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F.A.Q - Help Center

This is our FAQ and help page where we stored the most frequently asked questions about .radio. Check it out to learn more about .radio. It might answer a lot of your questions about .radio, websites and domain names.
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Will I be able to be found on the internet with a .radio domain?

Yes, .radio is a Top Level Domain such as .com, .uk, .fr, .gov or .org there are many different top level domains. Having a specific domain name will not make you hidden on the internet.
As soon as your domain name is registered and your website is hosted, you will be found on the Internet.

If you want to be found easier on the internet, we wrote an article about good practice with SEO to be found easily on internet.

Check out the information about SEO here.

Can I keep another domain name if I take .radio?

Yes of course, you can own as many domain names as you want. Rather it is .radio or any other domain extension, you can have as many as you want.  
 
However, if you do so, we recommend that you use redirection 301 to redirect all your domain names toward the domain that you actually use. 

This way, no matter which domain name your visitors follow, they will land on your website. We set up a blog post about redirection so you can learn how to do so if you don’t know yet. 

Is .Radio Safe?

Yes, .radio is a Top Level Domain (TLD) that the ICANN authorized in 2017. The system makes sure the domain name is 100% secured and safe. On top of that we protect the domain from speculators and biding.  

For instance, every domain is reviewed by our team to make sure .radio domains are registered by appropriate people, companies and communities for radio related activities only. 

This way we make the domain safe and keep it for radio related websites exclusively.

Can I use .radio for any type of website?

No, .radio is reserved to radio related websites only. The goal of this domain name is to help radio related websites to stand out on the web with a domain name that matches what they do. 
For example it would not  make sense for a shoes shop to have a website ending with .radio! 

We keep .radio exclusively for Radio related websites. This includesCommercial radio stations, Public services radio stations, Radio Amateurs, Community radio stations, radio professional, web radios, and other websites related to radio (like podcasts, radio shows, radio products,…). 
For example a shop that sells radio building parts will be allowed. 

Basically, every website that is related to radio can use a .radio domain. 

Where can I get my .radio domain name?

You can get dotradio to any .radio accredited registrar that is on this list (lien vers la liste des registrar).
You can get also the domain name on register.radio. On this website the good thing is that you get a lot of things coming with your domain name. You can check the extra page to know more about that.

How much does it cost to register a .radio domain extension?

The cost for registering a .radio domain name will be different for radio stations, internet radios, companies and for individuals. It will depend on the registrar offering the product, since registrars themselves define their price and their marketing policy. It also depends whether some additional services are included in the yearly fee (like hosting, mailing). 

Typical costs are between 220€ and 250€ per domain and per year. For individuals, there is a reduced cost of around 25€ but these domains should follow some formatting rules (callsign.radio or firstname-lastname.radio or being for small Community radios).

 

How to register a .radio domain name?

This will depend which domain registrar you will use to register your .radio domain name.
If you want to use register.radio to register your domain name, you can do so in just a few steps.
We wrote a guide to help you go through this into our blog.

Check our article “how to register a dotradio domain” or “step by step guide buying a dotradio domain”.

Will I have a website once I register .radio domain?

No, domain names and websites are 2 different things. When you register a .radio or any other domain name like .com or .tv, you get an address to your website. 

Basically, the website is your house and the domain name is the address of the house. 

To have a website you might need to contact a hosting service provider so you can host your website on a server. You will also need to create and build a website through a CMS or with the help of a web developer. 

Note that if you register your domain with register.radio, we provide a free profile page so you can be quickly set up with a web page. On the profile page you can insert all your social links and email, create a quick biography, change your profile pictures and choose a theme for the page. 

It is not a real website, but it is a quick way to be set up instantly while you are creating your official website! 

What is a Community Top Level Domain?

The following are the various kinds of TLDs:  

  • Standard generic TLDs (e.g. .com, .club , .cloud): No particular TLD-specific policy  
  • Country code TLDs (e.g. .ch, .de , it, .tv): Subject to the respective country’s laws  
  • Brand TLDs (e.g. .ibm, .eurovision): For exclusive use by the respective registry operator.
  • Geographic and cultural/language TLDs (e.g. .paris, .swiss): For the respective local community, culture or language.
  • Community-based TLDs (e.g. .bank, .radio , .pharmacy): For the respective community.

Community TLDs are intended for community groups operating their own TLD for an economic sector, a cultural community or a linguistic community. Rules and controls are defined to ensure that the TLD represents a specific community, being reserved for its use.   

Only the community TLD can fully prevent cybersquatting by limiting who can obtain a .radio domain (policy, pre- and post-controls), and avoid schemes similar to ‘.tv’ in which many speculators buy domains simply for commercial purposes, namely for reselling them to brand owners for defensive reasons.   

Few Community TLDs propositions have passed the very difficult ICANN Community Priority Evaluation Process (CPE). Many projects have been rejected due to the stringent CPE procedure. Being recognized as a Community TLD is significant, since it means that genuine projects are recognized and given priority, whereas other non-community projects are eliminated. In the alternative scenario, auctions are organized and can be assigned on a purely commercial basis.   

Passing the CPE gate marked the start of challenges by the three other applicants for .radio. Their goal was to use .radio for purely commercial reasons as compared with our willingness to make .radio a high-quality internet space reserved to the world radio community. 

The DotRadio registry (EBU) has set up a World .Radio Advisory Board. Why, and who participates?

The World .Radio Advisory Board was established in January 2017, and comprises individuals from supporting organizations, including public service radio, commercial radio and amateur radio, representing the worldwide radio community. The board will define policies and will stay across the development of the .radio TLD.                          

Here are the organizations that endorsed the project in spring 2012:                

  • Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) 
  • Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU)                             
  • African Union of Broadcasting (AUB)
  • Caribbean Broadcasting Union
  • International Association of Broadcasting (IAB)
  • Asociación Internacional de Radiodifusión
  • North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) 
  • Organización de Telecomunicaciones de Iberoamérica (OTI)
  • Association Européenne des Radios (AER) 
  • The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) 
  • World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)
  • Association of Television and Radio Sales Houses (EGTA)
  • The Metropolitan Opera 
  • Union Radiophonique et Télévisuelle Internationale (URTI)
  • International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)  
Are the domains .radio.am and .radio.fm related to .radio?

Not at all, these domains are sub domains of the Top Level Domains .am and .fm. 
They are managed by a commercial entity* (US) and this creates some small confusion.
But when it is time to decide, we are confident that you will make the right choice. 

Yourstation.radio or Yourstation.radio.fm? 

The better is of course the more obvious, the shorter, the one reserved to the Radio Community! 

(*) For the anecdote, this company was looking to get the control of the .radio TLD when it was to be created in years 2012-2017 but ICANN preferred to allocate it to the EBU (current registry) to make it a Community TLD and not a fully commercial TLD. 

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