pamperedpuppy // luxury lifestyles for dogs

Fido Frequency

Is your Schnauzer in a snit? Poodle can't seem to shake the blues? Perhaps your pug feels a little lonely throughout the day? Instead of heading to the pet store to buy yet another squeaky toy or to the dog bakery for a calorie-laden treat, maybe your dog just needs to tune into DogCatRadio.

DogCatRadio (www.dogcatradio.com) is an Internet radio station catering to the pet population. The station offers 24-hours of soothing tunes and pet-friendly programming.

Here's how it works: sites such as Reciva provide both live and on-demand content through computer programs such as Real Audio, Windows and MP3 streams. Listeners simply turn on their computers, click on the station and enjoy the tunes.

Reciva.com categorizes the station as "soft rock" - the playlist is meant to make the workday less lonely while the human parents are away. Soothing sounds come from artists such as, Enya, Huey Lewis, and K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

The station came about on a whim when Adrian Martinez decided to combine his love of music with his pet passion. Martinez, a 36-year-old CEO for Morusa (an independent record label), says he's "very passionate about pets and thought it was high time they had a station of their own." He had the industry experience to know the ins and outs of launching a station.

"It came together so fast," says Martinez. Initially the station was supposed to be for Martinez's pets (right now he's got a fur family of eight). Word of mouth spread faster than a Santa Ana wind. It's no surprise that this media-savvy entrepreneur found an audience in pet-crazy LA. But what is surprising is the rapid growth of the Internet station. DogCatRadio is now a global phenomenon. Thanks to pet lovers and some well-timed media attention, in just about a year from its launch DogCatRadio went from 20 listeners per day to a peak of more than 100,000 per day.

Some of the spotlight can be attributed to a glowing article from New York Times writer Dinita Smith. Smith's article, "Jumpy Enough to Chew a Chair? Try DogCatRadio," turned the humble station into a sensation. According to Martinez, for a period of time, this article became the #1 email forwarded piece on the New York Times website.

The influx of attention wreaked a bit of havoc on the small operation. "Our computers started crashing," says Martinez. The videos and pictures being sent caught the station by surprise. With all the increased traffic, Martinez devoted himself fulltime to his young station.

After a technological overhaul (the station increased their ban-width), DogCatRadio was back online and ready to provide listening pleasure to its fans.

"We have six continents tuning in," says the proud CEO. "At first we thought we were the only ones that were nuts about our pets. It's not just the US - it is the world!" says Martinez. Far-flung locales like Iran and India are the even popping up on the servers that record listener activity.

To serve his audience, Martinez relies on a stable of DJs. For the most part, the music is programmed live and is also available on podcast. Generally there's an upbeat feel to the selected songs (on a recent afternoon listen songs included, "Up!" by Shania Twain, "Don't Stop" by the Jackson 5, and "Wind Beneath My Wings" sung by Bette Midler). Other songs have dog-related titles ("Puppy Love," "Hound Dog," etc.). Other songs come from a little-known music industry that writes tunes just for pets. Martinez shares that he's found songs for his rotation at www.dogtunes.com. DogTunes titles include "Dog Day Afternoon," "Dixie Dog," and "Popcorn Paws" (a favorite--the lyrics are about two dogs that dream of the sea and Paris, "where the dogs are loved and running free").

Popular broadcast segments include "Jane Harris in the Mornings" and "The Mutt Hour." There's also the "Spanish Hour" and advice from celebrity pet trainer, Kathryn Segura. Segura has an exclusive production deal with DogCatRadio.com to produce a series of pet training segments. Special "for human" segments are produced to educate the audience on topics covering exercise, nutrition and more. Martinez and his team attempt to stay on top of pet culture. They attend pet expositions, movie premiers and other events to keep in tune with the dog community. Occasionally a celebrity interview even pops up.

Listeners are encouraged to email requests and dedications to the hosts (currently the station receives 150 emails and letters a week). Mr. Martinez tries to accommodate all his listeners - he's loath to disappoint a devoted pet parent. Martinez mentions that memorial requests are treated with special care.

The company briefly dabbled in apparel, making DogCatRadio sweaters and tees. But when shipping costs got unbearable and facilitating orders ate into the programming time, Martinez put an end to this sideline business. Now the small operation relies on revenue from affiliates and local advertisers.

Martinez and friends say they aren't in it for the money. They claim to be working to provide a service to the pet community. PETA honored DogCatRadio with the "(Radio) Wave of the Future" award at the 3rd annual Proggy Awards and the mayor of LA has also bestowed an honor on the company. Judging by community recognition and the feedback from loyal listeners, DogCatRadio is indeed filling a need.

Like all media moguls, expansion plans weigh on Martinez's mind. Martinez says he's in talks with Animal Planet to develop a reality-based television program (and with eight pets surrounding him, there's sure to be plenty of action). For now you'll find him at the controls looking for tunes to make your dog's day a little sunnier.