Westwood One is shipping Media Access Xchange receivers to some 2,000 radio stations as part of a system update scheduled for Q1 2008 deployment.
The MAX receiver is the latest version of International Datacasting Corp.’s SuperFlex Pro Audio suite of products; the copy-splitting ability of the system lets Westwood One advertisers target specific markets in national campaigns.
The network said the upgrade represents an expansion of the major-market sports broadcasting network IDC installed in 2005 for Westwood One. That upgrade allowed ad insertion on a regional basis during live sport events. MAX will provide the copy-splitting functionality beyond sports as well as additional upgrades.
As part of this latest update, various services now provided by parallel infrastructures or outsourced will be consolidated into a single network, Westwood One said. The infrastructure at the existing uplink site in New York City is being overhauled; that is expected to reduce costs and increase revenues over time.
