jfn music-the listening room

3/10/2026

Best Internet Radio Stations of 2026 - Listen for Free

Whether it’s music, talk, news, podcast, sports radio or just some tunes to set the mood, the best internet radio stations are just a click or download away.

With so many platforms providing free access to internet radio stations around the world, your head might spin faster than the records.

Let’s dive right in and explore the endless ocean of internet radio! After digging through the web and trying many Internet radio websites, I can say these these are the best online radio platforms.

Go ahead and try everything and let us which is your favourite and which one do you think is the top internet radio station.

Topics Covered - Index [Show]

#1. TuneIn

TuneIn is the swiss army knife for all your listening needs. If it’s local radio stations you’re after, they’re available from their website or app no matter where you are. The service is easy to navigate whether you’re looking for sports, news, music, or podcasts.

TuneIn is built into a handful of devices and can be accessed on over 200 of them including Smart Tv’s, gaming consoles, tablets, streaming devices like Roku and Firestick, and more.

TuneIn has:

120,000 Live radio stations
400m monthly hours clocked
75M Listeners
197 countries tuning in
Free mobile app
Ad-free for a 9.99 one time fee

TuneIn also has an upgraded premium monthly subscription that grants access to live NHL games, and more than 600 extra commercial-free music stations for 9.99/month. TuneIN website is probably the top internet radio station out there.

#2. Pandora

Pandora is one of the most used free online radio station according to the Similarweb traffic data. Pandora.com allows you to curate your own experience by selecting your favorite music and offering suggestions based on your preferences all for free, all you have to do is sign up.

If you’re the kind of person who wants their music to keep on coming non-stop this is a great service to do so.

What sets Pandora apart from competitors is they use a music genome constructed by 30 music theory specialists that groups music together based on 400 Different attributes, including rhythm, harmony, composition and lyrics. Their genome learns your tastes and does a great job of recommending new content to you.

While mostly geared towards music, you can also find podcasts in over 20 categories.

Pandora has:

40M Songs
250 Station Limit
60M Listeners
Free mobile app (40 hour monthly limit)
Premium services starting at 4.99/month

Even though Pandora internet radio offers a free radio, that comes with commercials. They offer a basic ad-free service for 4.99/month or an unlimited premium service that allows unlimited offline listening and the creation and sharing of playlists for 12.99/month.

#3. iHeartRadio

iHeartRadio is similar to Pandora, but offers sports, news, music, talk radio, and podcasts as well on their free app. It’s almost like Pandora and TuneIn had a baby. You can still curate your experience by selecting your favorite artists and genres and the service will continuously play songs that match your taste.

iHeart has a larger music library than Pandora and is preferred by many for it’s easy accessibility, so if you want to jump right in and listen to some of your favorites without jumping through any hoops, iHeartRadio is for you.

iHeart Radio has:

Estimated 275M Monthly listeners
15M Songs
850 Stations
Premium subscriptions starting at 4.99/month

The Plus version allows you to play any song, unlimited skips, creation of playlists for 4.99/month and the All Access version provides unlimited playlists, songs, and offline listening for 9.99/month. iOS users will have to pay an extra service fee but can be bypassed by signing up for web billing through this link.

#4. vTuner – Best Commercial Free Internet Radio Station

vTuner online platform offers access to radio stations around the globe. Its simplistic browsing feature allows you to select music, sports, talk, news, and podcasts by location, genre, or language. The services’ functionality is built into hundreds of home audio devices to offer a hands-free experience.

vTuner is the best commercial-free internet radio station. No premium services, no ads–just simple listening! If you only want to listen everything for free then vTuner is For you
SavenetRadio.Org

vTuner Commercial Free Online Radio Features:

Tens of Thousands of stations
Millions of songs
Hundreds of thousands of shows
Ad-free stations

If commercial radio isn’t your thing and discovering awesome new music is, check out these unique internet radio stations. Although they may not tip the scales on the monthly listener count, you’re sure to find awesome music you’ve never heard before.

#5. Spotify

Spotify offers an extensive collection of playlists, artist stations, and podcasts. It pairs well with Google home devices offering a hands-free experience. Simply pick an artist and it’ll play songs based on your preferences.

The premium version allows you to play albums from top to bottom as well select specific songs. You can create and share your own playlists and allows you to see what your friends are listening to with its Facebook integration.

Spotify has:

320M active listeners
144M premium subscribers
60M tracks
1.9M Podcast Titles
Premium service for 9.99/month

Spotify also offers sweet discounts for students, families, and a duo package for you and a friend to get your own accounts and split the cost of 12.99/month. As a bonus Hulu is included with your premium subscription.

#6. Soma Fm

Soma Fm has been broadcasting since 2000 and has to be one of the coolest internet radio stations out there. Who doesn’t love a commercial free experience that’s supported by the users and listeners.

