The Revolution In Radio...(Look out Clear Channel)

[SoCalDem]

B U S I N E S S
The Revolution In Radio
Online and satellite stations are finally starting to chip away at the dominance of the AM/FM dial
By DAREN FONDA

http://radio.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1101040419%2D610082%2C00.html

Monday, Apr. 19, 2004

Bill and Rebecca Goldsmith are making a living from an idea that would probably get you laughed out of business school: running an Internet radio station commercial free. From their home in Paradise, Calif., in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, they operate Radioparadise.com, a format-busting station that spins a tasteful mix of music ranging from the Beatles to Norah Jones to the Strokes.

Fewer than 5,000 listeners tune in during peak times, but fans like it so much, they sent the couple $120,000 in contributions last year, covering the cost of bandwidth, song royalties and other expenses and leaving enough to support a "comfortable lifestyle," says Bill Goldsmith, who quit a 30-year career in FM radio to run and DJ his homegrown version.

If you can't bear another spin of Britney Spears, you're one of the reasons that stations like Radioparadise are beginning to prosper and investors are again flocking to another alternative to the AM/FM dial: satellite radio. After years of unmet promise, online stations, along with satellite offerings like Sirius and XM Satellite Radio, are building audiences even as regular radio struggles through a decade-long slump (time spent listening is down 14% since 1994, according to the ratings firm Arbitron).

Critics say industry consolidation has turned AM/FM stations into McRadio: nationally uniform, repetitive and clogged more than ever with ads and promos. But scores of high-quality alternatives are now competing for your ears (and dollars).


snip....

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WE NEED DU-RADIO..... we have plenty of people here who could (and some already do) DJ our own station.. Air America is still spotty, and goodness knows Guy James is already showing that it can be done..

[gWbush is Mabus]

1. thank god - i hate clear channel

those neo-con fuckwats

[LTR]

2. That is a great story!

RadioParadise is very good, too.

It's refreshing in the Clear Channel era that someone can start up a business like this, doing something that the commercial giants say won't work, and being successful at it. Plus, the money they're making sounds phenomenal for what they are doing.

There are some streaming stations that seem to be doing pretty well. RadioIO and SomaFM are two that come to mind.

I hope that streaming radio does change the landscape. People will finally rise up and vote for what they feel is quality content.

More power to them!

[smada]

3. Good for them

Not only do they offer better programming, but are doing it on a voluntary, non-commerical "honor system" basis. That's great.

[daa]

4. I hate clear channel so bad

I don't go to concerts that use Ticketmaster or where they control the venue.

[King Coal]

7. You should see what we put up with here in New Mexico.

I'm ready to do something about it.

[bryant69]

5. That would be cool.

"Here at radio DU we play the hits you want to here. We just heard Creedence Clearwater Revival with "Fortunate Son." Before that was Os Mutantes "El Justiciero" and starting off the set was Gil Scott Heron with "B-Movie," a song written about a former semi-fictitious president."

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[villager]

6. listening to Radio Paradise

when I clicked on this! It's great! Thanks for posting...