The Australian Radio Network is the latest radio company in Australia to introduce a podcasting service, and is likely to become the first among its competitors to integrate advertising into its new digital offering.
Following a soft launch in its Brisbane station 97.3 FM a couple of months ago, it recently added WSFM to the list, converting snippets of the breakfast programs and weekend sports segments into podcasts accessible via the US iTunes site or the respective radio stations’ websites.
It’s believed that over the next couple of weeks a client in the financial sector will be ARN’s first paid advertiser during its podcasts, with the broadcaster also currently in negotiations with a travel company.
Macquarie Radio’s 2GB is the only other commercial radio broadcaster to have ads during podcasts, though they are part of wider sponsorship deals rather than exclusive negotiations for the new service.
In what some media observers have dubbed “podvertising”, ARN group program director, Jeremy Millar, said it can create short-form commercials or specialist content customised for the specific client “which leverages what we do—write and produce audio, providing another distribution channel for us”.
Meanwhile, more industry talk of the launch of an Australian iTunes is heating up, with speculation it could occur as soon as the beginning of next month.
And the potential effect of iTunes on the local radio industry could also be another interesting development.
“If you look around the world, a number of radio stations are actually using iTunes as a means of gauging what the most popular songs are,” Millar said.
