The encoder system translates the audio from the sound card into streaming format.The audio enters the Internet broadcasterвЂ™s encoding computer through a sound card.The cost of getting 'on the air' is less for an Internet broadcaster (see the next section, 'Creating an Internet Radio Station'), and Internet radio can appeal to 'micro-communities' of listeners focused on special music or interests.

Internet radio, on the other hand, offers the opportunity to expand the types of available programming. In some ways, this has led to more mainstreaming of the programming on broadcast radio, as stations often try to reach the largest possible audience in order to charge the highest possible rates to advertisers. Broadcast radio is increasingly controlled by smaller numbers of media conglomerates (such as Cox, Jefferson-Pilot and Bonneville). Internet radio programming offers a wide spectrum of broadcast genres, particularly in music. You could also have interactivity with the trainer or educator and other information on the Internet radio broadcast site. For example, with Internet radio, you could conduct training or education and provide links to documents and payment options. This expanded media capability could also be used in other ways. The relationship between advertisers and consumers becomes more interactive and intimate on Internet radio broadcasts. In the example at the beginning of this article, a listener who hears an ad for a computer printer ordered that printer through a link on the Internet radio broadcast Web site. This advancement allows a listener to do more than listen. An Internet radio broadcast can be accompanied by photos or graphics, text and links, as well as interactivity, such as message boards and chat rooms. In comparison to traditional radio, Internet radio is not limited to audio. The potential for Internet radio is as vast as cyberspace itself (for example, Live365 offers more than 30,000 Internet radio broadcasts). Internet radio has no geographic limitations, so a broadcaster in Kuala Lumpur can be heard in Kansas on the Internet. the available broadcast spectrum (you might get a couple of dozen radio stations locally).the power of the station's transmitter (typically 100 miles).

Radio broadcaster software