Listening to Internet Radio

Use the RadioTime guide to find and listen to internet radio at your desktop with a browser or from a connected device or mobile.

Listening to internet radio isn’t without its imperfections. So we’ll do our best to make it as smooth an experience as possible. A good place to start is with the requirements.

Player means a media player or browser plug-in you install for Windows Media or Real Networks. Tuner is the little RadioTime web page that opens and shows you the station with Pause and volume control.

Click the Listen button. The show or station should begin for your listening pleasure. You’ll see information for the show or station that is playing. Click the title to view more details.

The listen icon picks a source or media type. If a station has more than one source, the default is the fastest and most reliable that also works with your computer. You may choose a particular stream from the stream icons on the bottom of the station details page.

The yellow button indicates the audio might not be reliable with your computer. Green indicates it should work for you now. Listen icons with little squares mean an “external” player is used.

If you cant get any streams to work it is probably your computer, consider re-installing Windows media Player. About 95% of all listen attempts succeed. The RadioTime web player will warn and show a percent reliability for stations that are generally unreliable.

You’ll need the ability to play Windows Media streams for most radio, and Real media for some. Get the requirements here. The RadioTime web tuner “Not Working” option has a “My Media players” link to show what is installed for the browser you are using.

Stations may be silent during commercials up to 5 minutes, or longer if a sports game or syndicated program is not streamed.

If the stream is playing and there is no audio, try another station. If you can’t hear any then make sure you can listen to music or check your computer’s volume. Windows or Mac help can isolate any general problems.

Some professional sports and some national shows are not streamed. You may be able to find them on another station, or you can sometimes go to the league or show website and buy a subscription to listen outside of RadioTime.

RadioTime.com includes stations available over the internet or just AM/FM. If you know that a station streams and it is not available from RadioTime, please let us know and we’ll add it within a few hours. Find the station and click the orange “Tell us to fix it”, then ask us to add it. Of course not all stations with a web site also stream.

Only UK listeners can listen to some BBC stations for most devices and desktops without Real Networks installed. BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4, 4LW and local and national radio stations have restricted windows media streams.

Not all streaming stations are available on all devices. For example, most products can’t use “Flash players”. So you may be able to listen from RadioTime.com or the station’s web site and find the station is missing from other products. Please let us know if a device-compatible stream is available.

If not, use the RadioTime station contact and ask the station to stream. RadioTime can deliver a station’s normal desktop player when possible but also make the audio available on devices.

There are many moving parts that RadioTime does not control, sometimes you’ll find a problem. If you are listening to a station that does not match what you selected, please let us know. On radiotime.com press “Not working”. On a device find the station on radiotime.com and then click “Tell us to fix it” and describe the problem.

The number one problem is stations that don’t work. If you are using the radiotime.com web tuner please click “Not working” to see options including letting us know. From a device please search for the station on radiotime.com and do the same. Stations don’t work for lots of reasons, obsolete information in our guide, unreliable streams we don’t control, or a temporary “blackout” from the station.

Except to save Presets RadioTime never requires registration. Individual stations may ask for registration, of course you can decide to register or not. The RadioTime registration form looks like this: don’t confuse it with a station.

Some large radio groups including the BBC and Clear Channel don’t allow listening outside of their country, or listening to certain stations is restricted. RadioTime will hide these stations on devices, and warn on the website. But your location is only a guess from your computer’s internet location (IP address). If you are within the country please contact the station directly so they can adjust the rules.

RadioTime does not control the content or the stream availability. To communicate with the station use radiotime.com search or browse. The station detail page usually includes a link to their website, our page sometimes includes an email or phone number.

Tool tips on the site usually have more detail , just hold your mouse over the icon to learn more

or	Listen normally

or	A special player from the broadcaster will be started for the audio

or	Either the stream is unreliable or the normal show is not streamed}}

The station is not available over the internet, and/or the show is not live now.

The show is only available on-demand now

These show the stream type and/or player required.

An non-standard external stream type that may or may not work

An MP3 stream type, these work with most any computer

A Windows Media stream, these work on any Windows computer, or Mac/Linux with a free Silverlight or VLC player

A Real Networks stream, these require the free Real Networks player

An AAC stream, these will work with iTunes, Winamp, or VLC

The station is local to you, look for 1-5 bars of reception strength in browse or search results and in the show schedule

AM/FM frequencies for listening through a traditional radio or RedButton & a radioSHARK