Internet Radio Puts a Spin on the format by Cheryl Wills

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New York 1 News (TV)
November 17, 2006

Internet Radio Puts a Spin on the Format
by Cheryl Wills

Radio has become a growing force on the Internet, and in New York it is
dialing up fans who log on and tune in to community based programming.
NY1 Cheryl Wills checked out some of Internet radio's new voices

Leigh Crizoe has a bone to pick with commercial radio, and like an increasing number of New Yorker's, he is taking matters into his own hands. In the comfort of his home just a few blocks south of Canal Street, Crizoe and his partner Rhio started their own Internet radio station called www.tribecaradio.net. It is an enterprise that they say, is by the people and for the people.

"We're offering a voice to people who normally don't have a voice," said Crizoe.

Here advertising revenue takes a back seat to community involvement. He has put about $30,000 into the station and only gets a minimal financial contribution from his hosts. One of his biggest acts is "The Shadow and Chan Show.”

Shadow, also known as Paugh Shadow, is a school teacher from the Bronx and Alan Chan is a lawyer from Queens. Together, they do a two-hour weekly talk show from a tiny eight by ten room. They are not quitting their day jobs anytime soon, but the part-time comics say Internet radio is the only way they can get on the air.

"Actually we have received a tremendous response,” said radio host, Alan Chan. “A lot of people have written that they like Alan Chan and hate Shadow. He presents himself as the guy you love to hate."

Pretty much anybody with a shtick can get their two hours of fame here. Crizoe's partner Rhio also has a health show based on her book Hooked on Raw. She says she loves the freedom of internet radio, even though she has lost the freedom of her home.

"Enough is enough,” said Rhio. “It's already been a year, so we've got to move it out of here. So I can come downstairs in my shorts if I want to."

www.Eastvillageradio.com has been around for three years and its storefront studio is the talk of the town. DJs spin music 24/7 that commercial radio stations will not or cannot play.

“There's a world of music out there that's amazing,” said General Manager of East Village Radio, Steve Cohen. “It isn't just like rock died 20-years ago; for that matter, it’s all gone on at a pace that's amazing."

Unlike Tribeca Radio, East Village Radio has a big financial backer, Frank's restaurant, right next door. And the hosts say the creative freedom cannot be beat.

“Internet radio is like the lab, the place where you will find the most creativity in radio,” explained Delphine Blue, a disc jockey for East Village Radio. “There are no FCC restrictions."

Fans of internet radio are confident it will stand the test of time and turn a profit as well, but they just hope it never sells out and puts profits ahead of programming.