 RAIN 10/23: Top 25 market news/talk radio onboard with streaming, podcasting ·Oct 23, 11:16 AM ALL TOP MARKET N/Ts NOW STREAM, AND NEARLY ALL PODCASTA recent survey conducted by News Generation found that 100% of “top news and talk radio stations in the top-25 markets” stream online. Also, 96% of the stations provide podcasts — and in some cases dozens a day.
News/Talk stations naturally don’t face the same steep royalties for the use of recorded music as music-based stations do. What’s more, since acceptable-level sound quality for talk content requires far less bandwidth than does music content, streaming costs are also comparatively lower. Several industry observers have questioned the viability and usefulness of podcasting, but some news talk radio pro’s find it valuable. RBR quotes Kris Fay, Internet director for KXL-AM/Portland: “Because it doesn’t cost much to do, the return on investment is great when it comes to what we can sell the podcast for. Being able to show advertisers’ downloads and subscriptions is a great way to give them tangible stats.” Also, Jon Sullivan, webmaster at KTRH/Houston: “Podcasting is an excellent way for listeners to time-shift and it offers them an opportunity to share special segments with friends who might have something they deem worthy of attention. Those are values to the listener, and a value to the listener is always a value to the station.” Read RBR’s coverage here. SAMSUNG PARTNERS WITH PANDORA FOR NEW BLU-RAY PLAYERLeading webcaster Pandora has partnered with Samsung to enable access to the webcaster’s online music streams via two models of Samsung Blu-Ray DVD players. The players are already available to consumers, but will receive firmware updates on October 30 for Pandora capability. As the result of another deal, the firmware update will enable near-instant streaming of over 12,000 Netflix movies for consumers with an active Netflix account. For more, read PCMagazine’s coverage here.
CONGRESS MAY MAKE (COSTLY) SWITCH TO IPHONESThough their BlackBery handheld e-mail devices work fine, the U.S. House of Representatives is reportedly testing Apple iPhones for use by lawmakers and staff, and may give members the option of using the devices by the beginning of the next Congress in January. TheHill.com reports that should House members be offered the iPhone option, “BlackBerrys are likely to remain the primary tool of communication on the Hill, and that lawmakers opting the iPhone will have to pay for it from their Representational Allowance. But since the iPhones would require a new server, the Chief Administrative Office is conducting tests before making the investment. Read TheHill.com here.
FRESH FACES AT PANDORA, AIRPLAYDIRECTPandora has hired Dan Gerber as a senior account manager for the east coast. Gerber was formerly with CNET and Warner Brothers Records. Meanwhile, independent music promoter AirplayDirect.com has named Sean Williams VP/Sponsorships & Advertising. Williams was most recently VP with Ruthless Records and Sony Music.share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
CommentCommenting is closed for this article.  Other stories RAIN has upgraded (and moved)! RAIN 9/13: RAIN Summit Chicago takes place today! RAIN 9/12: First Summit in RAIN's hometown takes place tomorrow RAIN 9/9: Summer holidays, "doldrums" impact July Webcast Metrics, but audience up over last year RAIN 9/8: Clear Channel launches new customizable iHeartRadio beta; RAIN goes hands-on RAIN 9/7: Meet more speakers you'll hear at RAIN Summit Chicago in less than a week RAIN 9/6: Clear Channel taps The Echo Nest to take on Pandora RAIN 9/2: RAIN reviews Spotify's radio-like product Artist Radio RAIN 9/1: UK online radio aggregator Radioplayer campaigns b'dcasters to create "all radio" ratings RAIN 8/31: Execs from Merlin, Triton Digital, jacAPPS and more to appear at RAIN Summit Chicago |
