Online radio stations are definitely something to watch.
For the past few years, online radio stations were mostly run by enthusiasts in their spare time. Most of these early online radio stations were aimed at a very small sub-section of the community and most often the presenters were amateurs who tuned in during the evening to live out their dreams of being a radio presenter.
I have listened to many of these stations for years and I must say that I enjoyed every minute of it. They tend to be very personal and very audience-centred, which is what made them work.
These stations were however not really main stream. Most commercial radio stations now stream their broadcasts online. You will find vast lists of these stations on websites like www.tunein.com.
I have however seen that popular radio presenters now start their own online radio stations. The domain of the amateur enthusiast is now becoming main stream. Two of these stations that have a very professional feel and high production quality, are Ballz.co.za and 2OceansVibeRadio.com.
Ballz.co.za was started by Darren Scott and is mostly sport orientated. I am sure that this station will be played in many offices, especially during the Olympics. The station is run from professional studios that were built specifically for them and the production quality is extremely high. You will be amazed. Other presenters on the channel are Shasha Martinengo, of 5FM fame, and John Walland.
2OceansVibeRadio.co.za is equally impressive when it comes to production quality. Two of the presenters that you will find on this channel are IanF and also my wife’s favourite rugby player of all time, Bob Skinstad.
Visit these two stations online, down load the app on your mobile device and support them. Even though online radio has been around for quite a while, these are the guys who will give it the publicity that is needed to gain credibility.
Nico Baird is a new media expert. Visit juicybrain.com for more information or contact him at nico@juicybrain.com.