If you’re looking for alternative, electronic, or chill vibe tunes you’ve never heard before Soma Fm is the station for you. Don’t be shy to donate while immersed in the uninterrupted underground jams.

Soma Internet Radio Features:

Completely free listening
Displays artist played in the last two weeks
Lets you save tracks to a playlist
Ad-free

#7. LiveXLive

LiveXlive formerly known as Slacker Radio has an awesome user interface that lets you navigate it’s over 1100 curated stations. If you are as heartbroken as I am about missing festival season last year they have playlists featuring artists from Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza and more to help fill the void.

If you happened to be so lucky to attend some of the drive-in live music events that popped up at the end of summer, then fear not, they have virtual tickets available for these shows as well as a few upcoming virtual shows on their lineup.

LiveXLive Internet Radio Pros:

Live show streaming
Premium Subscription starting at 3.99/month

#8. Worldwide Fm

Worldwide.fm features a culturally diverse lineup that broadcasts in London, Berlin, New York, Tokyo, Istanbul, and Melbourne to name a few. Their passion for inclusivity provides a unique listening experience for the vast subcultures that exist within music.

The service is completely free, but you can support them by subscribing to their premium service for only 2.99/month and all the proceeds go back into the platform.

Worldwide.FM Online FM Features:

Original Content
Global Artists
Award Winning Station
Chat feature to connect with Dj’s

#9. KEXP

KEXP is a Seattle based radio station that showcases rising talent in the alternative/indie scene. They are a non-profit organization that is fueled by donations, volunteers, and government funding.

Their expert DJs spin eclectic mixes that offer a professionally curated experience and all you have to do is visit their site or download the app and hit play. If you’re a live music fan or if you’re looking for emerging artists, KEXP Sessions has you covered.

KEXP has:

200,000 Weekly listeners
45 Professional DJs

The Best Internet Radio Stations

Now that we’ve covered a wide array of the best internet radio stations both big and small, global and local, it’s time to find the one that works best for you. Let’s recap with a quick rundown of all the stations we’ve covered to help you on your internet radio journey:

TuneIn – Biggest and broadest selection of all your radio needs.
Pandora – Professionally curated music using an expertly designed algorithm.
iHeartRadio – Simplistic portal to the music and stations you love.
Spotify – Just ask Google to play your favorite songs, albums, and podcasts.
vTuner – Music, sports, talk, news, and podcasts from all around the world.
Soma Fm – Listener-supported ad-free alternative/ electronic powerhouse.
LiveXLive – Live music lovers rejoice!
Worldwide Fm – Cultural blend of global musical standouts.
KEXP – Where emerging artists ascend to stardom, catch them here first.

Citations

How to find online radio stations run by real human DJs

Break free from the constraints of the music-streaming algorithm.

I listened to a lot of sad music during the pandemic, which taught Spotify’s algorithm that I like sad music. The result: a never-ending stream of depressing indie songs. I was stuck in an algorithmic rut. That changed when I started searching for online radio stations DJed by actual human people.

Algorithms are smart but they’re also kind of stupid. They don’t know who you want to be, or who you might become—they only know who you were. They see your past behavior as indicative of your future preferences. Human DJs don’t do that. The good ones just play whatever they feel like, which exposes you to artists and songs no automated system would even consider.

Don’t get me wrong—I love melancholy indie songs. But there’s more to me. I contain multitudes. That’s why I try to get out of my algorithmic bubble and listen to something new.

Why online radio is the answer to an algorithmic rut

Algorithmic playlists aren’t all bad—we’ve talked about finding the best Spotify playlists, for example, and the results can be great. But there’s something about a good radio station that even the best automated playlist can’t give you. A few things stand out:

Discovering music algorithms won’t show you. This is the key point for me. Radio stations play stuff I wouldn’t choose, and that Spotify wouldn’t choose for me. It’s refreshing.
The little human touches. The best DJs talk between segments, introducing an artist and giving you background. They’ll also just talk about… whatever. I work from home, alone, and it’s nice when a little bit of spontaneous conversation breaks up a killer playlist.
A better connection to your local community. If you find a local radio station you’ll learn about up-and-coming artists in your area and possibly hear them talk about their music. You’ll also hear about upcoming concerts.
Learning more about other places. I’ve taken road trips abroad multiple times, and a small pleasure is scanning the local radio stations. I learned about The Great British Bake Off because rock DJs on three different stations were talking about cakes while I was driving from Liverpool to Glasgow—I was confused at the time, but I wouldn’t trade this memory for the world. Listening to radio stations from other places can bring this small part of travel to your life, even when you’re sitting at home.

Once you find a station, you can stream it in your browser or, if you prefer, ask your smart speaker to stream it for you. Some stations offer apps you can install on your phone—I tend to prefer just using the browser.

