BE and Emmis Interactive Innovate with iTunes Tagging

BroADCAST ELECTRONICS (BE) and Emmis Interactive form “tag””team for monetizing iTunes tagging Broadcasters now have a cost effective way to maximize their tagging effortsQuincy, Illinois ?Broadcast Electronics (BE) entered into a strategic agreement with Emmis Interactive today that will close the revenue loop on iTunes tagging for radio broadcasters.The new agreement joins BE’s data management studio system with tagging metadata hosted by Emmis Interactive Inc. to monetize iTunes tagging of songs played over-the-air by listeners of FM RDS and HD Radio’ receivers.iTunes tagging is one of several new data applications being adopted by radio stations to increase revenue and listener loyalty. Both BE and Emmis Interactive are forerunners in the development of this and other data applications for radio, BE as the largest radio-only broadcast equipment manufacturer in the United States and Emmis Interactive Inc., the software and consulting company that empowers the reinvention of local media.”This is a key partnership for us and for the industry. We expect it will result in broader adoption and market penetration of iTunes tagging because we’re essentially integrating all the tools and services broadcasters need to make revenue back from the songs that their listeners buy through Apple iTunes,” said Ray Miklius, BE Vice President of Studio Systems. BE offers the Message Manager studio system marketed under The Radio Experience (TRE) name; the system is used by stations to generate, schedule and encode text such as sports scores, weather updates, and news and song information for display on HD Radio, RDS and Web applications as well as iPods and other music devices that have RDS & HD Radio data capabilities.Under the agreement, Emmis Interactive will make available its iTunes metadata to BE’s TRE Message Manager customers through its iTunes tagging solution, TagStation’. TagStation is a web-based application that empowers broadcasters with an easy-to-use system to manage their iTunes tagging for accurate song matching and reporting.   Doing so will eliminate the need for broadcasters to work directly with Apple or having to develop their own data hand ling and reporting mechanisms.”TagStation will be central to the monetization of iTunes tagging because it provides the song tracking and reporting that is necessary for stations to receive payment by iTunes,” said Rey Mena, Co-President of Emmis Interactive. “We are thrilled to be able to build upon our iTunes relationship and work alongside BE to provide the industry with the premiere iTunes tagging solution.”BE’s TRE Message Manager customers will also have access to other data services through Emmis Interactive as a result of the strategic agreement.”What I like about this solution is that it is affordable, easy to use and works with any on-air playout system,” said Paul Brenner, Emmis Communications SVP/CTO and President of the Broadcaster Traffic Consortium. “My exposure to radio manufacturers’ future designs clearly indicate the need for broadcasters to fully embrace song tagging and similar technologies to enhance the listener’s experience.”–About Broadcast Electronics (www.bdcast.com)Broadcast Electronics (BE) is the premier provider of mission-critical solutions for over-the-air and Internet radio. BE products encompass program generation, audio and data management, inter-facility transport, and analog and digital transmission. For more than five decades, BE pioneering developments have set industry stand ards for innovation and reliability, while providing broadcasters with new options for operational productivity and income generation. BE is headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, and is represented worldwide by a network of local representatives.About Emmis Interactive (www.emmisinteractive.com)Emmis Interactive, Inc., an award-winning global software and consulting company, provides local broadcasters and publiemmisinteractive.com.