Ben Husmann has joined AccuRadio as its chief operating officer. He joins from NextRadio, where he was senior vice president of product and led both engineering and product teams. Continue Reading
Emmis Communications Corp announced in a quarterly earnings call that it will “dramatically reduce the operations” of its NextRadio project following years of losses. NextRadio was an effort to make mobile phones act like portable radios, with an app that let listeners tune in to FM stations. It also offered targeted advertising and other enhancements. Continue Reading
NextRadio was introduced in August, 2013, as a tuner for SmartPhones to receive over-the-air radio reception with enhanced on-screen interactivity. In the nearly four years of NextRadio promotion, Emmis has faced challenges. In this week’s earnings call, Emmis head Jeff Smulyan put NextRadio prominently in the discussion, and framed it as an early-stage product undergoing growth and improvement. Continue Reading
NextRadio has introduced a newsfeed as a new way to present radio station content to listeners. The feed includes items from stations such as trending tweets from a particular user’s favorite programs and other related content such as artist and song facts or concert information. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: NPR is the latest media group to axe online comments; NextRadio hybrid app targets monetization. Continue Reading
New Edison research commissioned by NextRadio investigated why listeners are so dedicated to radio, even as digital music services gain traction. The central reasons for radio’s continued presence are portability, community roots, and music programming. Continue Reading
TagStation announced that its NextRadio app saw overall listening increase 334% in 2015. “All of this progress supports the fact that consumers are finding value and a unique experience in the NextRadio app,” NextRadio President Paul Brenner said. Continue Reading
NextRadio announced a partnership with BLU, a manufacturer of unlocked Android and Windows phones that can be used with different carriers, or as prepaid phones using BLU’s coverage network. Starting in 2016, NextRadio will be the native FM tuner for all Android devices made by the company. Continue Reading
Radio stations can now get into NextRadio more easily. TagStation, that back end of the consumer-facing NextRadio app, has altered its pricing charged to radio stations for access to NextRadio program enhancement tools. The company is also providing providing “content acceleration” teams to support stations. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Insights into Spotify In Residence: Merlin CEO pens op-ed against two-tier publishing rates; a new addition to NextRadio’s platform. Continue Reading
Emmis-owned NextRadio announced the finalists and winner of its radio spot contest this week. The winner, by college student Thomas Baker III, is called “Data Pigs.” The spot is well-produced, but mixes up NextRadio marketing in a way that could detract from its effectiveness. Continue Reading
Fresh from its celebration over AT&T’s commitment to ask its phone builders to activate internal FM reception chips, Emmis-owned NextRadio campaigned for T-Mobile to do the same. Today CEO John Legere agreed. Good momentum for NextRadio, but still an uphill climb before radio benefits. Continue Reading