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 So, you want to put your radio station on the Web? Hal Doran hdoran@synapse.net First, you'll need programming. That's easy. You've already got a radio station or you're a producer. You'll also need some software - some of it probably won't cost anything. And you'll need two computers. One computer to encode the station sound in a way that works over the Net. Encoding means turning your audio into RealAudio, or MPEG, or whatever kind of stream you want to send out. This can be any decent recent computer with an okay sound card and relatively high-speed (LAN, cable, ADSL, ISDN etc.) 7 day a week 24 hour connection to the Internet. Another computer will distribute that encoded signal to Web listeners. That computer must be running server software and media streaming server software, have relatively powerful processing capacity and memory, and a fairly high bandwidth permanent connection to the Internet. This second computer is the key. It needs sufficient power and bandwidth to ensure that your listeners get a good signal. You'll also need a place to put those computers and some wires to connect them together. How you sort all this out will depend on your situation and your budget. Here are some basic steps you will probably follow. Step One - Setting Up Your Encoder: You get a decent computer to dedicate to the encoding process. You download some free encoding software. Real Networks, Microsoft Media, Apple Quicktime or Shoutcast MP3 are the most popular choices. You install the software, hook your audio feed into the sound card, and connect the computer's ethernet connection to the university's LAN or some other high-speed connection. You put the computer in a locked closet near the main on-air studio. (You don't want those midnight clandestine Quake sessions to put you off-the-air on the Net.) Some stations put the computer in the server room of a friendly off-campus Internet service provider (ISP). Even safer. Step Two - Getting the Encoded Signal onto the Internet: You obtain the use of a streaming server. If you're on a campus this could involve having some friendly computer science type install some free streaming media streaming software on a campus computer (with the agreement of the powers that be, of course). Or doing a sponsorship or contra promotion deal with an ISP that does streaming media. They'll let you "bounce your signal" off their media streaming server in return for little or no money but lots of good will and publicity on-air and on your station's website. Or, if you are using the Shoutcast system, they actually provide a free server to which you can send your streaming signal. Streaming servers (or the part of them you get to use) should be able to support from 10 to 25 simultaneous connections. More is great, but 10 gives you a web presence and 25 will take care of most listening needs for most small stations. Yes, really. (Here's a little secret - a really big webcast with a national audience and lots of promotion usually has an audience of 300 to 1000 listeners at any one time. It really is still narrowcasting, folks.) Step Three - Finding Listeners: Promo the connection on your website and elsewhere. And make sure somebody at the station is responsible for checking the quality (and existence) of the web signal on a regular basis. Hal Doran works with the Internet broadcaster Sussex Place Inc. (www.sussexplace.com), and also does media and Internet consulting and training. He has worked for campus/community, commercial and CBC radio and taught radio broadcasting at Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa. Copyright CSIRP 2001 Copyright for materials on this website is the property of the content creators and the Canadian Society for Independent Radio Production, unless otherwise noted. Materials may be freely used by non-profit organizations and educational institutions for non-commercial purposes only. For evaluation purposes, CSIRP would appreciate it if you would let us know how you have used these materials, and in what context. Material reproduced from this website must include the CSIRP logo, website address and this message. |
