Listeners are eager to hear radio online. Advertisers are ready to exploit the marketing possibilities. But radio stations continue to be slow to move to the Web.

In the brief history of streaming media on the Internet, it's likely that no other offline medium has been as greatly affected by the recent advances in technology as traditional broadcast radio. With last year's to-do about MP3 hogging so much media attention, many mousepad pundits were quick to herald the end of radio as we know it. After all, if consumers can download any kind of music they want at any time and for free, why would anyone bother listening to advertising-supported radio?

The notion that MP3 would gobble up radio altogether, however, proved short-lived. After all, giving away the goods turned out to be a fundamentally flawed business model, since offering up content for free equaled zero revenue. Thus, advertising-supported Web sites delivering either streaming or downloadable music rebounded as a sound business plan.

Strangely, while the major recording labels eventually conceded that they'd have to deal with what was happening with music online, radio networks seemed less inclined to join in on the revolution.

Until recently, traditional radio stations have shied away from the Internet due to a variety of factors including denial, resources and air space, say experts.

Whereas TV, print media and the film industry have been quick to join the cyber bandwagon, traditional radio has looked the other way. Of the 600 terrestrial radio stations that have an online presence, only 30 have streaming audio content, according to a 1999 study by New York-based Jupiter Communications.

So why have traditional radio stations been slow in bringing programming from the airwaves onto the Internet?

The short answer might be chalked up to ignorance or misunderstanding. However, crossing the divide that separates traditional radio from its Web counterpart is more than educating station managers on ways to exploit the capabilities and benefits of the Internet.

From a programming standpoint, cybercasting a terrestrial radio signal would not only increase audience reach but also offer advertisers a way to target their advertising in more innovative ways. For radio stations, the additional outlet for their signal would allow station suits to increase ad inventory, since on-air commercials could be replaced with Net-only spots.