How to find great online stations

By now, you’re probably wondering how to even find radio stations online. There are all kinds of services for this, but I can recommend five that worked for me.

TuneIn has a handy local station feature that lists a bunch of radio stations near you—try out any that sound interesting. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to find any online-only stations you might miss. The TuneIn app (free for Android and iOS) is a pretty good way to listen to such stations on your phone, too.
The website Public Radio Fan is basically a massive database of public radio stations all over the world, including community stations that play music. You can filter by location or the kind of music you want to hear. The site provides links to the station’s website and, in most cases, direct streaming links.
InternetRadio.com is another site that makes finding online radio stations easy. Browse by genre or try a search.
NPR Music offers quick access to hundreds of local stations from all over the US—just scroll down to the Listen Live section.
Apple Music stands out from Spotify and Pandora by offering a bunch of radio stations with actual human DJs, a few of which you can listen to without a subscription. It also offers a directory of local radio stations, if you’re subscribed, which is an underappreciated reason to consider Apple Music over Spotify.

There are other sites you could use as starting points, but these are my favorites. While I’m here, though, there are a few specific stations I want to highlight:

Poolsuite.net is so weird and wonderful that I couldn’t not mention it. The website mimics the look and feel of a ‘90s Mac, and the music is a constant stream of serotonin-inducing summer sounds (basically the opposite of my sad indie Spotify situation).
Radio Paradise is an internet legend—it’s been around since the early 2000s. Everyone should check it out once.
Soma.fm is another service that’s been around forever, and it offers dozens of commercial-free stations covering all kinds of genres from pop punk to “secret agent.”

You’re not here for my radio station recommendations, though—the point is to find your own. But I do hope the tips and resources I’ve provided have given you a solid starting point and that you find a few stations that pull you out of whatever algorithmic rut you might find yourself in.

Source: https://www.popsci.com/diy/find-radio-stations-online/

Internet Radio on the Mac, After iTunes

After assessing the state and likely demise of the iTunes internet radio tuner, I started to consider what this means for listening to internet radio with a computer, rather than mobile device, smart speaker or appliance. Then we received an email from a reader who reported they still use iTunes for internet radio, in part because it allows them to curate a playlist of their favorite stations for easy access. The reader noted that using station websites doesn’t quite work the same way, and that those sites vary widely in design and how simple they make it to start a stream.

I’ll admit that iTunes does excel at that kind of radio preset-style tuning. It’s something I’d forgotten since I do most of my internet radio listening using my Sonos, where I keep my favorite stations bookmarked in the system’s favorites.

I started to poke around to see what kind of desktop radio apps are left out there. I started with macOS because that’s what I primarily use. I found that there are damn few.

Go searching in the macOS App Store and you’ll encounter about a dozen or so true internet radio apps. But the majority of them seem not to have been updated in the last three to five years. In fact, I found only one that is worth trying.

myTuner Radio

myTuner Radio is free in the App Store and very simple. It has a reasonably comprehensive directory of a purported 50,000 stations organized by country. Besides that, they aren’t otherwise categorized. The search is decent, provided you know the call letters or name. If you’re searching by genre or format, you’d better hope that it’s in the name.

Stations owned by iHeart are pretty much entirely absent, though I could find plenty of Entercom and CBS stations, along with those owned by smaller groups. myTuner Radio has banner ads, but mercifully no audio ads. A paid version gets rid of all ads.

You can favorite stations for quicker recall, but there’s no provision to organize them, nor is there a provision to add a station’s stream URL like in iTunes. While using myTuner Radio is easier than bookmarking station webpages, you may not find all the stations you want, you can’t categorize the ones you bookmark and you can’t add additional ones not in the directory.

TuneIn Radio

TuneIn Radio has a desktop Mac OS app that replicates the web or mobile app, more or less. To that end, it’s about as good as those. The directory is enormous, and organized by format, genre, location and language. But as I observed earlier, iHeart and Entercom stations have been removed by their owners.

There’s more flexibility in organizing your favorite stations, by putting them into folders. Yet, TuneIn still has no provision to add a station that’s not in the directory. If you like TuneIn on other platforms, you’ll like the desktop app, but it’s not quite a full iTunes replacement.

Odio

Odio (not Odeo) is a free open source app that visually resembles iTunes more than the other apps. It’s directory is more idiosyncratic than either TuneIn or myTuner. I could find some iHeart stations, like New York City’s Z100, but not others, like Portland’s The Brew. I had similar hit-and-miss results with Entercom stations.

