Cygnus Radio
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| Slogan | The Signature Station of Independent Music |
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| First air date | March 15, 2005 |
| Format | independent rock and other genres |
| Power | webcast @ 96kbps |
| Owner | Toni Anne Reagan, Tom Wylde, David Vesel |
| Website | www.cygnusradio.com |
Cygnus Radio is a noncommercial Internet radio station founded in 2005, broadcasting music created by independent and unsigned artists.
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[edit] History
Cygnus Radio was founded in February of 2005 by Toni Anne Reagan (aka DJ SwanSpirit, Swannie), David Vesel, and Rex Butler. It presently operates as a noncommercial entity, airing independent and unsigned artists. The station was named after the constellation Cygnus, "the swan", because of Ms. Reagan's affinity for the animal. All of the founders previously worked at other Internet radio stations, and founded the station in reaction to policies they observed at other organizations that they felt had lost focus. Butler was replaced in January 2006 by Tom Wylde.
Cygnus Radio has no geographic market, although most programming is in English. It is operated as a virtual organization by Reagan, Vesel, and Wylde.
[edit] Format
Management states on the station's web site that their primary emphasis is on live programming, using an on-air personality who is responsible for generating an audio stream which is subsequently rebroadcast to listeners. The station currently features about a dozen live programs. Additionally, unscheduled time periods are handled by an autobot, during which music is preprogrammed and not interactive, similar to the stations found on the Live365 service.
Due to the costs involved with complying with laws regulating webcasting, Cygnus Radio is one of many Internet radio stations who only play music whose rightsholders have explicitly granted written permission, a provision enshrined in law by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 as an alternative to statutory fees embodied in the SoundExchange licensing program of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), who is empowered by the U. S. Congress to enforce some of the terms of the DMCA.
The webcast is formatted as a 96kbps Icecast stream, compatible with most PC audio client software.
[edit] Genres
As of August 2006, Cygnus music programming includes Indie Rock, Heavy Metal, electronic music, Ambient, and Blues. Specialty programming includes themed programs featuring Women in Music and theremin performances.
[edit] Awards
In 2006 Cygnus Radio was nominated for Best Internet Radio Station by the International Online Music Awards (IOMA).
