We receive a lot of comments from listeners who ask us..."If Lite 99 is internet-based, then how can it be a radio station?" The internet and AM/FM radio are two distinct entities, so how could I listen to a radio station via the internet if I'm unable to access it on an AM/FM radio?" Isn't a radio station only what I can find on the AM/FM dials using a typical radio receiver?" While it's true our station is not on the AM/FM broadcast dial, we still consider ourselves a radio station. Here's why...
First, we have to look at the definition of what radio is. According to Dictionary.com, radio is defined as:
"the transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves of radio frequency, especially those carrying sound messages."
We all grew up listening to AM/FM radio. Prior to the days of the internet, those two bands entailed what most people regarded as "radio", at least from an entertainment perspective. Many other forms of radio communication, such as CB radio, have been around for a long time as well, which, although radio by definition, aren't necessarily an entertainment source (music, talk, sports) as what one receives on the AM/FM dials. Prior to the advent of the internet, the entertainment portion of radio with which most people are familiar (AM/FM) was accessed with a traditional radio receiver, either one you had at home, your car stereo, or a portable radio you could take with you.
So how did internet stations make the transition to being radio stations, too? In the early days of the internet, stations began surfacing on the internet, but these were only available via a wired experience; there was no mobile access with them and the only way to listen was with a PC in a fixed location. As cell phones gradually gave way to smartphones, the internet also became available to the public via those devices. Not only did subscribers have access to their emails, Twitter, Facebook and other social media on their phones, but they also gained access to internet-based radio stations as well. Again, let's go back and look at the definition of radio:
"the transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves of radio frequency, especially those carrying sound messages."
Many people are unaware that a smartphone which receives its signal from cell towers is actually an RF (radio frequency) device. In other words, when you are using a smartphone (or even using an older cell phone) to place and/or receive phone calls, you are doing so via a radio transmission (using radio waves). When you access social media on your phone via a cell tower, you are also using radio. And likewise, when you are listening to an audio stream or internet-based music station, you are using radio as well. Granted, what you're hearing on a cell phone isn't capable of being heard on a traditional AM/FM receiver, but it is still radio because it is being transmitted to you via an electromagnetic radio signal from a cell tower somewhere to your phone. Internet-based radio works in a similar fashion as broadcast radio. Our signal, however, is sent via the internet to a cell tower and transmitted to your smartphone on a different frequency (3G and 4G) than what you would find on traditional AM and FM radio (540 to 1710 for AM, or 88.1 to 107.9 for FM). Instead of a typical radio receiver, we're using a more modern version of radio communication, your smartphone, to provide you the music you enjoy, but can no longer find on Birmingham AM/FM radio.
For additional info about what radio is and the many services which constitute radio, please visit the video below to learn more:
How can an internet-based station be a radio station??
We're changing the way you look at...and LISTEN TO...the radio in the 21st century and we're doing it, too, WITHOUT all those WIRES! Birmingham's radio station for Lite & Easy Favorites of yesterday AND today...24 hours a day...is Lite 99. Listen LIVE using your smartphone, Iphone, Android and other mobile devices at BirminghamLite.com and via the mobile TuneIn app; just search for "Lite 99 Birmingham" within the app to find us and listen! Don't have TuneIn? You can download it here for FREE-->http://tunein.com/get-tunein/#mobileDiv.
