Infinity stations will
stream online to fight e-rivals
Internet and satellite radio
are rising in popularity, but traditional stations are still way more
popular. That doesn't mean they're not worried about their rivals.
Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting said yesterday that it would begin
streaming 11 of its leading news and news-talk stations over the internet
on March 14 to better compete with satellite and internet competitors.
According to Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research, internet radio
currently attracts 19 million U.S. listeners each week. 'This is about
five times the number of people that currently pay for satellite
subscription radio services.' Infinity stations to be streamed include 1010 WINS (New York), KFWB-AM
(Los Angeles), WBBM-AM (Chicago), KYW-AM (Philadelphia), and KMOX-AM (St.
Louis).
Poor internet service drives man to death threats
Poor customer service can bring
out the beast in even a typically mild person. But a 19-year-old Norwegian
man, whose name has not been released, took it too far when he sent death
threats to communications company Telenor. This week he pleaded guilty in
a municipal court to charges of making death threats and was ordered to
pay an $800 fine and serve a 21-day suspended jail sentence. The madness
began when he started complaining to the company about problems with his
internet connection in late 2003 and early 2004, and failed to get a
response. Some of the mail he sent to Telenor read: “Have a fucking
Merry Christmas, you can die as far as I am concerned. I am going to make
hell for you...I will personally come up to Fornebu and kill you one by
one if you don't get your finger out soon and fix this fucking
problem."
High times: Report says web drug trafficking is up
Drug connoisseurs have
learned their fix is only a click away--on web sites selling prescription
drugs illegally. The International Narcotics Control Board issued a report
this week that said the internet sale of drugs that have narcotic effects
surged in 2004. The report reveals substances with the high potential to
be abused or be lethal were being sold online from sources around the
world. Mind-altering drugs make up the majority of those sold online. The
agency proposed that governments tighten their control over their
pharmaceutical industries to cut the supply of drugs to internet dealers.
Ubiquitous
Craigslist adds outer space to domain
It doesn't only seem like Craigslist has an extension
everywhere. We could be soon searching through Craigslist: Mars. On
Sunday, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster won an auction on eBay to beam the
site’s content into outer space. With the help of Deep Space
Communications Network, of Cape Canaveral, Fla., it will be the first
private communication to be transmitted into space. Craigslist users can
beam their ads to potential readers in space by simply checking a box in
their postings. The transmission is scheduled for May 15, right after the
launch of the space shuttle Discovery. The site’s classified postings,
along with a personal video message from founder Craig Newmark and a clip
from the documentary "24 Hours on craigslist," will be the first
to shoot light years into space. Buckmaster paid $1,225 for the privilege.
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