radiko

"radiko" is the radio service name which newly started this week in Tokyo and Osaka area. It is just a radio broadcasting service using the Internet. It is one of so called an Internet radio services. Its radio programs are just the same as the existing ones. That's it and not more than that. Sure, the Internet radio is not a brand new technology, but it is an epoch-making event for us Japanese to enjoy traditional radio programs on the Internet. It must have been a very hard way to start it clearing copyright and some other problems. In spite of its attractive contents, radio services had been losing its favor in the last decades for some reasons; tall, tight and concrete buildings in the city interfere with radio waves; portable music players including iPod have been increasing and occupied our time and ears; highly developed cellphones instead of radios can now provide us with news and entertainment information. Analog radio seemed to have finished its role, however, this radiko service may have the power to revive the traditional radio. With this new service, we can enjoy very clear digital sounds using PC and it will be possible to enjoy them using cellphones including iPhone in the near future. More and more people can enjoy them because they already have some devices connected to the Internet and they don't have to purchase any new gadgets to use this service.