Terrestrial and Streaming Analysis, Essay Example

When listening to an online radio stream compared to a regular radio station, there are clearly some differences, as well as similarities. Overall the differences in the radio station compared to the digital stream has more to do with the presentation, as well as the advertisements and station promotion. I chose KFOX–servicing San Francisco and the greater Bay-area with classic rock.

KFOX’s live broadcast schedule and their online streaming schedule are completely identical in their song content. The major differences lie in the way the stations are presented. Digitally streaming the music had just as much advertisement time, however the ads were longer in duration. On the radio it seemed that the Ads and Promos were attempts at giving the most amount of information in the shortest possible time frame.

Their online broadcast, however, transitioned much more seamlessly between commercials and the DJ, right into the songs. The station it seems as a common practice uses a block-style of music and advertising. This means that while there may be a half hour or so of continuous music, they then have at least 10 minutes worth of advertising and promotions in between each block. This seemed to go by faster when listening to the online broadcast.

It differs greatly from other internet streaming sources such as Pandora in the way that it is less interactive. The online streaming sites, though they have similar ads to the ones run in the online streaming of the station, are still there–however these stations are much more customizable for the listeners to ensure one can narrow down the songs a regular radio station does not allow for. Because the playlist online and through FM were the same, it still falls short of Pandora. Social media messages are generally the same.

To truly halt the death of traditional radio, traditional radio must evolve in a way that makes them more user-friendly–otherwise they will be swallowed by online radio.