When listening to a terrestrial radio station through the internet, why are some commercials blocked out?

Question

When listening to a regular terrestrial radio station's internet stream, it's common for some of the commercials to get blocked. I've noticed this on many radio stations (for example, KNBR 680 out of the Bay Area).

Instead of the commercial, you'll either hear silence or a pre-recorded message along the lines of "The station you're listening to is currently in a commercial break and will be back shortly."

Why do some (but not all) of the commercials get blocked out of the internet stream?

Answer 1

It's a weird rule.... It has to do with a actors union winning a ruling saying that the actors will get paid huge royalties basically if the commercials that were meant only for the radio are broadcast over the net.

So instead of paying royalties..cut the commercials that are national in nature....

Answer 2

Gearbox is right...it's due to an AFTRA (American Federation of Radio and Television Artists) settlement with radio broadcasters a few years back. Commercials can be included in Internet streams of radio broadcasts only after individual stations cut a royalties deal with AFTRA so actors and announcers heard in commercials get paid.

Answer 3

I just assumed that the advertisers whose ads were played on the internet were paying extra for that service and the others were blocked because they weren't paying.I may be wrong, it is just a guess.

Answer 4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PEmRqliYLcc