More than just a gadget, the voice assistant represents a real opportunity for radio stations to integrate into the heart of the home. What seemed futuristic a few years ago is now a daily reality for millions of people: speaking to a device to listen to their favorite radio station in the living room, kitchen, or bedroom. While Amazon largely dominates the market with Alexa and Google continues to push its connected solutions, the question is no longer whether radio needs to adapt to voice… but how to do it effectively.
1/ A voice market reaching full maturity
2/ Market players: Amazon, Google and beyond
3/ Why radio stations absolutely must create their Alexa Skill
4/ Understanding the Alexa Skill: how does it actually work?
5/ Create your Alexa Skill with RadioKing: simple, fast, no technical skills needed
6/ How to promote your Alexa Skill to your listeners?
It’s no longer a secret: tech giants have firmly moved into our living spaces. From the kitchen to the living room, and through to the bedroom, voice assistants have become everyday companions. Tens of millions of people now use voice assistants, with a significant share doing so via smart speakers. More than one in two users has already interacted with a voice assistant, and 77% of them feel this tool improves their daily lives.
These figures are not insignificant for radio stations. According to data from National Public Media, 45% of voice commands on smart speakers are used to listen to the radio, and 85% to listen to music. In short, the smart speaker is first and foremost an audio streaming device — and radio holds a prime spot within it.
Since the first smart speakers came to market, the landscape has matured considerably. What began as a gadget for early adopters has become a mainstream device, found in homes across all demographics and generations. People aged 65 and over are actually among the most regular home users: for them, voice interaction represents a natural, accessible interface with no digital friction.
The Amazon Echo is the smart speaker that popularized the concept. Powered by the Alexa AI, it lets users control connected devices, check the weather, make calls, manage purchases, and of course listen to music, audiobooks, or radio.
The Echo lineup has evolved significantly. In late 2025, Amazon unveiled four new devices: the Echo Dot Max, the Echo Studio (a new compact version with Dolby Atmos sound), the Echo Show 8, and the Echo Show 11. These devices feature the AZ3 and AZ3 Pro chips along with the Omnisense platform, which merges data from cameras, Wi-Fi radar, microphones, and various sensors to make Alexa more responsive and personalized.
A major development: Amazon is preparing the rollout of Alexa+, a generative AI-enhanced version enabling natural conversations without rigid keywords. Rather than saying “Alexa, play France Info radio,” you’ll be able to say “Alexa, put on something informative while I make dinner.” A revolution in voice interaction. The Alexa+ beta launched quietly in late 2025, signaling Amazon’s particular focus on this next step.
For radio stations, this has one concrete implication: Alexa Skills will need to be properly configured to appear in these contextual, conversational requests. A well-crafted Skill means your station is available 24/7 in millions of homes, without listeners needing to open an app or type a URL.
Google remains a key player. Its Google Nest speakers (formerly Google Home) rely on Google Assistant, one of the most advanced voice AI systems on the market, backed by years of natural language processing expertise. One of the Google ecosystem’s longstanding strengths is managing multiple devices across different rooms simultaneously, enabling synchronized audio playback throughout the home.
Google Assistant is also accessible via Android smartphones, tablets, certain televisions, and many third-party speakers. For a radio station, being available on the Google ecosystem significantly broadens the potential listening surface.
Apple remains relatively restrained in the smart speaker segment with its HomePod, but Siri is present on hundreds of millions of devices worldwide. Radio France, for example, is accessible across all three major ecosystems: Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
Beyond Amazon and Google, Alexa is integrated into third-party speakers from brands such as Marshall, Sonos, JBL, Bose, Yamaha, and Denon. All of these are devices on which your Alexa Skills will be available, with no additional configuration on your part.
The primary strength of a voice assistant lies in its physical presence in the home. A speaker placed in the living room or kitchen is always on, always available, ready to respond to voice commands. It is gradually replacing the traditional radio set in connected households.
