Internet Radio, How We Miss You

It's been our link to the world! Our trip overseas as we listen to broadcasts from France, Germany, Italy and, of course, the good old BBC. But it's fading fast.

Internet radio stations are disappearing faster than mom's hot chocolate chip cookies, much to the dismay of listeners and geeks, alike. Although it may be a sign of tough economic times, it pulls at a listener's heartstrings when he gets the message "Station cannot be found" on his new multiband radio or computer.

I've been playing with one of these radios from Tivoli Audio and have discovered, much to my dismay, that the number of stations that are no longer available are outnumbering those that still exist. Going through the list of Internet stations on the Tivoli Audio NetWorks Radio ($599.99) is depressing, to say the least.

Of course you can also use the radio to receive AM and FM broadcasts, but it's not the same.

Don't get me wrong: This is a great radio, delivering awesome sound. And, when you're able to connect to a station that still exists, you can just sit back, relax and soak up the music.

The list of Internet stations is endless and it's fairly easy to use. All of the Internet stations are listed by genre, which means you can go to a specific category, select it and be greeted by a list of tons of stations from all over the world delivering your favorite tunes. The challenge is to find one of those stations that still exists.

The radio I played with had no problem linking to the Internet through my Wi-Fi network and I was also able to stream music from my computer to the radio. Also, the radio has a USB port so you can connect your MP3 player or iPod and listen to your stored music using the radio's large speaker.

Other key features include:

--- Ports to connect a second speaker, subwoofer, headphones or other devices.
--- Dual alarms that can be independentally set to wake you up to music or tones.
--- Five presets, each of which can store up to 40 stations.
--- A credit-card-sized remote control.
--- A SuperBuffer that reduces the number of dropouts from Internet radio stations.
--- Blue backlit LCD with white text.

Check out the Tivoli website to see additional features or to order a radio.

Michael L. Berman can be contacted via email at jocgeek@earthlink.net or through his jocgeek website.