Should I Start My Own Internet Radio Station

By Earl Hall

Internet Radio is a source that many people tap in to for an alternative to traditional radio. There are thousands of stations in just about any genre of music you can think of. The key for you is to develop a niche that no one else is exploiting. You have to think farther than just a genre, you have to think of a target niche.

Many people know about the normal genres like Hip Hop, R&B, Christian, Jazz, etc. What you will need to do to stand out from the pack is focus your station towards one group and not a large genre. For example, if you want a Christian station, focus on just choirs or gear your program towards single mothers. When you try and market to a large group, you will not stand out, but if you key in on a small segment, you will gain many more loyal listeners.

Deciding if you should start a station is easy. The answer is yes if you want to provide unique content with your own special flair. Depending of the level of actual broadcasting you want to do will help you decide if you simply want to just play music or if you want to incorporate shows and news into your station.

If you are going to do any sort of Internet station, you must get a windowsmedia stream. The reason that I encourage that is because, windows media is still the most listened to stream. You will receive a big jump in listenership if you get listed in the windowsmedia directory. The process takes a few weeks, but it is well worth it.

The quickest and simplest way to get started without a lot of effort is to get a station via live365. This service is useful for someone that just wants to upload some music and have it available to listen to on line by anyone. Live365 also offers professional services if you decide you want to be able to go on air live and do more traditional broadcasting.

I cannot speak highly enough about SAM broadcaster. SAM is a professional package that will allow you to have complete control over your station as well as totally automate it. My station would not be what and where it is today without SAM. This is for the serious professional broadcaster that is looking to make a serious impact on line.

Frankly, when you have an internet radio station you can build it and promote it like your traditional radio stations. You can sell air time, commercial spots, run contests, etc. The biggest hurdle to overcome with internet radio is promotion and standing out from the pack. Internet radio is not something that you can build over night. However, with consistent effort you can have your very own station that only airs what you want to hear. Believe it or not, there are others out there that think just like you.

Do some research and find out what others are doing. Once you have your direction, brand yourself and go for it.

Elder Earl B. Hall, II is a man of God that has been in ministry since 1990. Elder Hall is the owner of http://www.holyrevivalradio.com HolyRevivalRadio is a Christian Internet Radio Station. Earl is also a talk show host. The name of the show is "On air with Earl Hall". Elder Hall is an author and also writes a monthly column for Gospel Synergy Magazine. Internet Marketing is a specialty of Earl's and he also does a weekly 15 minute show to teach people how to successfully market there ministry or business online. You can find more information on Earl at http://www.earlhall.net