November 18, 2007 - 7:44AM

If you're an expat or if you simply like listening to the radio while
you work, then you're probably one of a growing band of internet radio
users.

Over the past few years, radio stations around the world have started
converting their signal into a file and broadcasting over the
internet.

The concept, known as internet radio, has seen many radio stations
expand beyond their terrestrial boundaries.

One of Australia's earliest adopters of internet radio was the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The public broadcaster now
streams more than a dozen radio stations over the internet, including
Triple J, News Radio, Dig, and several local ABC stations.

In October, the ABC delivered almost half a million live radio
streams, with just over half received within Australia (52 per cent),
followed by China (17 per cent) and the USA (13 per cent).

Nearly three-quarters of Radio Australia's Foreign service streams go
to China, while, curiously, 15 per cent of Israelis listen to Classic
FM over the internet.

Commercial radio stations have also jumped on board.

Nova FM, owned by DMG Radio, has a network of radio stations around
Australia, each streaming audio over the internet.

Over the past month, DMG Radio served approximately 350,000 streams
over the internet.

Most of Nova's online audience, 95 per cent, is local, despite being
with the station's radio signal.

"Our (internet) audience are probably unable to reach a radio, because
they're stuck at the desk," said DMG radio multimedia development
manager, Wade Kingsley.

Internet radio allows a station to extend its audience beyond the
terrestrial boundaries of its radio transmitter.

The ABC's cricket coverage receives numerous emails and text messages
from ex-pats living and listening around the world.

The reverse also holds true, with many people in Australia listening
to internet radio stations from overseas.

Like its Australian counterpart, the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) streams a number of its radio stations over the internet, with
more than 2.8 million listeners during September 2007.

The BBC news service is streamed in 33 languages, including Spanish,
Arabic and Chinese, while soccer fans can tune into BBC 5 Live to
listen to Premier League Soccer games.For World Music in Australia go
to Fairfields 2 Double V at
 http://www.radio2doublev.org/

One thing to be aware of when listening to internet radio is audio
compression.

Spoken word programs, such as talkback and sport, sound the same as a
typical AM broadcast, but stereo music will not be as good as the
"real thing".

Internet radio uses compression to ensure that the packets of data
containing the audio, arrive at a speed that doesn't cause the sound
to stop and wait for the next packet - called buffering.

Compression rates can vary anywhere between 22 and 196 kilobits per
second. Some radio stations provide the same broadcast at different
compression rates, so choose the highest compression rate that your
internet connection and computer will allow, without the sound having
to rebuffer.

There are a number of ways of tuning into internet radio.

LISTEN TO YOUR BROWSER

Any radio station that streams audio over the internet is sure to
include a link to the stream on their website.

The link will typically open a small window that displays a pause/play
button, volume control and information about the program currently
playing. You will typically need to have an audio player such as
Windows Media or Real Audio installed on your computer.

SEARCH FOR SOMETHING NEW

If you're looking for something different, try visiting an internet
radio directory website. Each directory lists hundreds of different
internet radio stations, grouped by country, language or genre.

Some websites allow you to create an account which you can use to
store your favourite radio stations.

Check out:

* www.reciva.com

* www.radiotower.com

* www.penguinradio.com

HIDDEN IN YOUR MEDIA PLAYER

Most media players have a section listing internet radio stations.
Just like the web-based directories, the lists were grouped, and you
can browse and listen to a radio station of your choice.

In Windows Media Player, click on the Media Guide tab and then choose
radio. Users of RealPlayer will find a list of radio stations by
clicking on the RealGuide tab, while Apple's iTunes player has a radio
link in the left-hand column.

Depending upon how technically savvy you are, you may be able to
connect your stereo to your network and play the music on your
computer.

SKIP THE COMPUTER

If you have a wireless network (WiFi) in your home, then you may
consider buying an internet radio.

These units connect to the internet using WiFi and can be placed
anywhere that your WiFi signal reaches.

Once connected to your network, the radio will download information
from an internet radio directory (see Search for something new). You
can then navigate through the directory to find a radio station you
like and play. Some units will also play music stored on your
computer.