Transmission over IP networks offers broadcasters the possibility of interconnecting radio, video and internet perfectly. As a result, some radio stations and recording studios are already fully equipped for live streaming. Especially smaller studios as well as newer, more modern radio stations are absolute pioneers, simply because IP transmission is significantly more cost-effective than older ISDN based solutions. Looking at the newer, more modern radio stations IP streaming offers indeed attractive possibilities to interact with their target group optimally e.g. via Facebook or YouTube. But some broadcasters are still using conventional transmission techniques – reasons why:
- The existing technology is still working and there is no need of purchasing new equipment.
- The roll-out of the broadband and fiber-optic networks is still incomplete. As a result, transmission via IP is not yet possible everywhere in Germany.
- Until recently, it was simply hard to imagine using DSL lines in content distribution in a reliable, uninterrupted way.
- Some stations do have target-groups that are interested in using web services or mobile devices