IsraelNationalRadio.com passed a new milestone in May 2007, when the statistics showed more listeners downloading Arutz-7's MP3 audio programs than tuning in on their computers to "On Demand" programming.
MP3 is the name given to a popular type of audio file which can be easily downloaded via the internet. Ipods and similar MP3 players are small devices that play such files. Like the "walkman" of yesteryear, the modern MP3 device is a very portable audio player with the added ability to procure audio programs and songs from the internet.
Arutz Sheva's IsraelNationalRadio.com is an English-language pro-Israel “talk radio” station and has risen to the top of Israel's charts in terms of overseas listeners. Arutz-7 became the first Israeli radio station to broadcast on the internet in 1996, and today provides easy MP3 downloads of all Israel National Radio shows, free of charge.
"What's attracting people to our shows," says English-language station manager Baruch Gordon, "is not the breaking news stories. It's the talk. People want to hear what Israelis feel, say and think. The English broadcasts represent a cultural revolution of Jewish radio which encompasses analysis, promotion of Aliyah (immigration to Israel) and Jewish values, and love of the Land of Israel."
In the first 11 years that the Israeli radio station was online, listeners tuned into the broadcasts over the internet and listened live through their computers' speakers. But with the inclusion of free MP3 downloads for all Israel National Radio shows, more people have begun listening on their MP3 devices while they walk, jog, ride a bike, and commute to work. This trend became dominant in May.
Programming Manager Yishai Fleisher has introduced numerous new shows to the weekly line up. "We feature six hours of unique programming every day, including a show focused on 3rd Temple issues, a show about Jewish women, a show about Aliyah, shows with acute analysis, shows with humor, and shows focusing on Torah – you can't go wrong!"
Newcomers to MP3 technology will be surprised by the affordability and ease of use accompanying today's MP3 players.
To learn about the shows, go the IsraelNationalRadio.com homepage and scroll down the left column to see the complete line up of show hosts.