PC World’s Harry McCraken reviews the Soundbridge internet radio and finds the internet radio functionality doesn’t meet his expectations.

Internet radio, fortunately, is not the SoundBridge’s only source of entertainment. It does AM, FM, music stored on PCs and Macs in various formats, and downloads and streams from services (such as Rhapsody and Napster) that use Microsoft’s Windows Media (PlaysForSure) DRM. I used it to tune into music and podcasts stored on an Apple PowerBook on my network, and it worked wonderfully well, letting me browse playlists, artists, albums, and genres–if an iPod were a clock radio, it would feel like this. (Like almost every other non-Apple music device, the SoundBridge can’t play copy-protected songs from the iTunes Music Store; blame Apple and its unwillingess to licese its Fairplay DRM for this omission.)

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The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that Bob Gourley, Market Manager of Clear Channel’s Colorado Springs stations, has resigned and features a profile of his career.

When Gourley got his first radio job, 1963 in Midland, Texas, there were no Arbitron ratings, no corporate ownership. Most cities only had maybe three radio stations, all AM, and a 60-second commercial in Midland sold for about $7.

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Regional news website The Mountiain Times features a profile of Michael Roe, the founder of one of today’s top internet radio services.

Radioio was born six years ago when Roe found himself at loose ends after becoming unemployed. He didn’t have much left but the dream and an abundance of memories. He decided to pursue something he had always been passionate about… music, radio and technology. Roe said he researched internet radio, and thought “hey, let’s create something new… something that you can be happy about and proud of.”

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This article by Jeffrey P. Jones comparing the news coverage and quality of several different outlets appears in the Eastern Virginia regional newspaper The Portfolio Weekly.

It’s easy to bemoan the quality of news media these days. As for-profit enterprises in a highly competitive market, local television and print media are scrambling to keep viewer and reader eyeballs at any cost, often at the expense of the local community they supposedly serve. As citizens who look to local media for information about our communities, we are often left frustrated by commercial media that place their bottom line above other concerns.

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Billboard Radio Monitor reports people moves at CBS Radio:

CBS Radio elevates director of marketing Jonathan Azu to the newly-created position of VP of strategic music partnerships. Continuing to report to marketing president David Goodman, Azu will develop integrated multi-media programs which link advertisers, labels and artists with the company’s music stations.

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Rob Hyndman has published an article about the difference between emerging radio technology alternatives and the product of radio.

While it’s tempting to think of radio merely as the transmission technology, of course it’s much more than that, and like any other form of old media it’s now engaged in a struggle for its soul, its relevance and its future. One has to ask, in an age when anyone anywhere can publish or broadcast globally with just a few clicks of a mouse, what makes radio special? And as far as the Canadian experience is concerned, with so many in the U.S. rushing into podcasting (lately, every day brings an announcement like this), why are Canadian broadcasters so agonizingly slow to recognize what is happening around them (and is Tod Maffin the only Canadian putting all of the pieces together)?

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WASHINGTON, DC - NAB announced today the results of the 2006 NAB Board of Directors election. The two-year terms of the newly elected board members will begin at the June 2006 Board meeting.

The NAB Board of Directors election results are as follows:

RADIO BOARD

2 - NY-NJ Joseph M. Bilotta, COO* Buckley Radio, New York, NY

4 - DE-DC-MD-VA Joel Oxley, Sr. VP/Market Mgr. Bonneville International Corp. Bonneville Washington Radio Group WTOP/WGMS/WFED/WTWP Washington, DC

6 NC-SC Alex Snipe, President* Glory Communications, Inc./WFMV West Columbia, SC

8-LA-MS Bob Holladay, General Manager Holladay Broadcasting Monroe, LA

10-IN Rick Cummings, President - Radio Div. Emmis Communications Corp. Burbank, CA

12-MO-KS James E. (Bud) Janes, President* Bick Broadcasting KHMO/KICK-FM Hannibal, MO

14-IA-WI Mary Quass, President/CEO* NRG Media, LLC Cedar Rapids, Iowa

16-CO-NE Rolland C. Johnson, Chairman/CEO* Three Eagles Communications Larkspur, CO

18-So. TX John W. Barger, President/Owner* San Antonio RadioWorks, Ltd San Antonio, TX

20-MT-ID-WY Ron Davis, President/GM Butte Broadcasting KBOW-AM/KOPR-FM Butte, Montana

22-AZ-NV-NM-UT Paul G. Gardner, President* Elko Broadcasting Company KELK-AM/KLKO-FM Elko, NV

24-S.CA-GU-HI Howard B. Anderson, Pres./CEO* KHWY, Inc. Los Angeles, CA

TELEVISION BOARD

David Barrett, President/CEO Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.New York, NY

Lynn Beall, Sr. Vice President* Gannett Broadcasting, KSDK-TVSt. Louis, MO

Elizabeth Murphy Burns, President* Morgan Murphy StationsDuluth, MN

William B. Peterson, Sr. VP, TV Station Group* The E. W. Scripps Compan Cincinnati, OH

Doreen Wade, President* Freedom Broadcasting, Inc West Palm Beach, FL

James Yager, CEO* Barrington Broadcasting Co.Hoffman Estates, IL

* Incumbent

[Press Release] Dailysonic has created a new revenue model for internet radio. The system allows listeners to remove advertisements from their online radio show by purchasing “Subtracts”. Each Subtract costs a few pennies, and results in one less ad heard by the listener.

Unlike subscription-based online radio, listeners can purchase as many or as few “Subtracts” as they want. There is no contract or minimum cost, and unused subtracts automatically roll over to the next month. When a listener’s subtracts run out, advertising gets re-inserted into the show without interruption of service.

The subtracts system is integrated into Dailysonic’s episode customization engine, which allows listeners to create their own personalized radio show. Listeners control the content they hear, the length of the show, and how often it comes out. Episodes are generated on the fly and custom-tailored for each listener. Shorter episodes use less subtracts than longer episodes, making the pricing fair regardless of a show’s length.

Alongside the launch of subtracts, Dailysonic has also opened up its advertising interface to their listeners. Anyone can create an audio ad campaign - on any budget. Ads can be uploaded through the internet or recorded over the phone. Dailysonic hopes these technologies will blur the line between commercial advertising, public radio underwriting, and direct listener donations.

Dailysonic launched its radio show in the March of 2005. The show has covered everything from the sounds of pulsars in outer space, to up and coming indie musicians, to world news, to the invention of the Caesar salad. The show is available as a podcast or download from Dailysonic.com. In the future, the company plans to let outside audio producers tap into their technology’s potential, taking internet audio to the next level.

Dailysonic Web Site