Perhaps there's some thought of offering a side channel or two, or experimenting with ad insertion. Some stations might see such a link as a concession to the enemy, but KSON's Webmaster and midday air personality Nick Upton sees an opportunity. Stations that participate in local schools' Spirit 2000 programs can add their partnership to their public files to help them out at license-renewal time, Upton said.
Stations have access to listeners' e-mail addresses for their own marketing efforts.
They also get detailed information on who's downloading what. As the company looks beyond home computers to the future of the wireless Internet, Wallace said services like Live365 will be essential partners to get radio stations into new Internet listening environments, especially products like Kerbango and in-car players. Wallace believes there's a huge opening for radio to take advantage of opportunities like those Live365 is offering. After a radio career that included stops in Nashville, Phoenix, Houston and Los Angeles, he thinks listeners are ready for something new. The key to the success of services like these, said one analyst, is to get to radio listeners where they do the most listening.