All forms of broadcast.
One of the key differentiators of streaming music and online radio is relatively low “spot load” — the amount of commercial time in a hour — compared to broadcast radio. A terrestrial station in Seattle is creating broadcast buzz today with an announcement that it will dramatically reduce its commercial load, approaching the level of Internet radio. It’s called “The 2 Minute Promise.” Continue Reading
Back in February we reported that the U.K. top-40 music chart would soon incorporate online streams into its analysis of song rankings. The U.K.’s top-40 list, compiled by the Official Charts Company, will be informed by data from Spotify, Deezer, Napster (Rhapsody’s non-U.S. music-service brand), Xbox Music, Music Unlimited, and Rara, starting with the list published on Sunday, July 6. Continue Reading
Los Angeles radio station KCRW has launched a newly designed website containing archived and feature content in addition to a live webcast stream. The new site kicks off a $10-million initiative that will invest the money in technology and programming. Continue Reading
As previously speculated, Apple has added ESPN Radio and a selection of local NPR radio stations to its online radio streams. In doing so, Apple borrows a page from leading radio-station aggregators TuneIn and iHeartRadio. We found minor glitches. Continue Reading
The Commotion social platform provides a breakthrough and (to date) unique platform for encouraging real-time conversation among radio station listeners, while owning and shaping the experience. We spoke to CEO Ryan Burgoyne, to learn more about Commotion. Continue Reading
Guest columnist James Cridland writes about a fascinating broadcast/digital crossover, in which an award-winning British breakfast show, which simulcasts to several music-genre webcast streams, now can insert music of the proper genre into each stream. Click to read about how it works. Continue Reading
This week WMVY, a radio institution on Martha’s Vineyard, turned on the transmitter at the station’s new frequency, 88.7 FM, returning to the airwaves after a year-and-a-half absence. The milestone provided a second bookend to a storied broadcast/digital history that recently saw listeners raise over $600,000 to keep the station going, and its staff intact. Continue Reading
The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) today released its first-quarter revenue report for the radio industry. Overall, earnings were flat year-over-year, comparing with the first quarter of 2013. The results mark the fifth consecutive quarter of flat year-over-year revenue. Continue Reading
One recipient of the recently-bestowed Edward R. Murrow Awards is Portland Radio Project, an Internet radio stream and website hub that received two Murrow commendations. RAIN spoke with two members of PRP’s founding team about the mission and operation of an Internet-only radio project focused on local community. Continue Reading
A small Virginia radio group, VerStandig Broadcasting, has filed for a declarative judgment in a local district court, seeking to escape payment of performance royalties in its webcasts. The loophole exists in radio’s exemption from paying for the recordings it broadcasts over the air. Continue Reading
Zimmer Radio Group is comprised of 10 radio stations in the Columbia, Missouri region. The Zimmer brand is a second-generation radio emblem; John Zimmer’s father got started in the 1950s. “We’ve never defined ourselves as being in the radio business. We’re in the business of helping local businesses grow.” Continue Reading
Music service Rdio will upgrade this summer to offer ad-supported on-demand listening to its music catalog. The announcement was made by Lew Dickey, CEO of Cumulus Media, which acquired a 20-percent stake of Rdio in September, in a quarterly earnings call. Click for full quotes. Continue Reading