As it should be. Compared with most industries, broadcasters have always conducted business in a rather protected climate. FCC licenses are both expensive and few, leaving competition to a minimum. With the explosion of Internet broadcasting, virtually anyone with an idea can become a competitor. Programming remains cost-prohibitive, and the quality of Internet video is often rudimentary at best.
Radio is an entirely different matter.
There are already hundreds of stations on the Internet. Technology is now available to transfer Internet broadcasts to something as mobile as a Walkman. Soon, listeners will be able to download broadcasts via satellite to their car stereos, expanding their current selection of a few dozen stations to the thousands. And all of these new stations and technologies are aimed at stealing listeners away from traditional radio. No worries In Las Vegas, Viacom Chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone was militant in his defense of traditional broadcasting.