Your browser is out-of-date!

Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now

×

Cox to Use TagStation to Deliver Radio Interactivity

Company’s 47 FMs to soon begin sending enhanced content

Joining the effort to provide a compelling over-the-air radio listening experience on the smartphone, Cox Media Group has chosen Emmis’ TagStation data service to supplement its FM radio programming with enhanced hybrid content. We recently reported all the major radio groups as well as smaller ownership groups, are either delivering hybrid radio content now or plan to; Emmis says the industry-wide effort will give 14 million radio listeners a new way to hear, see and interact with local radio programming.

“The car is really a radio on wheels, and TagStation helps in our quest to ensure radio stays cool, providing a richer in-car experience for our listeners,” said CMG’s EVP of Radio Kim Guthrie.

TagStation is a cloud-based data service that provides an interface for radio stations to synchronize images and data with their broadcasts for display on the NextRadio smartphone app, HD Radio Artist Experience and newer versions of connected car dashboards.

The NextRadio app available on some 13 models of Sprint smartphones pairs over-the-air FM broadcasts with the Internet to enhance the listening experience with album art, program information, and the ability to provide station feedback and other interactivity by touching a button.

Of its various media properties, Cox Media Group owns 57 radio and 14 TV stations. The company has completed the set-up process for 47 FMs and will soon begin delivering enhanced content, according to NextRadio President Paul Brenner.

Brenner, who also leads the TagStation efforts for parent Emmis, says “Consistent user experience on FM-enabled smartphones and connected cars will ultimately decide the future of terrestrial radio.”

Close