Radio Content on the World Wide Web: Comparing Streaming Radio Stations in the United States

Abstract

This study explores the Web content of the Internet-based radio stations and the terrestrial radio stations streaming online. It also compares the different strategies adopted by these two groups of Internet radio stations as reflected by their online contents. The websites of 176 stations were analyzed to examine two broad interactive dimensions-audience-oriented and source- oriented-and six strategic patterns (2) virtual information space, (2) virtual promotion space, (3) virtual distribution space, (4) virtual communication space, (5) virtual sponsorship space, and (6) virtual transaction space. The findings indicate that the online presence of information, promotion, and communication was highly visible for both the terrestrial and Internet-based radio stations. However, the terrestrial and Internet-based radio stations had very different means of structuring these functions online. Strategically, the terrestrial radio stations have acted more as information providers, while the Internet-based stations have acted more as the communication facilitators.