A media content programming, delivery, and consumption model is provided by which consumers can receive programming that is personalized to their tastes and interests and discover new media content that they will likely enjoy, without having to put in a lot of effort or needing to be technically adept. The received media content programming can then be played on a PC or portable media player. Consumers can access the media content programming from a cloud-based service with the same ease as tuning to a radio station, and then may simply enjoy the programming without needing to take any additional steps. However, unlike traditional linear programming, the programming here is curated so that the delivered content is highly relevant to the consumer. Navigation within a programmed sequence is enabled by skipping ahead or going back in a playlist, and consumers can learn more about particular content by interacting with rich metadata.