All forms of broadcast.
Media giant Clear Channel today announced iHeartRadio Networks, an advertising sales program that puts CC’s vast, multi-medium inventory on a unified platform. The values for advertisers will be simplified media buys, greater reach, and targeting capability across different media environments. Continue Reading
An awaited radio-listening app that pulls together most or all Canadian terrestrial station streams will be launched sometime this spring. Radioplayer Canada is a joint venture of SparkNet, a digital solutions provider for Canadian radio, and audience measurement firm BBM Analytics. Continue Reading
In a quadrennial update of rules which regulate how many stations a radio or TV company can own in a local market, the FCC rejected arguments that Internet radio creates meaningful local competition, and sustained the existing ruling of eight same-owned stations per market. Continue Reading
We spotted a tweet from media licensing attorney and RAIN Summit participant David Oxenford, indicating that an operating-system push from AT&T turned on the FM chip in his trusty Q10 phone. He sent us his review, which includes raves for ultra-fast tuning and good reception. Continue Reading
Radio.com, the website portal to CBS-owned radio and pureplay content, has significantly upgraded the design of its website, adding some new functions as well. RAIN spoke to Ezra Kucharz, President of Local Digital Media at CBS, for his perspective on the changes. Continue Reading
In a continuation of a series of similar partnerships, Clear Channel has struck a revenue-sharing arrangement with Broken Bow records and Stoney Creek Records, both part of BBR Music Group. The agreement provides performance royalties to the labels and their artists, which Clear Channel (and all terrestrial radio) is not compelled to pay by government licensing regulations. Continue Reading
The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) today released a 2013 revenue report for broadcast radio. By a wide margin, digital revenue led other income segments in year-over-year comparisons. Overall revenues were flat in 2013, when examined through two lenses: full year-over-year, and Q4 2013 vs. Q4 2012. Digital is growing fast from a small percentage of total radio revenue — 5% in 2013. Continue Reading
This guest column is from Anthony Gherghetta, Creative Director at The App Studio in Melbourne, Australia. “Broadcast radio is at a pivot point where it needs to slightly change direction or risk being left behind. In two or three years the ship will have sailed. Revolutions need revolutionaries and radio needs them now.” Continue Reading
Editor’s Notebook: Shortly before noon today, my Android phone pinged with an iHeartRadio notification of a deadly explosion and building collapse in New York. Good job. But the resulting radio experience was ruinous, putting radio’s commercial-load problem in bold relief. There might be a solution. Continue Reading
Jelli has completed its transformation from a listening app to an ad platform with today’s announcement of SpotPlan, which Jelli claims is the first programmatic advertising platform for radio. Programmatic ad-buying is well-established on the Web at large, and is used for planning ad campaigns in streaming audio. Continue Reading
WNYC, flagship station of New York Public Radio, announced that NYPR received a $10-million grant from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, a past major supporter. Most of the money is targeted to development of online products and mobile apps, with the remainder going to WNYC’s Manhattan performance space. Continue Reading
Earlier this week, RAINNews reported that an FM station in Boston – WKLB – is running spots for iTunes Radio. The spots are live reads, done by radio station personalities. When asked, the station, owned by Greater Media, issued a statement that kind of sounded like: “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” This doesn’t seem like an especially well thought-out strategy. Continue Reading