 RAIN 1/15: Clear Channel launches contextual ad platform for radio ·Jan 15, 11:30 AM SIMILAR TO ONLINE TEXT ADS, SPOTS FOLLOW RELATED PROGRAMMINGUsing a method reminiscent of the way Google matches text ads to the content of a web page or e-mail, Clear Channel yesterday launched a new advertising platform designed to contextually match ads to the music played on its stations.
Appropriate audio ads get automatically inserted after specific content with a corresponding digital “tag” has aired. (The tagging system, by the way, is made possible by the company’s digital broadcast technology.) According to MediaPost, Clear Channel and MediaVest ran a test campaign supporting Wal-Mart’s campaign for the AC/DC album “Black Ice.” RAIN readers will remember Google Audio Ads and Google Radio Automation. The idea was to help radio create more relevant (and thus more effective and lucrative) advertising and streamline the ad buying and selling. Google dropped the program for broadcasters in February of last year, just three years after it entered the market. It now has an ad system for Internet radio. MediaPost has more here. RAIN REVIEW: RADIOTUNA, A SIMPLE AND INTUITIVE RADIO DISCOVERY TOOLRadioTuna is beautifully designed Internet radio aggregator with a twist: it provides real-time search results for what’s playing on each stream. For example, a search for “The Beatles” pulls up 181.fm which is currently playing “Come Together.” The search also finds stations that play quite a bit of the artist or type of music you searched for. Where things get disappointing is that 181.fm was playing the last 10 seconds of “Come Together.” The search was right: The Beatles were playing. Just not for long.
RadioTuna excels in ease of listening though. No pop-up windows, no links to less-than-exquisite sites where you have to hunt down the actual stream. Clicking one of RadioTuna’s collected streams launches a small listening box on the right of the page, with clear controls, links to purchase the album or song, and gorgeous iTunes-like cover art. This little box even gives you a breakdown of the station: what genres are played, what are the top artists and what songs were just aired. RadioTuna is a great way to find new stations based on artist or genre searches. The real-time search function, while fun, shouldn’t be relied on. Rather, you should use it to find stations that play your favorite bands the most. And finally, RadioTuna provides a care-free and intuitive way to listen in to those streams. An excellent and addicting radio discovery tool. — MS
ENGADGET GIVES HANDS-ON LOOK AT NEW PURE RADIOSLast month, Pure announced it was bringing five of its tabletop Wi-Fi radios to the U.S. (RAIN coverage here). Engadget got the chance to play with the devices and posted details — as well as up-close pics — for your enjoyment. Check out their coverage here.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 |
Immediately after an AC/DC song aired on a any of a group of Clear Channel rock stations, a Wal-Mart ad for the album ran. Other advertisers participating in the platform test included 
