True, but when you consider the possible interference from electrical equipment (EMF), steel walls in apartment buildings that cut or block signal strength, superior sound, etc. if you want to listen to something hassle free, taking it off the web seems like a no-brainer to me. Smart speakers make it even easier. 

If they didn't think it would work so well, why go to all the hassle and expense of setting it up in the first place? Plus there are a few who will listen to their hometown favourite when they're away from their city. (Someone called into one of the Toronto AM talkers Tuesday listening from Hungary.)

If you stream it, they will come. 

Internet radio streaming certainly has come a long way since the early '00s when, if you wanted to listen to a station online, you had to listen to it on a big clunky desktop PC, most likely with crappy little speakers, and you were probably on dial-up too, as high-speed internet was still a luxury for many of us. Which meant your stream was constantly buffering and cutting out. That was probably one of the reasons that 1050chum.com (the internet station that debuted in May 2001 when the terrestrial version became The Team 1050) never took off.

Fast forward 20 years, internet radio has become a lot more ubiquitous. Internet radio stations are not just available on your desktop or laptop PC, but basically on just about every type of device that connects to the internet: smart phones, smart TVs and tablets, just to name a few. Also, unlimited internet plans are more the norm, allowing people to stream to their heart's content.

Where this puts traditional AM/FM stations at an advantage is that listeners can now tune into them when they're out of terrestrial signal range, or in an area where the signal is poor. 

Where this potentially puts traditional AM/FM stations at a disadvantage is that now they're in a pool (or more like an ocean) of thousands upon thousands of other stations around the world, many of which are internet-only stations that are run by individuals for the fun of it, as opposed to profit, allowing them greater creativity in terms of content. 

Much like traditional broadcast TV has had to rethink their model over the past few years with the growing popularity of streaming services, traditional radio may very well have to do the same thing. How well will a terrestrial station with a 300-song playlist compete online with an internet-only station that boasts a 3000+ song playlist?

Stay tuned...


PJ