Stitcher Radio

Stitcher radio is a free, personalized internet radio service offered on the PC and on mobile platforms as both a web and native application. Stitcher offers internet radio listeners news, sports, entertainment, talk radio and other streaming audio broadcasting from many blogs and major news and media sources such as CNN, NPR, ESPN, MSNBC, BBC, AP, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, etc. [. [http://mashable.com/2008/05/14/stitcher-prepares-to-go-public-with-its-beta/ Mashable: Stitcher Prepares to Go Public with Its Beta] ] Like Pandora, Stitcher allows listeners to customize the content they hear using a sophisticated personalization algorithm [ [http://www.techcrunch.com/tag/stitcher/ TechCrunch: Stitcher Streams Customized Audio Feeds to Your iPhone] ] . However, Stitcher is the first and currently the only service of its kind to allow customization for news, information, and talk radio content. Stitcher’s content is hosted in RSS or XML format so that all audio feeds update automatically [. [http://solsie.com/stitcher-radio-streaming/ Stitcher Radio Streaming] ] .

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Customization

Stitcher is similar to Pandora in the customization aspect of the listener experience but differs in that it hosts news and talk radio content. Stitcher uses a personalization algorithm that influences what shows a user sees under his or her stations. This algorithm draws on data such as listening patterns and behavior to personalize the content of each station according to the listener’s interests. Listeners can also add keywords to their stations to further personalize the station content that they hear. The personalization algorithm gains more knowledge about a user the more that user listens and becomes better at personalization over time.

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Apple Web Apps

Stitcher’s online radio service is offered on the [http://www.apple.com/webapps/news/stitcherradio.html Apple Web Apps] page under News & Information. It was featured as the #1 web app in May 2008 and has been designated as a Staff Pick. The latest version of Stitcher Radio on Apple’s Web Apps page was released on July 9, 2008 [ [http://www.apple.com/webapps/news/stitcherradio.html Apple Web Apps: Stitcher Radio] ] , and allows users to receive SMS updates when new audio streams of their favorite shows are available.

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Usage and Features

Unlike traditional podcasts, Stitcher users do not need to sync their devices to a computer to get updated content; Stitcher provides content online over Wi-Fi, Edge, and 3G networks. iPhone users can access Stitcher radio on the Safari browser as a web application. The user interface is organized in the following manner:
1) Stations by topic: Users can select stations by topic, such as World News, Politics, Sports, Entertainment, etc.
2) Stations by content provider: Users can also select stations by content provider, such as CNN, MSNBC, NPR, ESPN, etc.
3) Specific shows: Each station provides a list of different shows that users can play in a rotating order or select at will.
Favorites Station
A user can pick any show to add to their favorites station using the “Add to Favorites” button.
SMS Updates
iPhone users can choose to receive SMS updates when their favorite shows are updated. When new content becomes available, Stitcher will send a text message to a user alerting them that the show was updated along with a direct-play link [. [http://www.techcrunch.com/tag/stitcher/ TechCrunch: Stitcher Streams Customized Audio Feeds to Your iPhone] ] .
Editorial Picks
Stitcher offers an Editor’s Picks station that provides listeners access to the content editor’s favorite shows [ [http://www.apple.com/webapps/news/stitcherradio.html Apple Web Apps: Stitcher Radio] ] .
Local Stations
Stitcher offers stations targeted to specific local audiences [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/column_pluggedin_dc iPhone killer-app is letting users choose software] ] . Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco are currently offered.

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The new iPhone 3G and other mobile platforms

Stitcher is now available as a native application to the public for the iPhone through Apple’s newly announced App Store [ [http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=288087905&mt=8 Stitcher in App Store] ] . This native app provides the same interface as the web application along with features such as automatic updates and interrupt handling during phone calls. On August 8, 2008 Stitcher made the native app available in private beta to 100 testers [ [http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/08/stitcher-launches-personalized-radio-iphone-app-in-private-beta/ TechCrunch: Stitcher Launches Personalized Radio iPhone App In Private Beta] ] . Native app development will begin soon for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile smartphone platforms [ [http://www.thrillist.com/archives/2008/05/stitcher_sf_san_francisco_services_embarcadero.html Thrillist] ] .

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See also

Pandora music

last.fm

MeeMix

Internet radio

List of internet radio stations

iPhone

Podcasts

App Store

Notes and references

External Links

[http://www.stitcher.com/teaser.php Stitcher Radio]

[http://www.stitcher.com/iPhone/faq.php Stitcher iPhone FAQ]

[http://www.apple.com/webapps/news/stitcherradio.html Apple Web Apps: Stitcher Radio]

[http://www.apple.com/iphone/appstore/ Apple App Store]