Stations are organized by country, language and tag. It took me a bit to figure out how the tags get added, since I saw no feature for doing so in the app. It turns out that Odio uses a directory called Community Radio Browser, where anyone can submit a station. That probably accounts for the idiosyncrasies, since you don’t need to affiliated with a station to submit it. Right now Community Radio Browser lists 24,582 stations, and the project’s webpage has an intriguing list of apps and platforms that use its directory, along with code libraries for folks who might build their own app.

You can maintain a “library” of favorite stations, but there’s no way to organize them.

VLC

VLC is a cross-platform multimedia player app. In that way it’s the closest we have to a free, open source iTunes alternative – one that’s also continuously updated.

The app uses the Icecast Radio Directory. Icecast is an open source streaming audio platform, and stations using it can opt in to be listed. As a result the selection is very eclectic, though you may be hard pressed to find a lot of US broadcast stations. What you may find are live police scanners or Chicago Public Radio WBEZ’s all Christmas music stream. There is no organization – search is your only friend here.

Because it’s a perennially well-supported project, there are ways to add other directories, like TuneIn’s. However, plug-and-play they’re not. You’ll need to know your way around your Mac’s file system. It’s not crazy difficult, but it’s not as simple as installing most apps.

I would call VLC’s interface utilitarian. It’s built more for a power user than a novice, though there’s plenty of help to be found with a quick web search. Its two most iTunes-like features are the ability to add any station’s stream and to organize stations in playlists.

Other Options, Caveat Emptor

Researching this topic I encountered at least a half-dozen other free and open source iTunes alternatives offering at least some kind of internet radio feature. However, they all seem to have little to no development for at least three years. They may still work fine for your, but an OS upgrade could easily foul up the works.

Source: https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2019/06/internet-radio-on-the-mac-after-itunes/

Digital Watch: In Search of High Fidelity Internet Radio

After writing last week about how some listeners were upset about changes to the BBC 3 high quality/bitrate stream my curiosity was piqued about higher fidelity internet radio stations. So I set about finding stations that highlight sound quality by offering higher bitrate streams.

First, it’s important to define terms. For the purpose of this post I’ll be using the terms “high fidelity” and “high bitrate” which correlate, but not perfectly. Fidelity, of course, refers to how good the stream sounds, while bitrate refers to how much bandwidth the stream uses. All things being equal, higher bitrate streams deliver better sound quality. That said, if the source material isn’t well recorded or the signal path is not well designed, it’s also quite possible to deliver sub-par sound quality over a high bitrate stream. I listened to a few too many stations like that.

These days most internet radio streams use either MP3 or AAC compression. MP3 should be to familiar to just about anyone who listens to digital audio. AAC is a newer standard that is used by Apple for iTunes music downloads, and is a little more efficient than MP3. That means it delivers better sound quality at the same bitrate.

So, for “high bitrate” MP3 streams I’m using the same standard as BBC 3, 320 Kbps. Because AAC is a little more efficient, I’m using 256 Kbps as the minimum. Now, certainly one can argue that these standards seem arbitrary, and that very good sound can be had at levels below these. However, my experience is that these are the bitrates where the compression is least likely to impact the sound–if the quality is less than optimal it’s probably due to some other link in the chain. With AAC, in particular, I’ve heard some very nice sounding stations using the more advanced AAC+ codec streaming at bitrates as low as 96 Kbps. Nonetheless, the point of this examination is to find stations that push high fidelity, not just good fidelity.

“High fidelity” is a more subjective standard. For me, I consider a station “high fidelity” if it sounds as if I’m listening to purchased digital file from a music store like Amazon or iTunes, or even as good as a CD. For all intents and purposes nothing negative about the sound should call attention to itself. Examples of things I shouldn’t hear include the “underwater” quality associated with poorly encoded and low bitrate MP3s or a shimmery high-end heard on instruments like cymbals. I also shouldn’t get the sense that I’m missing some aspect of the sound, whether it’s high end or very low end content. In practical terms, at the very least I should very easily think I’m listening to a good analog FM broadcast.

As it turns out, there are plenty of stations that stream at 320 Kbps MP3, but not all of them qualify as high fidelity to my ears. In fact, many sounded poorer than stations streaming at 256 or 192 Kbps. My guess is that’s because they were often playing back MP3 files that don’t meet that standard as the source, which were simply being recompressed to 320 at playback. Such recompression–called “stacking codecs”–only further degrades sound quality, and never improves it. I also heard some college and community stations streaming at 320, but where it definitely sounded like there were wiring problems in the connection to the streaming computer, resulting in buzzes, hum or distorted audio.

There are fewer stations streaming in the AAC format to begin with, and even fewer meeting the high bitrate standard. In general these stations were more likely to sound good than the MP3 stations. I figure that’s because choosing AAC likely means that sound quality is more of a specific emphasis.

