FM Radio App Coming To Sprint Phones

Radio broadcasters have been battling for years to get a “radio chip” installed in smartphones and other mobile devices to enable mobile users to listen to FM radio. This week, they took a big step toward their goal of radio via mobile with Sprint’s announcement that it will install its new NextRadio app on wireless devices.

The toll will enable consumers to listen to local radio on Android and Windows smartphones, along with an array of interactive services coordinated with broadcast airplay.

The push to include FM radio receivers in smartphones was led by the National Association of Broadcasters, with a key assist from Emmis Communications, representing broadcast radio groups.

In addition to broadcast audio from local radio stations, NextRadio draws on data from TagStation, a cloud-based platform that allows radio stations to upload branding images, call letters, formats, station names, slogans, and other identifying information.

NextRadio also offers interactive features to recording artists, advertisers and listeners, including album art and artist information, listener feedback, song-tagging capabilities, and social integration. So far, over 1,500 radio stations (out of around 14,000 nationwide) have signed up for TagStation’s free data services.

Paul Brenner, chief technology officer for Emmis and president of NextRadio, stated: “Whether the station is large market, medium market, small market, commercial or non-commercial, this free service will provide listeners with a visual radio listening experience on the FM-enabled smartphone. Radio stations no longer have to add the cost of Internet streaming to get local FM radio on a mobile device.”

In January, Sprint announced a preliminary agreement to begin incorporating FM radio into select mobile devices via NextRadio and possibly other apps.

2 comments about "FM Radio App Coming To Sprint Phones".
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  1. Nate Carter from Neustar, August 16, 2013 at 9:29 a.m.

    This is a bizarre story. I have Pandora for music and TuneIn Radio for everything else. There is also Clear Channels I Heart Radio App and CBS Radio's abysmal Radio.com App. All of these offer every radio station in the nation. What is the point of a "chip" that let's me listen to local radio. Classic example of old media execs who are completely clueless and leading their companies down the path of ruin.

  2. Peter Benjamin from MyOffices, August 19, 2013 at 4:19 p.m.

    Its too much too late. The apps and sites like Tvonthego.com and Shoutcast already offer mobile content already. Not to mention that we prefer pandora than the local stations with all the interruptions. Too late for the dinosaur radio that is going into the tar pit. In the TvontheGo app the entertainment section has links to local radio stations based on nearby locations. Radio users can add their links there as well. This is the future of user recommended local radio.

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