In our latest snapshot of the results for Jacobs Media’s 2006 Technology Web Poll, streaming continues to profile as a primary Internet activity, providing terrestrial radio stations with an avenue to participate in the digital frontier. Stations that stream stand to gain a significant amount of listening because they provide well-known, accessible music and entertainment brands to those searching for online entertainment. Streaming also allows stations to provide their local audiences with simple, well-known alternatives to online options like AOL Radio or stations from around the U.S. and the world.

Among respondents (who are mostly members of Rock-formatted stations’ email clubs), 86% use the Internet for at least one hour on an average weekday. And more than nine in ten (92%) have access to a high-speed Internet connection.

This lays the groundwork for streaming radio. Overall, three in ten (29%) listen to Internet radio of one sort or another – up from 23% in the 2005 study. Mainstream Rockers and Alternative fans tend to more regularly listen to streaming audio.

Among these "streamies," the big change from year to year is listenership to local stations’ Internet streams. In the 2005 study, only 12% listened to the surveying stations online. In this new study, one-third (32%) indicate they now log onto the streams provided by the stations that participated in the survey.

Why this significant increase? Simply stated, more terrestrial stations began streaming their audio in the past year, providing a place for listeners to access their programming while on computers. When "streamies" are searching for familiar, known brands to access, local station streams are most likely to come to mind. If you stream it, they will listen.

Why is it important for local stations to stream? Nearly six in ten (58%) cite simple convenience as the key factor, while four in ten (37%) indicate they have trouble receiving the station terrestrially in certain locations. More than a third (35%) mention a lack of access to a radio in particular situations, while 16% report not being allowed to have a radio in workplaces and other locations.

How important is streaming to overall listenership? Among those who say the station that sent them this survey currently provides a stream, three-fourths (74%) say they now listen a little or a lot more than before. And for those who report that the station that sent them this questionnaire does not stream, three-fourths (77%) also say they would listen a little or a lot more if this service were provided. Thus, all signs point to the notion that providing an Internet stream greatly increases real or projected listenership among those who already are predisposed to enjoy a station. Streaming provides yet another outlet for listening.

*Of those who listen to Internet Radio monthly or more

Clearly, there’s an expense associated with streaming.  Some stations and broadcast companies have shied away from providing this service because of the cost. But these results underscore the notion that offering an Internet stream is analogous to erecting a new tower, giving consumers a chance to listen in environments where radio usage was difficult, if not impossible. Weighing the costs of streaming versus other marketing and contesting activities is a no-brainer. No other promotional line item provides the same level of listening increases as streaming. It is a superb investment in the present and the future.

Our Technology Web Poll II was conducted in late February 2006, among more than 25,000 respondents across 79 different Rock-formatted stations. Participating stations represent Mainstream Rock, Classic Rock, and Alternative outlets. Of course, this is a web poll, and cannot replicate all radio listeners or even all Rock radio listeners. As with all Internet-based research projects of this kind, the results reflect only those who chose to participate in the survey, and do not necessarily represent the views of all Rock radio listeners in the country. Still, the 79 radio stations that invited their listeners to take the survey are a broad cross-section of Rock stations, from large and small markets, as well as those that play the newest Rock music and those that play only Classic Rock.