Finally there are a handful of stations that stream in full CD-quality, without any MP3 or AAC compression. Most use a standard called FLAC which reduces the amount of data needed by half, but without throwing away any data like both MP3 and AAC do. These stations stream at bitrates from about 768 Kbps to 1.44 Mbps (megabits). A decade ago those would have been considered outrageous bandwidth hogs. But given that HD streaming video requires 3+ Mbps, today that doesn’t seem so bad.

Now I will share some of my finds. These stations were selected because they both stream at a high bitrate and sound very good. For each station I’ve given direct links to the stream that will play in most audio apps like iTunes, Quicktime, WinAmp, Windows Media Player or VLC. I provide these links because often these stations’ web players only provide lower bitrate streams.

By no means is this a comprehensive list of high bitrate streaming audio sources. I welcome suggestions of other good stations in the comments.

High Fidelity Internet Radio Streaming in AAC (256+ Kbps)

Audiophile Stream Network – Greece
Multiple genres, all in 320 Kbps AAC
Baroque classical: http://50.7.173.162:2199/tunein/baroque.pls
Classical: http://50.7.173.162:2199/tunein/classical.pls
Jazz: http://50.7.173.162:2199/tunein/jazz.pls
Live: http://50.7.173.162:2199/tunein/live.pls
Rock and blues: http://50.7.173.162:2199/tunein/enieopyy.pls

Radio Jackie – UK – “The Sound of South West London"
Local pop radio: http://www.radiojackie.com:5873

High Fidelity Internet Radio Streaming in MP3 (320Kbps)

Amys FM – Belgium
Soul, R&B: http://ns336770.ip–5–39–71.eu:2199/tunein/amysfm.pls

Hi OnLine Radio – Netherlands
Multiple genres, only some at 320kbps.
Classical: http://mediaserv30.live-streams.nl:2199/tunein/hionlineclassic.pls
Latin: http://mediaserv33.live-streams.nl:2199/tunein/hionlinelatin.pls
Lounge: http://mediaserv33.live-streams.nl:2199/tunein/hionlinelounge.pls
Pop: http://mediaserv30.live-streams.nl:2199/tunein/hionline.pls

KRUI – University of Iowa
College radio: http://krui.student-services.uiowa.edu:8000/listen.m3u

Linn Radio – UK
Plays music from the record label of this high-end audio manufacturer.
Eclectic: http://radio.linnrecords.com/cast/tunein.php/linnradio/playlist.pls
Classical: http://radio.linnrecords.com/cast/tunein.php/linnclassical/playlist.pls
Jazz: http://radio.linnrecords.com/cast/tunein.php/linnjazz/playlist.pls

Monster FM – Germany
Five different genre streams.
Top hits: http://stream.radiomonster.fm/tophits/listen.pls
“Evergreens”: http://stream.radiomonster.fm/evergreens/listen.m3u
Dance: http://stream.radiomonster.fm/dance/listen.m3u
German hits: http://stream.radiomonster.fm/schlager/listen.pls
Techno/House: http://stream.radiomonster.fm/techhouse/listen.pls

The Organ Experience
Classical organ music: http://www.organlive.com/organlive_320.m3u

Radio Satellite 2 – France
Oldies: http://radiart.eu:2199/tunein/satellite.pls

SceneStat Radio – Sweden
Electronic, video game music: http://scenesat.com/listen/normal/max.m3u

Somehow Jazz
Funk and jazz fusion: http://www.somehowjazz.com/live/mp3–320.pls

WIUX – Indiana University
College radio: http://hannibal.ucs.indiana.edu:8080/wiuxultra.m3u

Uncompressed Internet Radio

All of these stations require the VLC player or another app that can play back FLAC streams. iTunes will not work.

Europaradio Jazz: Live SmoothJazz HD – Italy
FLAC Lossless 1 Mbps: http://www.europaradiojazz.org/stream.flac.m3u

Czech Radio D-dur
FLAC uncompressed classical music: http://radio.cesnet.cz:8000/cro-d-dur.flac

Absolute Radio streams five different rock and pop stations in uncompressed FLAC, but is only available in the UK.

Source: https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2015/03/digital-watch-in-search-of-high-fidelity-internet-radio/

What will happen to AM and FM broadcasts in the future? It's a tech question that needs to be answered.

AM radio has been around since the beginning of broadcasting. FM was invented in the 1930s and surpassed AM as the band of choice in the 1980s. Both bands have had an excellent run. But how much longer will we be using them?

I am NOT talking about the death of terrestrial radio. It will survive just fine. But the distribution channels will change.

Here in North America, we have AM, FM, satellite radio, streaming, and HD-Radio. Let’s go through them.

AM faces the biggest challenge, not only because of its inferior audio quality but because signals cannot penetrate the electromagnetic fields generated by electric vehicles. If you can’t be heard in the car, you’re dead. A new survey says that 73% of people listen to radio in the car. Some AM stations are moving to FM, but government regulations and dearth of open spots on the dial are big roadblocks.

