The Growth of Internet Radio and the End of Terrestrial Broadcasting

Internet radio offers you the opportunity to get your message out to a mass audience in an easy and affordable way.

The online radio audience is growing at a rapid pace; as technology allows broadcasting from a laptop, devices like iPods, or a phone. Anyone with a phone and a good idea can host a radio show from the privacy of their home or office.

According to a 2005 study, Pew Internet, "More than 22 million American adults own iPods or MP3 players and 29% of them have downloaded podcasts from the Web so that they could listen to audio files at a time of their choosing. That amounts to more than 6 million adults who have tried this new feature that allows internet "broadcasts" to be downloaded onto their portable listening device." As the technology improves we can choose to listen on a standard terrestrial format or mobile devices.

A favorite TV show can now be watched on cell phone. We remain connected in ways unheard of just ten years ago. This means people are no longer tied to a time and a place to listen to radio or television program. The days of gathering around the TV to watch a show at 8 PM with the family has now moved to watching from the road, a restaurant or in your backyard.

Terrestrial radio has seen a sharp decline, as more and more people use mobile technology to get their information where, when, and how they want it. Michael Harrison, the editor of Talkers magazine, in his message to the National Association of Broadcasters Radio, says, "The next 15 years will be the demise of terrestrial radio as we know it and the rise of the extraterrestrial,' he said. Just as Vaudeville gave way to movies and horses to the automobile, he said, radio will be overtaken by gadgets that serve people's needs more efficiently."

The new technology has also changed who gets to set the programming. Not hampered by the same rules as terrestrial radio, formats such as Blog Talk Radio, a blog and social networking site that doubles as an Internet radio network, allows its members to be radio show hosts. This kind of format allows the average person with a passion or an idea to create their radio show and design their own programming. It is reminiscent of the early days of cable television. Alan Levy, founder of the Blog Talk Radio platform, said the site has over 4,000 active hosts and has broadcast more than 41,000 programs since its launch.

Back in 2007 BTR was offering more than 250 live shows in a single day; Levy said the site has broadcast over 6,000 shows since launching. What does this mean for the average person? First, it gives the user more choices in a variety to access information and entertainment in a format that works for them.

The opportunity exists for people to create a new kind of digital platform for themselves, developing their message and exposing it to a wider audience then ever before. According to statistics, "Internet radio attracts an upper-income audience, with weekly Internet radio listeners 36% more likely to live in a household with annual income of $100K+ than the general US population 18+".

Now more than ever a person with a business or message can be in the homes and the ears of a broad range of listeners delivering a product or idea. The use of Internet radio will only increase; allowing for continued opportunities for both the creators of programming and the listener.

Look at Audioacrobat.com, Cinchcast.com or AudioBoo.com for simple and easy ways to create mini or longer podcasts. Platforms like Blogtalkradio.com and TalkShoe.com give you the opportunity to create shows and increase your exposure.