Internet Radio IS the future

Increasingly I am asked why the Business Bunker now transmits less and less on FM and entirely via Internet streaming. A lot of people think that most radio listeners do so in the car.

Well firstly with a show like The Business Bunker its what I call a Community of Interest Show. It’s aimed at SME’s in Kent and increasingly the surrounding counties. Current Ofcom licences do not allow FM broadcasting in competition with existing commercial and BBC licence holders over a regional area. Therefore in order to be heard by our market place the Internet is the only and I like to think the best form of transmission.

In terms of listening in to the live show, the normal method is via the live player access on the show website via a desktop PC, laptop, netbook or tablet computer. It is also quite possible to listen via a smart phone too of course. However as far as tablet and smartphone are concerned its even better. using an App such as TuneIn Radio its possible to tune into the Bunker Show and literally 100,000’s of other stations broadcasting from anywhere in the world.

Its somewhat ironic that things have come full circle in some  respects. As a kid in the 1960’s I would tune in my little hand held transistor radio to Radios Caroline, Luxembourg or Red Sands and listen personally to ‘pirate radio”. Now in 2012 more and more people tune into radio via their phone, the multifunction transistor radio of today.

I have had emails from an increasing number of owners of Internet Radios, these are devices such as Squeezbox radio which handle FM, DAB and WiFi Internet and can also be used in the home to pick up your iTunes music and broadcast around your house. To tune into us from an Internet radio you can search on radio menu for Romney Marsh FM, Looker Radio or Business Bunker Radio and save the station. You can also get us via iTunes on your Mac or PC and distribute domestically on your Wifi enabled sound or TV system.

As far as in car listening is concerned this is becoming easier and easier to do. Just about all new cars on sale from 2010 onwards have some form of multimedia/USB attached Media Consul. There are also devices available to attache a phone, iPod or MP3 player to existing FM radios in older cars.

I came across this website The Future of Radio and this highly informative article on In Car Internet radio in the US. As we all know what happens in the US last year will be here next. Indeed it seems that European car manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes are already onto this, with other leading car brands poised to follow suit. Read the full article here Future of Radio Online

I believe the future of broadcast radio is very healthy and set to produce vastly more stations and shows of special interest and aimed at different communities. As far as Kent Business Radio is concerned our fledgling foray into the world of radio has so far been a very interesting and thought provoking journey. We’ve made loads of mistakes, learned lots of things and had to turn our hands to a range of activities. For the future we are developing the Business Bunker Show itself with some new ideas and initiatives . We are also planning more special interest shows to complement the Bunker Show and anyone who has ideas or an area of specialised knowledge that could lead to an interesting show is urged to contact us via the contact page to discuss this.

In terms of the cost and development at the moment the station is fully funded by there founder but as it grows and progresses it will need to generate some income in order to sustain it. The beauty of Internet radio is that the listener is tuned in via a website, so not only is there the opportunity for on air sponsorship and advertising but this can be tied in with internet adverts too. This is an area we will be developing over the coming months. It will be a fraction of the cost of conventional FM radio advertising and sponsorship whilst having far more reach in different ways. If anyone is interested in exploring this further please make contact via the contact page.

So in short like so many things today the Internet is the future but primarily delivered via mobile and tablet platforms. I’m excited by the possibilities and I hope you are too.