The prevailing thoughts about internet media is that the net democratises the means of distribution and creation of information. Anybody, so the story goes, can be a publisher or broadcaster, and share their thoughts with audiences around the world. This type of media distribution was previously the domain of the large corporate media, now you can build your media. Podcasting and blogging in particular has caught the imagination of a generation of content producers. From these technologies there is indeed a great deal more media being produced outside of the privileged media monopolies.

Is this really media democratisation? Not everybody has access to podcasts. What does it mean to distribute information only to those that can afford the hardware, connectivity, and time to listen? What kind of democratising notion is it if it requires a capital outlay, an understanding of computing, and free time to browse before one can participate? What is the nature of this new media democracy?

Additionally, whilst you reach an international (niche) audience with a podcast, you can't reach the people in your own street. There is some irony that media can now more easily be global than local. How have we arrived in a media context where it is possible to communicate more easily with someone on the other side of the world than it is to communicate with your neighbour?

The question is... is it important?. Is it important to lower the technology threshold to access content? Is it important to speak to your neighbours before speaking to the world? BYP thinks so, and that is why it exists.

BYP is a low tech solution to overcome todays high tech barriers. BYP offers an opportunity for podcasters to break out of the privileged global media sphere and into their own local context. BYP bridges the gap between old and new media, bringing the net to your radio. By connecting a BYP broadcast unit to a computer or mp3 player podcasts can be transmitted on FM, enabling podcasters to reach not just an international audience but also their own local community.