In September, I reviewed a site that provided links to radio stations that broadcast over the internet. This month we'll take a look at another, similar site. We'll also look at a couple of sites that produce reader-driven charts of today's country favorites. And finally, we'll take a peek at a brand new web site by one of Country Music's newest stars.
Broadcast.ComBroadcast.Com catalogs many different audio and video internet programs available from around the world. On their home page, they provide several different "channels" that range from Audio Books to Video. We'll take a look at the Country Music aspects of three of these channels, specifically the CD Jukebox, Live Radio and Music Channels.
The CD Jukebox Channel features many different genres, including Country Music. Selecting this format brings up a variety of different artists, just don't expect any of today's stars. You will find selections of Dottie West and Eddie Rabbitt, among others. I selected the Dottie west collection of hits and was treated to an hour's worth good traditional country music from this CD. I did have to put up with a short advertisement in both aural and visual formats. Closing the ad window was easy and the audio commercial was short, leading right into the CD playback. You could order the CD from Broadcast.Com at any time during the playback. My only complaint was the absence of any track listing.
The Music Show Channel had a smaller selection of genres, but clicking on Country Music brought up a number of shows from which to choose. Some of these were live simulcasts where the specific broadcast times were noted. Others were listed as on demand, but those produced by Entertainment Radio Networks could not be linked to successfully. Some of the shows included Blair Garner's After Midnight, Don Steel's Internet Top 40 Countdown and KYKR's Country's Most Wanted. Too bad the Grand Ol' Opry doesn't broadcast their show over the internet!
The Radio Channel allows one to search for stations by specific call letters, geographic location or format. Selecting Country brought up a listing of 42 different stations. Each listing provided information on the station's call letters and broadcast frequency, format, schedule, location, and e-mail address. Clicking on the location link, for example, brought up other stations in that geographic location.
If you're looking for something different on the "radio dial," bookmark this site and visit a different station or show each week. This one's a keeper.
