By now, all those who thought the Internet would kill radio are probably kicking themselves. Granted, radio stations, for the most part, have not mastered the art of using the web to their
advantage, but they're getting there. And there are plenty of companies more than willing to help. For example, iBEAM Broadcasting Corp., the leading global streaming media network (SMN),
yesterday announced an enhancement to its On-Target ad insertion service that will enable traditional, on-air radio stations to replace the ads delivered over the airwaves with Internet-only ads
delivered via the Web. This upgrade is designed to help radio stations simulcasting their signal online generate additional revenues by reaching a global, Internet audience with one set of
ads while still reaching their on-air audience with separate ads. Essentially, according to Peter Desnoes, president and CEO of iBEAM, the new product allows stations to sell the same
inventory twice. The live ad insertion service includes campaign management, in-stream ad insertion, reporting and seamless integration with major radio automations systems. Desnoes said the
ad insertion product has already been well-received by both stations and advertisers. "We've now delivered more than 14 million ads with On-Target - 2 million of which have been served in the
last 30 days." Are advertisers buying into it? They should. According to Arbitron, in July alone, the number of Americans who have listened to radio stations online has tripled from 6% of
Americans in 1998 to 20%. When listening to Internet-only audio channels is added to those who have listened to radio stations online, one quarter of all Americans have listened to Internet
audio, which is approximately 57 million people.
