Old radio stations don't die anymore. They just reappear on the Internet.
Two radio stations that disappeared from the Los Angeles airwaves--hard-rock KNAC 105.5 FM and techno-dance-oriented Groove Radio 103.1 FM--are being resurrected with 24-hour broadcasts via the World Wide Web.
"We've got the future of radio transmitting live, right here, on GrooveRadio.com," disc jockey Holly Adams said during her evening show Tuesday, the station's first day on the Internet. "We're broadcasting live all over the universe."
Listeners can be hard-pressed to tell the difference between a broadcast transmitted over the airwaves and one carried on the Internet. Both offer continuous music, chatty DJs and slick promos touting the station.
There are differences, of course. KNAC.com and GrooveRadio.com have fewer commercials; DJs and their guests are not subject to government rules restricting foul language; and the stations are available to listeners all over the world.
And because they're Web start-ups, profits are nowhere in sight. But they hope to survive by selling radio and Web ads, along with a smattering of e-commerce and operating with pared-down staffs. They also predict it will be easier to become profitable once wireless technologies make the Web accessible away from the computer desktop.
Meanwhile, there are other concerns. The streaming music sometimes comes to an unexpected halt because of congestion on the Net, and listeners can tune in only when they're sitting at a personal computer. Plus, the Recording Industry Assn. of America is trying to collect music royalties from Web broadcasters under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Still, the old and new breeds of radio stations are more similar than different, which is why hundreds of stations have begun streaming simulcasts of their signals over the Web. Locally, radio stations such as KCRW-FM 89.9, Channel 103.1 KACD-FM and KLOS-FM 95.5 offer live feeds of their broadcasts on the Web. And hundreds of other stations have emerged that broadcast exclusively on the Internet.
Listeners to local sports talk shows sometimes call in from far-flung places after tuning in to their hometown stations via the Web. Syndicated talk show host Rush Limbaugh frequently entertains callers who listen in on the Internet.
What's unique about KNAC.com and GrooveRadio.com is that the two stations have been re-created almost exactly as they were when they went off the air. That includes the studios in Santa Monica, the CD libraries, even the DJ lineups.