Creating an Alexa Skill for your station means literally stepping into that living space. Listeners don’t need to search for your station in an app, type your name into a search engine, or remember a URL. They simply say “Alexa, open [your radio name]” — and that’s it. Zero friction, instant access, natural listener retention.
This simplicity also encourages impulse listening. Unlike a mobile app that requires picking up your phone, unlocking it, and navigating to the play button, a voice command reduces access time to zero. The result: longer sessions, more frequent listening, and a stronger connection with your audience.
The online radio market is competitive. Thousands of stations compete for the attention of an audience with limited time. In this context, an Alexa Skill is a decisive advantage.
TuneIn already lists many radio stations on Alexa — but with no guarantee that yours is the one that plays when a listener asks for your station by name. Another station with a similar name might play instead. Having your own Skill ensures the right audio stream launches every time, complete with your brand identity, logo, and information.
For a niche station — jazz, electronic, reggae, religious radio, youth radio — having your own dedicated Alexa Skill means becoming the uncontested reference on Alexa for that genre or audience. No competitor can take that spot from you.
Every listener gained through Alexa is an additional listener in your statistics. Smart speaker users often listen as background audio during household activities — cooking, cleaning, working out at home — which generates long sessions that are favorable for advertising exposure.
Displaying “Available on Alexa” in your commercial materials strengthens your credibility with advertisers. It demonstrates that you are investing in your distribution and keeping pace with market developments. For a radio business, this signal of modernity carries real value with clients and partners.
An Alexa Skill is, in simple terms, a voice application integrated into the Amazon ecosystem. Think of it like an app in a store, but accessible entirely by voice. Your listeners need to enable it once — through the Alexa app or by asking Alexa to activate it — and it then remains available across all their Alexa devices.
Once your Skill is enabled, the available commands are simple and natural:
That last feature — knowing the currently playing track — is particularly appreciated by listeners. No need to reach for your phone or open an app: just ask.
Your Skill is available on all Alexa-compatible devices: Echo speakers of course, but also Marshall, Sonos, JBL, and Bose devices, as well as the Alexa app on smartphones and tablets. One Skill, content accessible everywhere.
RadioKing offers a turnkey solution to create and publish your Alexa Skill, with no technical expertise required. The platform handles the entire process, from setup to performance tracking.
You enter your station’s details: name, description, music genre, high-resolution logo, and audio stream. RadioKing automatically checks that your stream meets Alexa’s technical requirements.
RadioKing handles the technical creation of your Skill and submits it to Amazon for approval. You don’t have to do a thing. Amazon’s review process typically takes between 2 and 5 business days.
Once the Skill is approved, it becomes available in the official Amazon catalog. Your listeners can find it via voice search, through the Alexa app, or by browsing the catalog. RadioKing provides a dashboard to track activations, listening sessions, and statistics.
The price is €99 per year — less than €9 per month to be present in millions of homes equipped with Alexa speakers.
Creating a Skill is great. Getting the word out is even better. Here are the concrete actions to take:
On your social media: Announce your radio’s availability on Alexa with engaging visuals. Use relevant hashtags (#RadioAlexa, #SkillAlexa) and encourage your listeners to enable the Skill.
On air: Regularly include mentions in your broadcasts. A simple line such as “Find us on your Amazon Echo devices by saying: Alexa, play [your radio name]” is enough to build a habit among your listeners.
On your website: Create a dedicated page explaining how to listen to your station via Alexa. Include a direct link to your Skill in the Amazon catalog along with simple activation instructions.
Via newsletter: Inform your most loyal subscribers about the launch. They will be your first ambassadors and will enable the Skill from day one.
For your business clients: If you run a branded or in-store radio, mention availability on Alexa in your commercial proposals. It’s a strong differentiating argument.
Voice assistants are no longer the future of radio — they are its present. Every day without a presence on smart speakers is a missed opportunity to reach new listeners and occupy this living space known as the digital living room. Take action today with RadioKing and bring your radio into millions of homes.
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