From this Friday June 1st Radio Southland is
joins the AIR Project (Access Internet Radio).
Station Manager Darren Ludlow said this will mean a
much-improved live-stream of Radio Southland’s programmes for those who like to
listen on-line, and improved podcasting facilities.
“Down the line it will also include the development of an
APP for those wanting to access the live stream from mobile devices, like
smartphones and iPads,” he said.
For the past year the station was testing demand for on-line
services with free providers, and Mr Ludlow says while this was “adequate”, it
was also only ever meant as a temporary measure.
“For some, it was a little annoying that the odd 30 second
commercial would pop up while people were hooked into the steam, but it helped
us to gauge what would best suit the station’s needs in the long run.”
“What we have discovered is tremendous growth in the demand
for podcasts, which has more than quadrupled in the past year,” he said.
Feedback also indicated strong support for live-streaming as
a method of reaching those parts of Southland where the station’s signal
struggled to reach.
“It also helped promote some of our shows off-shore, but our
primary concern is to listeners and programme makers in Southland,” Mr Ludlow
said.
The AIR Project is one that services seven other Access
radio stations in New Zealand, and has received substantial funding from NZ on
AIR.
“It’s the perfect fit for us – and great to be on board with
the majority of our Access radio partners.”
We’re looking forward to providing everyone with the
improved services, and the other on-line developments that are coming over the
next few months,” Mr Ludlow said.
A link to the new streaming service in on the
home page of Radio Southland’s website: (www.radiosouthland.org.nz) and on
its Facebook page (www.faceboob.com/radiosouthland).
