Listener Driven Radio’s interactive mobile app hits the airwaves at 33 music stations in 11 Cox Media Group markets this summer. The iPhone, iPad and Android apps, created by LDR Interactive for Cox Media Group, provide listeners with a real-time interactive experience featuring live audio streams from their favorite music stations, voting for the songs they’d like to hear next, an ‘open mic’ feature allowing them to create a high quality dedication in their own voice, and extensive integration with Facebook and Twitter.
LDR Interactive has agreed to license the apps exclusively to Cox Media Group in their radio markets. The app will be available to other radio station group operators outside of CMG markets under the Grüvr brand name, which was announced separately.
Initially, CMG stations in Athens and Atlanta, Dayton, Houston, Jacksonville, Long Island, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio, Tampa and Tulsa started introducing the apps to their listeners in beginning in June. All 33 radio CMG stations will have the new apps by mid-August.
“These best-in-class new apps extend our brands to listeners no matter where they are or what they are doing,” said CMG EVP of Radio Kim Guthrie. “Listeners can make decisions regarding our programming and have on-the-go access to their favorite radio personalities. In addition, our apps have some pretty cool features that expand our brands beyond what we can do on the air, building a better relationship with our listeners.”
“We are proud to have partnered with Cox Media Group in this first mobile app development project working closely with Kim Guthrie, Steve Smith, Rich Reis and the CMG management team,” said Daniel Anstandig, president and CEO of LDR Interactive. “CMG previously adopted our LDR.1 and LDR.Takeover platform technology at the majority of its radio stations. Last year, we set up a joint task force to conceive of a next generation mobile app that would help provide radio stations with a turnkey strategy to fully engage with their audiences in a very personal way.
The new apps feature complete social integration with Facebook and Twitter, allowing users to share songs with their friends and notify them of a song they have dedicated to them. It also allows listeners to win badges for using the app – local stations can design new badges anytime to reward listeners for voting on a particular song or artist, for making an open mic recording or using the app during a certain time of day.
An ‘alarm clock’ function awakens listeners with a custom greeting including their local weather forecast, names of Facebook friends having birthdays and station contest reminders – before automatically starting the station’s audio stream.
