• Reuters, Thursday, June 8, 2006 11:04 AM

CBS Radio and Vibes Media will offer text messaging to listeners as part of a new service they hope will help broadcasters and their sponsors interact more with consumers, Reuters reports. The 25-station deal is so far the largest of its kind in broadcast radio. Vibes has also done deals with Clear Channel and Emmis, among others, but "this is the first massive group deal," says Jack Philbin, president of Vibes. "They're not just putting their toe in the water. CBS is making a strategic commitment to this space and that speaks volumes." By using the service, listeners can get in on promotions and contests from anywhere by using mobile phones--and they won't get busy signals. For CBS, advertisers like that messages can be tagged with a "powered by" message, making each one brand-specific.

Read the whole story at Reuters »