Many of today’s radio listeners aren’t tuning in on old-fashioned car or household radios. Instead, they’re turning to the internet for access to news, music, talk shows, and more. Read on to find out about a few of the benefits of streaming news radio online instead of tuning in the old-fashioned way.
More Variety
One of the greatest strengths of the internet is that it offers consumers an incredible array of choices in all areas of their lives, and radio shows are no exception. When readers want to learn about the news by flipping on their car radios on their way to work they’ll have fairly limited choices and may be unable to find a show that is in alignment with their own political and social beliefs. With streaming news radio they can get access to shows from all over the world, making it more likely that they’ll find one they like.
Fewer Advertisements
The cost of running an online radio station is far lower than that associated with traditional radio shows. This allows stations to run comparatively fewer commercials in order to make money and pay their bills. Some news radio shows have no commercials at all, choosing to support themselves through donations, subscriptions, or other means instead.
Constant Availability
The only thing readers need to listen to news radio shows online is an internet-ready device and a wifi or data connection. There are no geographical boundaries and no restrictions on how close they must be to the source of the broadcast. Many terrestrial news stations also stream their broadcasts online, too, so there’s no need for those who have already found a radio show they love to switch to a sub-par alternative just because they’ve decided to listen online.
Sound Quality
Traditional radio stations are influenced by environmental interference, which often causes listeners to lose signal. Plus, the sound is often heavily compressed. Readers who choose to listen to online radio can anticipate better sound quality with fewer interruptions no matter where they’re listening from.
Minimal System Requirements
Internet radio has been around for decades and its technical requirements are extremely minimal. There’s generally no need to install additional software on computers and smartphone users can typically find radio streaming apps for free.