- Searching for a radio station to stream across the Internet can be easily accomplished using one of the many websites available that specialize in categorizing these online radio stations as a service. The process generally begins by providing the preferred zip code, or through a geographically based menu system where the state will be selected followed by the town where the radio station being sought is located. A quick test of a three randomly chosen zip codes in the suburban Pittsburgh PA area provided several links to local radio stations who stream their content over the Internet. While this is not true for all areas, almost any location that features a choice of radio stations will have one or more stations that stream their content over the Internet.
- Once a radio station is selected from the online radio station locating site, listening to the station's Internet stream is accomplished by clicking through to the radio station's website and then clicking a button that is typically labeled "Listen Live" or something to that effect. Most radio stations provide an embeded player which will provide seamless streaming from within your browser, but in some cases an internal media player, such as Windows Media Player, may be launched instead. Streaming radio is available for all of the commonly used operating systems, including Apple, Linux and Microsoft Windows.
- In many rural areas, radio coverage can be spotty and makes listening to a favorite station difficult. As severe weather, like a thunderstorm, can have an impact on "over the air" radio broadcasts, listening to the same broadcast over an Internet stream will remove that problem. Since the fidelity of an Internet radio stream will remain constant, listening to an Internet radio broadcast will remove the technical limitations inherent to traditional radio reception. The required bandwidth to stream an Internet radio broadcast is minimal, and even the most modest broadband connection will handle a continuous stream, while still leaving more than enough connectivity to allow for other applications to run concurrently. In an office environment, it is possible for each employee to listen into their favorite station even when their local station isn't available at their work location.
