 Update: More details on Mason's CBS streaming plans ·Dec 11, 08:00 AM From AdWeek: “Two months ago, when wildfires scorched hundreds of square miles in Southern California, forcing the evacuation of a half-million people, listenership spiked on KNX Radio, the CBS-owned outlet in Los Angeles. But the uptick wasn’t for the station’s on-air signal; listeners had instead tuned into the station on the Internet… “The average daily listenership for the newscasts on the KNX audio stream soared tenfold over the weeklong period that the fire dominated the headlines, according to CBS radio “For Mason, the online listenership spike experienced by KNX during the fires, and the real-time metrics available to quantify such digital audiences, reinforce the radio industry’s need to expand its Web content. All 140 CBS Radio stations (in addition to 10 Internet-only outlets) are now streamed online to tap into today’s fast-growing digital ad platform. And plans call for the development of much more Web content. “‘Our digital revenue is growing significantly every year,’ said Mason. Those dollars are also helping radio counter a drain on the broadcast side, where spending has been flat at just over $21 billion, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, for the last three years as advertisers have sought better measured, more accountable media. Over-the-air radio ratings routinely have a three-month lag time, much to the dismay of clients and ad buyers. “Mason declined to say how much the digital revenues contributed to the division’s coffers, but Lee “According to Mason, the radio division will continue to develop its digital assets. It will invest in significantly more original online content, possibly including niche sports and music offerings… “But a more serious issue for radio going forward is the lack of sharp metrics. In fact, it’s one of the bigger obstacles to ad-spend growth for the medium’s traditional business, buyers and analysts said. Arbitron is working to roll out its electronic ratings, known as the Portable People Meter, but just two weeks ago it announced further delays in its timetable.” Read the entire article at AdWeek. share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
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division president Dan Mason. By contrast, the station’s over-the-air ratings won’t come until January.
Westerfield, media analyst at 