FM continues to do well despite pressure from other audio options like smartphones and streaming. Its biggest disadvantage is that it’s not interactive, something that younger generations demand.

Satellite radio serves a listening niche, although there’s just one provider in North America. While it offers a huge variety of programming, it’s not free. That’s a big barrier to a lot of people.

Online audio streaming of radio continues to grow. That same survey says that 70% of Americans stream AM/FM radio and audio content weekly.

HD Radio (the brand name of In-Band On-Channel or iBOC) is based on tech developed in the 1990s. It has never taken off in a big way even though many, many markets have stations that broadcast in HD Radio. And if your car is less than seven years old, chances are it can receive HD Radio broadcasts, although most infotainment systems don’t make it easy.

Nothing stands still, how will radio be distributed in the future?

Things are evolving in other parts of the world. Norway, Switzerland, and a few other countries are in the process of shutting down the legacy bands (i.e. AM and FM) in favour of digital radio (DAB). That’s never going to happen here.

We in North America had a chance to get on board with DAB more than 20 years ago, but the US kiboshed the whole thing for a couple of reasons. First, the broadcast frequencies required by DAB were apparently too close to those used by the US military. Second, the US is just too big and no one wanted to spend the necessary money to build transmitters and repeaters. HD Radio was seen as a compromise, but no one seems to care.

And third, Canada actually adopted DAB more than two decades ago but ran into technical issues. At the time, though, VHF frequencies were being used for over-the-air analogue TV (not a problem anymore). The other issue was that because DAB used microwave frequencies around 1200 MHz, lots and lots of transmitters would be required to have extensive and smooth signals. Like the US, we’re just too big (although Australia and Russia seem to be interested in solving this problem.)

Okay, so where do we go from here? There are big predictions about the connectivity possible with 5G and 6G networks. That, however, requires a LOT of technical infrastructure upgrades. It’ll also take a long time for the majority of the population to transition from whatever type of network they’re using now. This will also require changes to infotainment systems in cars, something that won’t happen quickly.

Broadcasters will have to figure out how to adapt, too, but are very, very wary of moving too quickly in this direction. We in radio remember the early 2000s when we went all-in with online offerings. But by the time we were able to roll out the new platforms, the tech had moved on and we were stuck with an outdated and buggy online presence. Radio now tends to use off-the-shelf products (e.g. building websites on WordPress platforms instead of creating something from scratch). At this point, there are no off-the-shelf solutions for 5G and 6G connectivity.

We will move on eventually. But what will happen to that spectrum now occupied by AM and FM? Will they be repurposed? Unknown.

Old-school VHF radios once used by taxis and other fleet vehicles have pretty much disappeared in favour of apps on a smartphone. Is that the direction of AM and FM? Possibly. Will these frequencies eventually empty out? Could they be used for low-power very specialized micro-broadcasting? Maybe.

To be clear, “radio” is not going away. It will be with us forever. It just needs to be redefined away from sounds that come out of box that you tune to a specific frequency. “Radio” will become something that can be enjoyed digitally both in real time and on-demand. How we receive those broadcasts is still very much TBA.

To get a little more into the weeds, go here.

Source: https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/what-will-happen-to-am-and-fm-broadcasts-in-the-future-its-a-tech-question-that-needs-to-be-answered/

Below are some vintage high quality FM tuners that are sought after by audiophiles:

The Kenwood KT-815 Tuner- below

Inside the Kenwood KT-815 Tuner - below

2/13/2026

Internet Radio Directories for Listeners (Google Gemini)

Top Directories for Listeners- These platforms offer the best user experiences for discovering and streaming global content.

Radio Garden: The most immersive way to find radio. It features a 3D interactive globe where you can rotate the earth and tune into live broadcasts from thousands of cities. It is excellent for finding niche community and independent stations.

TuneIn: The industry heavyweight. It has the largest collection (100,000+) of AM/FM and internet-only stations, including major sports networks and news outlets like CNN and BBC

Radio.net: A clean, straightforward directory with over 60,000 stations. It’s particularly strong for European stations but has a massive global reach and excellent mobile apps.

Online Radio Box: A favorite for listeners who want to know what’s playing now. It provides live playlists and historical logs of tracks played on each station.

Streema: Highly organized by city and genre.¹ It is one of the most stable directories for finding local AM/FM stations that have moved to a web stream.

