Wifi-enabled internet radios are giving a new lease of life to radio listening - offering listeners unlimited choice of once unaccessible stations and the opportunity to hear voices and stories from places thousands of miles away - and indeed much nearer home.
Portable wifi radios like my Roberts Stream 205 make it possible to tune into you favourite stations wherever you are in the house or office provided you have a wifi signal.
Sure you can listen to internet radio on your PC or laptop, but it neither of these options are as convenient as a portable radio that looks like a traditional radio.
I enjoy listening to all the usual quality stations from BBC Radio 4 and CBC in Canada to Radio New Zealand and NPR in the United States. An unlimited choice of non-stop music stations from jazz to rock and everything in between can be accessed by wifi radio.
One of my favourite music stations is Radio Swiss Jazz which I could only listen to previously via my satellite TV box.
Mayo radio stations
Nearer home, I am delighted to now be able to listen to Mayo's two quality local community radio stations - CRCfm in Castlebar and Claremorris Comunity Radio.
Although not more than 25 miles from my home in Ballina these stations have their signal limited to their immediate hinterlands by their licenses, issued by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
So until I started listening via the web the only time I could tune in and enjoy the conversations was when I visited Claremorris or Castlebar.
Both Castlebar Community Radio and Claremorris Community Radio are setting high standards in local broadcasting providing a daily schedule of community news, sports and talk radio that is relevant and engaging for not just their local audiences, but also Mayo people around the globe who thanks to audio streaming over the web can now listen to what's happening in their home town, whether they're in Christchurch or Cobh.
And just before I finish, a little more about my Roberts Steam 205 which I bought last January after some research that led me to decide that the Roberts radio was the best of the portables in terms of quality and price - if admittedely not the prettiest looking device.
The internet radio has a number of other great features including the "Listen Again" option that allows you to listen to previously broadcast programmes and podcasts from your favourite stations like RTE, BBC - or indeed some local stations - at your leisure. DAB Radio is also available whenever RTE offers the service in Mayo.
The Roberts internet radio will also stream music stored on your PC through the radio, thanks to an incorporated media player, allowing you to listen to your personal music collection in the kitchen bedroom or garage if the wifi signal is strong enough.
Indeed, after nearly a year of enjoyment the only drawback I can find with the Roberts 205 Internet Radio is the limit of 5 pre-sets for favourite stations which doesn't make much sense when you have access to thousands of radio stations.
Mayo radio stations are embracing audio streaming and in so doing making the world a smaller place particuarly for those Mayo exiles who have had to emigrate in recent years.
You can link to all the contact information and other relevant links for both Castlebar and Claremorris Community radio stations by clicking on the link below.
http://mayo-radio-stations.mayo.tel/
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