ABC Radio Networks and Mediaguide announced a major marketing agreement that establishes ABC Radio Networks as the exclusive national sales agent to U.S. radio stations for Mediaguide's "StationMonitor" music monitoring and reporting services. This, just after MediaGuide's announcement it will offer a suite of new products (9/29 RBR Daily Epaper #190).

Under the terms of the agreement, ABC Radio Networks will market StationMonitor to all domestic U.S. radio stations. The service provides radio program directors and music directors with a web-based solution for monitoring music airplay that can be easily customized to track specific stations, markets and formats.

Mediaguide's patent-pending monitoring technology uses a network of computers to electronically "listen" to nearly 2,500 radio and television stations across the country, and automatically identifies programming as it plays without the use of watermarks, in-station equipment, or content manipulation. The company says its service tracks airplay in real-time in more markets, in more formats and for more stations than any other provider.

We spoke to John Rosso, ABCRN SVP/Affiliate Relations and Business Administration about the deal: "We are so pleased to be associated with the folks at Mediaguide. They really do have a superior technology and a superior coverage - - the number of markets, the number of formats, the number of stations they cover is far deeper and broader than anybody else. They have a fantastic product. We're going to be at the NAB next week - - for the first time in years, ABC Radio Networks is actually taking a booth there."

He adds, "When you see what the Mediaguide website can do now compared to the old website at the last NAB Radio Show, it's night and day difference. You can now actually take a station and compare it to its peers in format. I can select WPLJ and ask it to tell me what's different about WPLJ with Hot AC as a format; you can run WCBS and see what differences it has with Oldies as a format nationwide."

Mediaguide and ABC Radio Networks will be displaying StationMonitor at this year's NAB Radio Show in San Diego, October 6-8. Stations interested in adding the StationMonitor service or seeing a demonstration, should contact Mike Kropp at ABC Radio Networks, (888) 446-2007.

RBR observation:
Could a spot monitoring product deal be far behind? Stay tuned. We know that ABC Radio's recent announcement it signed with RCS's Media Monitors to provide broadcast monitoring services to its stations in 10 markets is not a long-term deal. Hmmm...