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

Mike Terry wrote in message
...
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."


So how does streaming make bottom-line sense now when it didn't three and a
half years ago, when hundreds of stations pulled their signals to avoid
having to pay additional fees to stream ads that used unionized talent? Are
CC and Infinity scrubbing their webcasts of such ads?

Howard

H Glazer wrote:

So how does streaming make bottom-line sense now when it didn't three and a
half years ago, when hundreds of stations pulled their signals to avoid
having to pay additional fees to stream ads that used unionized talent? Are
CC and Infinity scrubbing their webcasts of such ads?

Can't speak for Infinity - Uncle Mel must have just lifted the streaming ban,
because to date I've never been able to find Infinity stations that stream. But
Clear Channel has been streaming Internet broadcasts of their stations with no
ads at all for a year or two... first using HiWire, and now using... I forget who.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

So how does streaming make bottom-line sense now when it didn't three and a
half years ago, when hundreds of stations pulled their signals to avoid
having to pay additional fees to stream ads that used unionized talent? Are
CC and Infinity scrubbing their webcasts of such ads?

Howard

Yes - and as they use automation more and more, it gets easier. The
"stream" will have an announcement (don't worry, we're not playing you
the commercial", or, morel likely these days, a commercial produced
with non-AFTRA talent. This gives the streaming station another
potential revenue opportunity.

On 21 Mar 2005 17:41:41 GMT, Steve Sobol wrote:


Can't speak for Infinity - Uncle Mel must have just lifted the streaming ban,

I can't speak for Infinity either, but the streaming ban was lifted
after Uncle Mel left the company. So far only spoken-word formats are
being streamed.

Mark Howell

On 21 Mar 2005 17:41:41 GMT, Steve Sobol wrote:

Can't speak for Infinity - Uncle Mel must have just lifted the streaming ban,
because to date I've never been able to find Infinity stations that stream. But
Clear Channel has been streaming Internet broadcasts of their stations with no
ads at all for a year or two... first using HiWire, and now using... I forget who.

"Uncle Mel" is now running Sirius, and is no longer the head honcho at
Infinity.

Several big market Infinity FMs have been streaming via the closed AOL
for Broadband system for a few months now. I believe this
"experiment" started even before Mr. Karmazin left Infinity.

Shortly thereafter, they started streaming WCBS/880, the NYC all-news
station...the first Infinity station to stream outside the AOL
network. And just last week, they launched most of Infinity's big
market all-news and news/talk stations into streaming. So, if you
haven't found Infinity stations that stream, you haven't looked very
recently

Mike Ward wrote:
On 21 Mar 2005 17:41:41 GMT, Steve Sobol wrote:


Can't speak for Infinity - Uncle Mel must have just lifted the streaming ban,
because to date I've never been able to find Infinity stations that stream. But
Clear Channel has been streaming Internet broadcasts of their stations with no
ads at all for a year or two... first using HiWire, and now using... I forget who.


"Uncle Mel" is now running Sirius,

Yeah, forgot about that.


--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

"H Glazer" wrote in message
...
So how does streaming make bottom-line sense now when it didn't three and
a
half years ago, when hundreds of stations pulled their signals to avoid
having to pay additional fees to stream ads that used unionized talent?
Are
CC and Infinity scrubbing their webcasts of such ads?

Howard


I listen to WABC quite a lot at night (John Batchelor mostly), and they
routinely pull those types of ads from the webcast and either replace it
with dead air or a filler of some sort. Some ads and brokerage shows get
through.

Gary Schnabl
(Southwest) Detroit

Do you know or remember Detroit radio 1967-68??
Someone claimed he was earning $350,000 a year doing a morning show in
Detroit. Came from Cleveland where he was making $300.000 at the time.

Mike Ward wrote in news:d1n7vf$6v7$1
@xuxa.iecc.com:

"Uncle Mel" is now running Sirius, and is no longer the head honcho at
Infinity.

And very shortly after he took over at Sirius, the few free web streams
that Sirius talent had negotiated for their hard-core fans were
unceremoniously turned off.

--
George Bush's War of Choice on Iraq is a totally unnecessary war.
Every life lost, every limb lost, every disfigurement, every
disability caused there is more blood on George W. Bush's hands,
and on the hands of everyone who voted for George W. Bush.