Foster City, California, September 16th, 1999 – An Internet-savvy citizen of Raleigh, North Carolina is putting the Web to good use by broadcasting live HAM radio transmissions of Hurricane Floyd weather and damage reports using Live365.com. Raleigh's Kevin Minor, a regular broadcaster on Live365.com, is utilizing the groundbreaking service to broadcast on-the-spot reports of the aftermath of one of the largest hurricanes in recent history…and he's doing it without the aid of eyesight.
Legally blind in both eyes, Minor uses state of the art computer technology to do business and communicate with people around the world. Without the aid of a monitor, Minor utilizes a voice-activated computer to read and write documents, emails, etc. He is also an avid HAM radio user, which led him to the decision to broadcast the radio activity centered around the storm. His broadcast features transmissions from Sky Warn, Central North Carolina's weather network, which relays information to the National Weather Service. Sky Warn is the first place radio operators tune to if there are dangerous conditions in the area.
"It occurred to me that my Live365.com netcast could be used for a secondary purpose besides broadcasting my music collection." stated Minor. "My main reason for netcasting the local repeater is for my work and family. My co-workers can get information quicker than by normal means, and my family in Kentucky can hear what's happening over here."
"Kevin Minor's use of Live365.com in this way demonstrates the awesome power of user-created radio and the true audio community we're building. " said Alex Sanford, President and CEO of Live365.com. "We offer our users the ability to instantly broadcast to anyone, anywhere in the world."
Luckily for Minor, and the rest of the North Carolina coastline, damage inflicted by Floyd's high winds and rain was limited. Minor's Live365.com broadcast was interrupted periodically due to the massive power outages that effected the entire region. According to Minor's reports, all appears to be well in the light of day, despite some minor damage in his neighborhood. Barring other power failures, his broadcast will continue to be featured on Live365.com until all relief efforts have been completed. Minor's broadcast can be heard by going to http://www.live365.com and selecting the "Various" genre category.
About Live365.com:
Live365.com (http://www.live365.com) is the global Internet community where users can create and listen to independent audio broadcasts. Live365.com provides an outlet for independent DJs, unsigned, independent or amateur musicians, music-lovers, writers and aspiring talk-show hosts to broadcast their content to a worldwide audience. Live365.com launched in June, 1999 and is headquartered in Foster City, CA.