Cumulus Media announced that it has launched Amazon Alexa voice skills for 300 local radio stations, which it says marks the largest collection of custom Alexa skills in the United States. This push includes popular Westwood One brands and Christmas radio. It partnered with XAPPmedia for the project. Continue Reading
Cumulus Media-owned Westwood One has partnered with iHeartMedia-owned Katz Expressway, a programmatic advertising exchange powered by tech company Jelli. The immediate result is that radio stations in major Cumulus market have some commercial inventory in Expressway, available for automated buying. Continue Reading
Not exactly a Christmas Eve shutdown, but Rdio will go silent on December 22. The company sent an email this evening to subscribers. “Goodbye … for now,” the notice cryptically started. Continue Reading
On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry. Today’s moves include a new CEO at Cumulus Media and a new COO for 7digital. We also cover a promotion within the digital ranks at Universal and a new hire for Spotify’s Australia/New Zealand team. Continue Reading
In addition to the disruptive challenges faced by traditional radio as streaming continues to grow, there might be a perceptual challenge for the industry’s relationship with advertisers. That’s what Westwood One sought to reveal in a commissioned study from research company Advertiser Perceptions, the results of which can be interpreted to indicate that radio has greater consumer reach than buyers perceive. Continue Reading
U.S. radio group Cumulus announced hiring Tommy Page as SVP of Brand Partnerships. Page comes from Pandora, where he held a similar role as VP of Artist and Brand Partnerships. Page’s career has wended through music, publishing, and online music service. Continue Reading
Radio group Cumulus Media and online music service Rdio forged their partnership last September, so yesterday’s earnings call from publicly traded Cumulus could be approached as a one-year anniversary of the terrestrial/online hook-up. In year-over-year growth in ad revenue, digital led the way, and Rdio led digital. Continue Reading
An examination of SEC filings revealed that Rdio has raised more than $108 million through four separate securities sales over the past year and change. Its parent company, Pulser Media, raised $25 million in April, $4.4 million in December, $3.8 million in November, and $75 million in September of last year, according to Billboard. Continue Reading
Lew Dickey, CEO of the second-largest radio group in the U.S., Cumulus Media, positioned his company during an Associated Press interview that is getting buzz today. Dickey is quoted as skeptical of Pandora’s audience metrics, and taking a long view of the digital side of radio. Continue Reading
On-demand music service Rdio blog-announced its expansion to nine more countries, bring its total international footprint to 60 nations across six continents. Rdio is on the move in more ways than one, as the popular celestial jukebox has pumped out headlines over the last few months. 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
Anthony Bay, appointed CEO of on-demand music service Rdio, will speak at RAIN Summit West on April 6 in Las Vegas. Anthony Bay was appointed CEO of Rdio in December after a five-month search. He was formerly GM of the Digital Media Division at Microsoft. Rdio’s business alliance with Cumulus Media creates a major entity that straddles across broadcast and Internet audio. Continue Reading