Clear Channel Radio Releases Beta Of The New iHeartRadio

Clear Channel Radio Releases Beta Of The New iHeartRadio
 
For the First Time Ever, Users Can Listen To the Nation’s Top Live Radio Stations and Create Custom Radio Stations, All In One Free, Fully-Integrated Service
Offers Custom Stations With More Songs, Better Music Intelligence, More User Control and Deeper Social Integration That Are Commercial-Free Through the End of the Year
Beta Version Available Today to iHeartRadio Fans on Facebook
 
New York, NY – September 8, 2011 – Clear Channel Radio, the leading media company in America with a greater reach than any radio or television outlet, today announced the beta release of the New iHeartRadio.
 
The New iHeartRadio brings users a best-in-class customizable digital listening experience, one which combines the best of both worlds to deliver everything listeners want in one free, fully-integrated service: More than 800 of the nation’s most popular live broadcast and digital-only radio stations from 150 cities, plus user-created Custom Stations which provide listeners more songs, better music intelligence, more user control and deeper social media integration.
 
With 50 million listening hours a month and 34 million downloads of iHeartRadio mobile apps, Clear Channel is already one of the most popular digital music destinations.
 
As part of Clear Channel’s commitment to social media integration, from today until September 14 fans can access the beta by first ‘Liking’ iHeartRadio on Facebook (facebook.com/iheartradio) and then going to iheartradio.com. Beginning September 14, users can experience the beta by going directly to iheartradio.com.
 
Reinventing the Digital Radio Experience: Real Radio plus Custom Stations Featuring More Songs, Better Music Intelligence, More User Control and Deeper Social Media Integration
 
The newest feature of the New iHeartRadio beta is the ability for users to create their own personalized Custom Stations by simply entering an artist or song – and iHeartRadio does the rest. These Custom Stations offer users a number of industry-leading features, including:

More Songs – iHeartRadio listeners can draw from a massive catalog of more than 11 million songs and 400,000 artists – more than 10 times the number of songs offered by Pandora. In fact, iHeartRadio’s library contains more albums than Pandora’s does songs.
 

Better Music Intelligence – iHeartRadio’s music intelligence capability combines a sophisticated technology solution with millions of dollars’ worth of ongoing consumer music research and the expertise of Clear Channel’s leading radio programmers to give users the best custom radio experience available.

More User Control – By adjusting a simple onscreen ‘control slider,’ iHeartRadio users can ‘tune’ their Custom Station to play the music catalog’s more familiar songs – or adjust it to a discovery mode to play a wider variety of artists and music. A “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down” feature allows users to indicate song preferences to further personalize their Custom Stations.

Deeper Social Media Integration – iHeartRadio’s innovative user Profile Pages and social media tools show users what songs their friends have recently listened to and the songs and artists they like, which serves as yet another means to greater discovery as well as a deeper, more meaningful listening experience. Listeners can also share songs and stations by posting to Facebook and Twitter.
 
Other key features of iHeartRadio’s Custom Stations are:
“My Stations,” which will act as a bookmark allowing users to save their favorite real and custom stations and easily access them with a single click; “My Stations” stay in sync between the web and users’ mobile devices for quick access at home and on the goNo monthly cap on listening hoursCustom Stations will be commericial-free until the end of the year 
And as always, iHeartRadio’s live radio stations allow listeners to tune into their favorite programming no matter where they are – including music, talk, news, comedy and sports – from Clear Channel’s more than 800 stations, and offers exclusive content from popular local radio DJs plus top syndicated personalities like Ryan Seacrest, Elvis Duran, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Steve Harvey, Glenn Beck, Jim Rome, Bill Handel and Delilah.

The New iHeartRadio will be available for the iPhone beginning on Monday, September 12; the app will also be compatible with the iPad and iPod Touch. Android and other platforms will follow in the near future. iHeartRadio’s current mobile app lets listeners take their favorite live stations and DJs with them wherever they go, and is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Android, Windows Phone 7, Mac, and PC.
 
Clear Channel will release the official New iHeartRadio at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on September 23 and 24. This two-day music event, which sold out in ten minutes, is hosted by Ryan Seacrest and will mark the biggest live concert festival in radio history. It features an extraordinary line-up, including Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Coldplay, Kenny Chesney, The Black Eyed Peas, Steven Tyler, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Carrie Underwood, Jane’s Addiction, Nicki Minaj, John Mayer, David Guetta, Rascal Flatts, Bruno Mars, Sublime with Rome, Kelly Clarkson and special performances from Usher and Sting.

“With the New iHeartRadio, we took something that was already amazing and made it even better,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman of Media and Entertainment Platforms for Clear Channel. “The New iHeartRadio will reinvent the digital radio experience by offering the innovative features that listeners want the most – live real radio plus the ability to create Custom Stations, all in one integrated service. And we released the New iHeartRadio beta on Facebook so that our most passionate fans could be the first to experience the new product.”
 
“The knowledge behind our new user-created Custom Stations is unparalleled,” Pittman continued. “Clear Channel is uniquely able to combine the knowledge and passion of industry-leading radio programmers, an extraordinary library of songs and unique, best-in-class algorithms; we also continue to invest millions of dollars in ongoing consumer music research and technology, which pays off in our unmatched personalized music-matching experience. The end result is a digital radio product that offers fans the top live stations plus user-created Custom Stations with more songs, more user control, deeper social integration and more opportunities to discover new music – all in one easy-to-use, seamless product.”
 
“The New iHeartRadio advances our strategy of being everywhere our listeners expect us to be, with the best products and services,” said John Hogan, President and CEO of Clear Channel Radio. “It also serves our partners in the music industry by increasing our commitment to new music and music discovery and will provide our advertising partners with yet another powerful vehicle to enhance their marketing plans.”
 

Hogan added, “The upcoming iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas lets us get the word out about this new service quickly and on a scale that has never before been utilized for a media product launch.”
 
 
Artists and/or event subject to change or cancellation without notice.

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month. It consists of three business groups.

With its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. Its leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 860 live broadcast stations in over 160 markets nationwide; its National Sales organization; and the company’s live and virtual events business. It also includes Premiere Networks, the industry’s largest Networks business, with its Total Traffic and Weather Network (TTWN); and BIN: Black Information Network, the first and only 24/7 national and local all news audio service for the Black community. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio suite of data targeting and attribution products using data from its massive consumer base.

The iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group includes the company’s fast-growing podcasting business -- iHeartMedia is the number one podcast publisher in downloads, unique listeners, revenue and earnings -- as well as its industry-leading iHeartRadio digital service, available across more than 500 platforms and 2,000 devices; the company’s digital sites, newsletters, digital services and programs; its digital advertising technology companies; and its audio industry-leading social media footprint.

The company’s Audio & Media Services reportable segment includes Katz Media Group, the nation’s largest media representation company, and RCS, the world's leading provider of broadcast and webcast software.

Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.