Part 1 : Internet radio

Matt, you've moved from the "written" to the "spoken" word with TechSector - what's behind that decision?
Well, The Web to me is sort of like a kid in a candy store. So many possibilities. So many flavors of media to try out! I love it. I've done some radio gigs in the past and when the opportunity for TechSector came out I decided to give it a try.

Without a doubt, as we move toward more of a ubiquitous broadband environment the possibilities for streaming/downloadable audio and video will be huge. So I decided to try and get ahead of the curve a little and experiment some. There is no better way to learn about new technologies than to experience them firsthand!

Are there any other net radio shows you see as role models or examples of how best to present audio content on the Internet?
Well, there's a variety of startups that are doing a nice job of audio content on the Net. However, none have really broken out of the pack yet in my eyes. I really like what ON24 is doing for financial news content.

Of course, I also believe that we have some great things cooking at Redband (the producers of TechSector). I'm sure some traditional broadcasters will figure this out as well.

And just how do you go about promoting audio content? You've been seen riding mechanical bulls in advertisements in FORTUNE magazine and other top publications, but what other avenues work best for someone like Redband.
Good question. First of all, as with all media- it's important to number one produce great content- but at the end of the day it all comes down to distribution. There's going to be great opportunities to distribute rich media content over broadband focused portals and directories. Also the emergence of voice portals and satellite radio.

Long term, I envision streaming audio- and even video- available over wireless cell phones, PDAs and other handheld devices. But that's still a few years off.

What are the main sources of revenue for companies producing radio for the Internet - is it just advertising, or are there alternatives?
I think there's a variety of models being kicked around in this area right now. One is obviously advertising and sponsorship supported. The great thing about online audio is that it allows Net users to multi-task. So I can be sitting here surfing the Web or doing Word processing and listen to my favorite radio programs at the same time. I can't do that with pure text. That's exciting to me.

For the right shows, I also believe there are complementary e-commerce opportunities. Finally, if you can create top notch content, syndication and licensing fees to offline media is another revenue stream waiting to be tapped.