Clear Channel said it has more than 340 HD Radio stations already wired up for iTunes Tagging.
The company’s announcement suggests a significant effort by the big broadcaster to take advantage of a technology that lets listeners purchase and download music, as Clear Channel continues to position itself across a variety of media platforms.
“Clear Channel Radio today announced a milestone in the implementation of the HD Radio iTunes tagging feature with more than 340 of its primary HD stations now capable of transferring a song heard on the radio to an Apple iPod,” it stated Monday (April 7). The company has 440 HD Radio stations and 340 HD2 outlets.
In March, Greater Media and Jump2Go signed a deal for to include Apple iTunes tagging capability. That agreement involved about 25 streams and uses Jump2Go’s technology. CBS, Entercom and Cumulus have also been involved in tagging tests. The Clear Channel system uses the company’s own technology.
President/CEO John Hogan called radio the “number one way people discover new music, and the HD Radio iTunes tagging capability lets listeners add songs to their iPod playlists with just a push of the button. With the vast majority of our HD primary stations now offering this exciting feature, we’re demonstrating how radio’s collaboration with the iPod benefits consumers.”
The company had announced last year its plan to air broadcasts compatible with Apple’s implementation of HD Radio tagging.
RW reported on the potential of tagging in the fall in a story that provides further background.
