Many of us grew up with radio long before the internet hit the mainstream. We’d memorize our favorite station frequencies or amplitudes, debate over which was the best, and set timers for the shows we couldn’t miss. Today, so much of this process is automated or simplified through the use of the net, including right here at Phoenix 98.

Taking a look back at how things used to be, we thought we’d ask the question, are we better off now than we were before, and what about the culture has really changed?

“ATWO Bluetooth FM Radio AT3201” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by TheBetterDay

A Wider Reach

Maximizing reach was a much greater challenge before the days of the internet. This wasn’t just in radio too, it’s been an issue shared by many forms of entertainment. Without the net, we were locked to the broadcast capacity of the towers we used, further limited by the reliability of each user’s radio and antenna as explained by BRLogic. These could reach hundreds of miles but were ultimately limited compared to the global span of the World Wide Web.

As a side effect, the wider spread made possible by the internet also allows online businesses new opportunities to cater to users. We can see this perfectly encapsulated by the landscape of online casinos, which use the internet to surpass many of the limitations of their traditional structures. A perfect example is found in a PokerStars bonus code, which provides players with bonus deposits that are not possible in physical casinos. This kind of approach helps businesses grow even further, adding funding to continuously evolve offers for users, or in our case, develop our shows and pay our staff.

More Convenient Access

There’s absolutely something to be said for all listeners being tied to the same schedule. The loss of the culture of discussion with friends and coworkers from strict timetables is, arguably, the single big flaw that results from moving to an online access model. This is similar to how TV shows have changed, as Parrot Analytics investigates, with seasons dropping instead of weekly release schedules affecting watching patterns. On the other side of the coin, the convenience of newer forms of access doesn’t eliminate this option, it just adds alternatives.

We keep archives of our shows going back years, so no listeners ever need to miss out. They also don’t need to worry about their timetables interfering with what they want to listen to since they can just load up a show after it’s done to get in on the action. Digital access even lets users go one step further, connecting through a huge range of devices like smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, and more. To us, this tradeoff is more than worth the cost.

“Antenne radio” (CC BY 2.0) by zigazou76

Even if you’re a diehard purist who loves tuning in the old way, there’s no getting around the difficulty of maintaining this classic approach as a radio station. The modern market requires stations to evolve or risk extinction, and this can be a very good thing. The convenience and reach of our station thanks to the web is greater than ever before, and it’s only growing further. This really is a case where this town is big enough for everyone, so we can’t help but look forward to whatever comes next, and the challenges it provides.