Source: Google Gemini

Niche & Specialized Directories
If you are looking for something specific, like indie music, high-quality audio, or accessibility, try these:
SomaFM: A listener-supported, commercial-free directory of over 30 channels of underground/alternative music (chill, lofi, indie, electronic).
Filtermusic: A directory specifically focused on electronic and dance music radio stations, updated daily.
Radio-Locator: A highly technical search engine for U.S. and international stations. It provides detailed info on signal range and transmitter locations.
BlindRadio: Designed specifically to be accessible for the visually impaired, focusing on ease of navigation.
NTS Radio: A global platform for artist-run radio, perfect for discovering experimental or avant-garde music.

Internet Radio Station Directories (chatgpt)

If you're looking for directories that list Internet radio stations, there are a few reliable websites and services where you can explore different stations by genre, location, or popularity. Here are some popular ones:

1. TuneIn

Website: www.tunein.com

Description: One of the most well-known platforms for streaming live radio from around the world. TuneIn offers both music and talk stations, and you can search by genre, location, or specific station.
Features: Has a mobile app, podcasts, and news alongside radio streams.

2. Radio.com (now Audacy)

Website: www.audacy.com

Description: A comprehensive directory of live radio stations, offering everything from news to music, sports, and talk shows. The website's directory allows users to search by city, genre, or station.
Features: Popular in the U.S. with a vast collection of stations.

3. Radio Garden

Website: www.radio.garden

Description: A unique and interactive radio directory that lets you explore live radio stations worldwide using an interactive globe. You can zoom into cities around the world to listen to local stations.
Features: Geolocation-based, interactive interface.

4. Shoutcast

Website: www.shoutcast.com

Description: A popular platform for streaming and hosting internet radio stations. Shoutcast allows you to search for stations by genre, location, and other filters.
Features: Provides a free directory of live stations.

5. Live365

Website: https://live365.com/

Description: A service offering thousands of live internet radio stations across many genres. It's a platform where many independent creators and broadcasters host their stations.
Features: Broad genre diversity, from niche hobbies to mainstream music.

6. Radionomy

Website: www.radionomy.com, now shoutcast

Description: This platform lets users create their own internet radio stations, and it also offers a large directory of community-driven radio stations. You can search by genre and language.
Features: Allows station creation, streaming, and discovery.

7. Internet Radio (dir)

Website: https://www.internet-radio.com/

Description: A simple, no-frills directory that categorizes stations by genre, country, and popularity. It’s easy to navigate and offers quick access to a wide range of stations.
Features: Straightforward, easy-to-use interface.

8. iHeartRadio

Website: https://www.iheart.com/

Description: Offers a wide selection of live radio stations, podcasts, and on-demand content. You can discover radio stations by genre, city, and station.
Features: Includes popular stations and exclusive podcasts.

9. Radio.co

Website: https://www.radio.net/

Description: While primarily a platform for hosting internet radio stations, Radio.co has a public directory where you can find a variety of stations that are broadcasting live.
Features: Allows for station management and offers a directory of radio stations.

10. FMRadioFree

Website: https://www.fmradiofree.com/

Description: A directory of free FM radio stations, including both traditional FM and internet radio. It categorizes stations by genre and location.
Features: Free streaming with easy access to stations.

These directories should give you plenty of options to explore a wide range of internet radio stations, whether you’re into specific genres or just curious about discovering stations from around the world.

Source: chatgpt

2/11/2026

Streaming Radio Station Locator

Lately I have been rediscovering local FM radio stations for news and music. FM, AM, SW, and Ham radio broadcasting stations have been moving to online Internet streaming for years. But the selection of FM radio is sometimes hard to find in your area. For those unable to locate a local AM/FM station to stream, the Radio Locator search tool link (below) is available to locate stations that broadcast on the Internet.

There are even more Internet radio only stations around the world. Many people today also stream Internet and FM radio from their cell phones in their cars from iHeart radio (128 kbs), Pandora music radio (64 kbs), Amazon Music (320 kbs), and SiriusXM satellite radio (256 kbs) formats. Enjoy.

https://radio-locator.com/

This is how I used to listen to FM radio. Old memories from the past.

1/13/2026

Best Stereo Accessories 2025: Top 13 Picks

1/12/2026

Class A, AB, or D Amplifiers — The Truth Audiophiles Won’t Tell You

Sony STR-DA2000ES Receiver -with Class D Amplifer

Although all the models in Sony's home theatre line feature multi channel Class D amplification. Below are details on an older model I had for a short time. Audiophiles have to balance the cost of vintage Class AB amplifiers vs. the more efficient current Class D amplifiers. In most cases, the older vintage models offer similar performance for a fraction of the cost, although they run warmer.

I found this older Sony STR-DA2000ES receiver on eBay to complement my PC/Stereo music center. It can now play FLAC/MP3 files from my HP i7-4790 desktop using an 8 TB internal SATA drive, or stream Internet radio. The DAC in the HP i7-4790 desktop is the Realtek ALC221 chipset. The ALC221 chipset supports 16/20/24-bit output at 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rates, which is in excess of CD quality 44.1khz audio.

