Infinity Tries All-Podcasting Radio Format

By SETH SUTEL AP Business Writer

Infinity Broadcasting Corp., a terrestrial radio company whose business model is being challenged by the iPod phenomenon, is borrowing a page from its rival's playbook.

Next month, Infinity will convert an underperforming station in San Francisco to a format that will play only "podcasts," or amateur recordings distributed via the Internet to listeners' iPods and other digital music players.

Infinity, which is part of the Viacom Inc. media conglomerate that also owns CBS and MTV, announced Wednesday that it would convert its KYCY-AM station in San Francisco to the new format on May 16.

Infinity said it would be the first time a radio station anywhere played an all-podcast format. Robert Unmacht, a radio consultant in Nashville who tracks radio formats, confirmed that it would be the first such station in the United States.

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Infinity Broadcasting Launches KYOURADIO, the World's First Podcasting Radio Station, on Monday, May 16 - Apr 27, 2005 10:00 AM (PR Newswire)

New Radio Platform To Be Featured on San Francisco's KYCY-AM And KYOURADIO.COM

NEW YORK, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Joel Hollander, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Infinity Broadcasting, announced today the creation of KYOURADIO, the world's first-ever podcasting radio station. KYOURADIO's content will be created exclusively by its listeners and available in San Francisco at 1550 KYCY-AM and streamed online at

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beginning on Monday, May 16.

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[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Something I guess I do not understand. What is the difference -- if any -- between 'podcasting' and the video/audio streaming from broadcasting stations which we have had for many years? Is it 'podcasting' (as opposed to 'streaming a/v') because there is no 'over the air' outlet as well (some of them are internet only) or is it because they sell little terminal devices which are limited in what internet they can recieve (streams only instead of general purpose internet). What, generally, is the technical distinction between 'streaming' and 'podcasting' if any?

Someone wanted to sell me a computer; the best I can describe it is that it was very specialized, it was intended to be only a constant stream of whatver 'radio' you wanted to send out over the net. Mostly turn-key in operation, it was supposed to take about two hours daily to program a 24 hour program format. He said it was being sold for $7500 per unit with financing available and that I should be 'easily able' to sell advertisements on it to make my money back many times over. Look at

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see an example of it at work. Or look at
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more details. I didn't (and still don't) know what to do about it, but I do not think Infinity is going to be first. PAT]

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Monty Solomon
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