SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WideOrbit Inc., the leading provider of advertising management software for media companies, is pleased to announce the integration of WO Automation for Radio, the industry’s leading radio automation platform, with NextRadio® and TagStation® to support visually enhanced free radio on select Sprint smartphones. This integration provides an enhanced experience to listeners, new revenue opportunities to radio stations and places stations on par with other music apps that deliver album content and other interactive elements.
NextRadio has been developed by TagStation, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Emmis Communications Corporation in partnership with NAB Labs. NextRadio is a hybrid radio smartphone app that provides a rich FM radio listening experience on a smartphone using a combination of the smartphone’s built-in FM tuner and the internet. TagStation is a cloud-based data service for enhanced radio broadcasting through the NextRadio smartphone app. TagStation supplements a radio broadcast with visual content and enhanced promos for display on the NextRadio app.
The integration of WO Automation for Radio with TagStation, which will be available January 2014, allows WideOrbit radio automation clients to deliver the title, artist and other music content information, in addition to visual ads and promos, along with their FM radio broadcasts to listeners’ phones through the NextRadio platform. This integration provides an opportunity for radio stations to deliver a visually enhanced experience to listeners with album content and other interactive elements that will place them on par with other music apps. Additionally, it provides new revenue opportunities to stations through advertiser sponsored content.
“We’re excited about this important partnership with WideOrbit which will provide their clients with a solution for delivering enhanced content to listeners,” said Paul Brenner, Senior Vice President and CTO of Emmis Communications. “As FM Radio becomes available on more and more smart devices, it’s important to make it as easy as possible for stations to dive in and really be creative without worrying about system requirements. WideOrbit’s integration is a big step.”
“This important integration with NextRadio and TagStation illustrates one of the many ways that WideOrbit is supporting the future of radio,” said Eric R. Mathewson, Founder and CEO of WideOrbit. “This joint technology offering provides radio stations with a new revenue stream and allows them to compete head-on with other music apps through the delivery of music content, album art and other interactive content. It delivers a specific competitive advantage to our radio automation clients and I look forward to seeing this technology grow in adoption.”
WideOrbit provides innovative solutions for managing the business of ad sales operations. WideOrbit’s comprehensive product line helps clients manage the entire workflow of advertising sales, from placement and optimization through to automation and invoicing across multiple media, including broadcast radio and television, media networks, digital and mobile. More than 3,200 radio stations are operating on WideOrbit Radio Automation platforms and more than 1,000 radio stations are live on WO Traffic, WideOrbit’s leading sales, traffic and billing solution. Major media companies use WideOrbit software to deliver nearly 4 billion ad impressions per day and manage more than $24 billion in advertising revenue annually.
About TagStation, LLC
TagStation, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emmis Communications Corporation. TagStation, LLC in a partnership with NAB Labs has developed the NextRadio® hybrid radio smartphone app which provides a rich FM radio listening experience on a smartphone using a combination of the smartphone’s built-in FM tuner and the internet. It has also developed TagStation®, the cloud-based data service for enhanced radio broadcasting through HD Radio’s Artist Experience® and the NextRadio smartphone app. Founded in 2013, TagStation, LLC is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN with offices in Indianapolis and Chicago, IL. For more information about TagStation®, visit TagStation.com.
About Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications Corporation is a diversified media company, principally focused on radio broadcasting. Emmis owns the 9th largest publicly traded radio portfolio in the United States based on total listeners. Emmis operates 19 FM and three AM radio stations in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Austin, Indianapolis and Terre Haute, IN. Emmis Communications is an Equal Opportunity Employer based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
About WideOrbit
WideOrbit (www.wideorbit.com) is the leading provider of advertising management software for Media companies. WideOrbit provides innovative, proven solutions for managing the business of broadcast and cable operations – from proposal to order, scheduling to automation, billing and aging. WideOrbit has been helping clients since 1999, delivering high ROI, greater efficiencies and revenue optimization. More than 2,500 Radio stations, Television stations and Media Networks around the globe use WideOrbit Traffic software with another 3,200+ stations on WideOrbit Radio Automation platforms. WideOrbit software manages more than $24 billion in advertising revenue annually. Clients include: Astral Media, Corus Entertainment, DirecTV, E!, Entercom Communications, Fox Sports, Galavision, Gannett Co., Hearst Television, Madison Square Garden, Meredith Corporation, Midwest Communications, NBCUniversal, NHL Networks, Rogers Communications, Scripps Television Group, Tribune, Yankee Entertainment Sports, Univision and more than 300 other major media organizations. WideOrbit is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Seattle; Denver; Dallas; Birmingham, AL; Agawam, MA; and Melbourne, Australia.
