and we
know it's important for us to be there."

Homberg envisions a time in the near future when an individualized WWJ
broadcast will be downloaded onto your car radio, podcast-style, while it
sits in the garage overnight.

WWJ doesn't rely heavily on syndicated content, and Homberg believes that
will work in its favor online.

"There seems to be this rumor out there that the Internet will hurt radio,"
Homberg says. "But if you give people compelling local content, they'll
listen. You can't be generic, though. If 15 hours of my (programming) day
were network radio, I'd be concerned."

http://www.detnews.com/2005/screens/...D01-121668.htm