Well didn't you just pop in out of the blue Jennifer.. Checked out your website (RadioActivefree.com) and see your from Chattanooga. How long has your station been going on? What transmitter(s) you use? Is your studio a mobile setup? How have your popup broadcast events been?
Nice to have a female in the mist! (or so I presume.. never knew a guy named Jennifer).
Jennifer mentions the perishable nature of radio. Agree, and I like good old fashion over the air radio like you appear to want to encourage and preserve.
I can appreciate the sentiment of wanting to do over-the-air radio. I think that that's the primary focus of most of us here (by the way, I really liked the audio clip on the RadioActive website).
The problem is that range is so limited for Part 15 stations that it limits the actual number of users that can listen in, particularly on cheaper and less sensitive radios.
Streaming allows you to get FM radio quality over the Internet at relatively low bitrates (64-128Kbps for stereo mp3's, less for AAC and other more efficient codecs). It expands your potential listening audience, and therefore there's a far greater chance that people will listen in with actual radios if they like what they hear.
When I was operating on Bowen Island here in British Columbia, Canada, I had people driving to and parking at the shopping mall in which my storefront was located just to tune in. Many could not hear the signal from their homes any other way other than via the Internet, and that then prompted their actions.
So I wouldn't rule out streaming from that perspective. The only viable reason I can see for NOT streaming (if you want listeners) is the music licensing cost and potential book keeping. Some of us here run our own servers, and it's relatively easy if you don't plan on having thousands of users (a 5Mbps Internet upload connection can support over 100 simultaneous listeners - I've seen much higher than that with low bit rate streams).
Here's why I won't consider streaming, just from my perspective, some of which I mentioned in other posts.
Yes there's the cost of music licenses(although not much) the cost of the app or program to do the stream....is it a monthly fee? don't know, and the having to keep a log of what plays and when. Half the time I am not listening or asleep while it just goes on automated.
And there's the know how of setting this up through the app and the computer with your playlist, jingles etc.
Is it worth it to get to the world...NO...and here's why. You are one tree in a forest. Think of a national park just for example, there's millions, maybe even a billion trees, literally, and you are one. And thousands of trees just like yours. How would someone come across your tree, and what would that tree have that the other same type of trees wouldn't.
You see the comparison I am making here. The only people that would listen if at all would be the 1 or 2 that I give the web address to like the few people on this forum. The chances are VERY slim that anyone would come across my stream. Or even go to the right server or place to find it. All the effort and expense and not worth it. The world wouldn't be listening.
Here's my experience with streaming. When listening on my computer in the past to Part15Engineer for example I see at the top.....listeners in last 24 hours 1.....me. Listeners in the last hour...1... me. Really! with the whole world capable of tuning in!
Same with Thelegacy. If it wasn't for this forum and knowing him and being given the address to tune to, do you think I would ever have discovered that particular stream? Not likely. If I wanted Album Rock for example I would just search it and thousands of streams in that genera would come up.
There's also the fact that not to many people in the world use their computer as a radio.
And like Jennifer, I have an attachment for old fashion radio which I grew up with. Radio is free. No monthly fees to make it work, A slogan of mine is just that. I can take a radio outside, it works on batteries, and listen to my own station. No advantage for me to stream. And I also don't get why TV networks stream when you can just turn on the TV. Why would I want to watch a program sitting at the computer or on a tiny little screen on a smartphone?
CTV here in Canada states for all their programs "streaming at 10:00PM" for example. The same time it's on TV....who cares...I have a TV set.
No, from my perspective, I have no interest in streaming. But that's just me.