- A form of audio entertainment, radio stations provide a variety of programming tailored to a niche audience, which varies depending on the station. Most commonly, stations stick to programming surrounding news, sports or music. Music programming is often hosted by a Disc Jockey (or DJ) to provide a more personable experience for the listener. Many radio stations also belong to syndication networks where they provide or receive syndicated talk or music shows to add to the local station's programming. Rick Dees' "Weekly Top 40" and "Delilah" are two well-known syndicated music programs, and there are numerous other news and sports talk syndicated shows, provided by ESPN, FOX Sports and other syndication networks.
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Niche audiences aside, there are four main types of radio stations: AM, FM, Satellite and Internet. AM stands for amplitude modulation. These stations were the earliest to be developed and maintain a longer range than FM. AM stations are most often talk, news, classical music and public broadcasting stations that run on the AM waves. FM, which stands for frequency modulation, encompasses most commercial rock and popular music stations.
Satellite Radio currently has only two providers in the United States and Canada due to the enormous entry costs of space-based satellite transmitters. Although listeners need to purchase specific equipment to intercept Satellite radio, these stations are not locally restricted like that of AM and FM stations and can be heard cross-county.
Internet radio can take several formats. Many Internet stations are owned by large corporations, such as Yahoo!'s Launch Cast, and, like Launch Cast, many allow users to tailor the station to their specifications. These stations are free to users with limited commercials, or can be heard commercial free for a fee. Other Internet radio stations function like local stations. When 99x in Atlanta was taken off of the air in 2008, it became an Internet-only station. There are still more amateur Internet radio stations found throughout the world wide web. - Although commercial radio stations love giving the impression that a DJ is always in-studio picking out tracks and taking listener's calls, that is not always the case. Although some DJs may host their shows live, oftentimes the choice of songs played is predetermined by a computer program or the programming director of the station. Because songs played are often determined days in advance for a given show or music block, many DJs can record their breaks beforehand and insert them instead of a live broadcast. Because some stations are so strict about what songs are played, many are unable to execute listener requests even when they are requested. These practices differ based on the radio station, but they are a common industry practice.
- The first radio station was established on the Isle of Wight, England, in 1897 by Guglielmo Marconi, famous for inventing the telegraph. However, it wasn't until 1920 that the first radio news program hit the airwaves, hailing from 8MK in Detroit, Michigan, on August 31. The same year also saw the first broadcast of a sporting event. By the end of the 1930s, however, radio stations had become established commercial networks. Radio stations provided a variety of entertainment and news programming as the predecessor to television.
- Music radio stations have an enormous impact on the music business as airplay often results in higher album sales. As far back as Alan Freed (the original DJ), payola scandals have rocked radio stations and the music industry. Payola, the practice of record labels paying radio stations to play their artists in high rotation, is illegal and Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group were prosecuted for payola-related crimes in 2005 and 2006, respectively.