The STR-DA2000ES will fill your room with rich, dynamic, incredibly precise 7.1-channel surround sound! This receiver's high-end Sony ES construction and circuitry includes an innovative Digital Drive amplifier that delivers a whopping 120 full-bandwidth-rated watts x 7 channels of home theater power. Combine that brawn with some serious brains — dual 32-bit processors equipped with Dolby® Digital EX, DTS-ES®, DTS 96/24, and Pro Logic® II decoding — and you've got a 360°, wraparound soundfield that plants you squarely in the middle of the movie action! You can even set the 'DA2000ES to automatically transform 5.1 and 6.1-channel Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks into thrilling 7.1 sound.

Dual-room/dual-source output lets you enjoy 7.1 surround in your main room while a housemate listens to a different stereo source in a second room (receiver, amplifier, or powered speakers required in second room). Wide-range frequency response and analog multichannel bass management let you make the most of high-resolution music sources like SACD and DVD-Audio. The learning/multibrand LCD remote gives you easy control of all A/V gear, and features macros that you can program to execute a series of system commands with a single button-press.

The 'DA2000ES offers loads of connectivity for system-building, too, including component video switching with 80MHz bandwidth for flawless HDTV transfer, 5 digital inputs, 5 A/V inputs, and more! It's also got two multichannel inputs, including a 7.1-channel input to keep you prepared for future formats. Front-panel A/V and optical digital inputs allow quick and easy hookup of camcorders, game systems, and portable audio players.

This receiver's beefy construction is ES all the way, featuring an ultra-sturdy frame-and-beam chassis, an anti-resonant aluminum front panel, and dual power supplies. This meticulous attention to every aspect of the 'DA2000ES's build allows it to deliver consistently excellent A/V performance every time you turn it on!

Product highlights:

120 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.6% THD
Digital Drive Class D amplifier
Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6, and Pro Logic II
Sony Digital Cinema Sound modes
dual 32-bit processors
dual-room/dual-source audio capability (line-level stereo output with volume control for 2nd room)
digital and analog multichannel bass management
composite-to-S-video conversion
two multichannel analog inputs (one 7.1, one 5.1)
component video switching: 2 in, 1 out (80MHz bandwidth)
digital inputs: 4 optical (including 1 front-panel), 1 coaxial
optical digital output
4 audio (including phono) and 5 A/V (including 4 S-video & 1 front-panel) inputs
learning/multibrand LCD remote with macros
on-screen display
Control S, for simplified operation of compatible Sony gear
2 sets of main speaker outputs
20 FM/10 AM presets
16-15/16"W x 6-5/16"H x 16-1/8"D
warranty: 5 years

Source: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-t0dAe6OjSI6/p_158STRDA2K/Sony-ES-STR-DA2000ES.html

1/09/2026

Sony STR-D650Z AM-FM Receiver with 5.1 Channel Surround -Class AB amplifier

This is one my favorite older vintage Sony receivers. It dates back to 1996 and is relatively simple to operate and very powerful offering 120 watts/channel in stereo mode. These units can be found on eBay for under $100. They do not suffer from the old 70's vintage receivers noisy pots and controls. The volume control is motorized and offers a remote control. Add a blue tooth streaming adapter and you have a streaming powerhouse on the cheap. Full specs below:

Sony STR-D650Z AM/FM A/V Stereo Receiver 120 watts/channel

POWER OUTPUT AND TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION
With 8-ohm load, both channels driven, from 20 -20,000 Hz, STR-D650Z rated 120 watts, per channel minimum RMS power, with no more than 0.3 % total harmonic distortion from 250 milliwatts to rated output.

Specifications:

Tuning range: FM, AM
Power output: 120 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Surround output: 120W (front), 120W (center), 50W (rear)
Frequency response: 10Hz to 50kHz
PHONO: RIAA equalization curve ±0.5 dB
CD, TAPE, DAT/MD, VIDEO 1, 2,: +0 10 Hz - 50 kHz –1 dB
Total harmonic distortion: 0.3%
Input sensitivity: 2.5mV (MM), 200mV (line)
Signal to noise ratio: 75dB (Phono MM), 82dB (all other line level)
Output: 150mV (line)
Video Connections: composite
Accessories: remote control
Muting– 20 dB
BASS LOUDNESS BOOST+10 dB at 70 Hz
TONE Contols: Bass and Treble: ±8 dB at 100 Hz and 10 kHz

Includes Dolby Logic surround modes for video and audio enhancement.

Dimensions 430 x 157 x 355 mm (17 x 6 1/4 x 14 inches)
Mass (Approx.) STR-D650Z: 10.0 kg (22 lb 1 oz)
STR-D550Z: 9.7 kg (22 lb 7 oz)