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Chicago-based Broadcastspots.com
announced a merger yesterday with Seattle-based Mediapassage.com
 that
will add back-office functionality to Broadcastspots.com's services,
creating what the firms called "the
first truly functional end-to-end solution for
planning, purchasing, trafficking and billing media in all forms."
Launced in 1997, Mediapassage.com
says it has processed $700+ million dollars in over 250,000 newspaper
and magazine transactions for clients such as  McCann
Erickson, Publicis, Young & Rubicam, Zenith Media, and others. The
merged firms say that they will execute nearly $500 million in U.S.
media in the next year.
Broadcaspots.com will retain its Chicago offices and operate
as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mediapassage.com.
Linda
Waldman, Broadcastspots.com's VP/Director of Marketing
told RAIN, "This is something that meda buyers
have really been waiting for. In the year I've been in this business,
I've talk to a lot of media buyers, and they're all looking for
an end-to-end provider. And
we are now the company that has it!"
What will clients be able to do as a result of the features
the merger will add? "Virtually everything," Waldman told
RAIN. "A buyer can get on the site, gather market data,
gather media information -- ratings, demos, all that kind of stuff
-- they can view rate cartdes, they can send  avails,
they can make their buy, traffic their spots...and all the back-office
functions -- electronic invoicing, payment, reconciliation -- will
also be processed electronically.
Broadcaspots.com VP/Sales John Cravens told RAIN,
"For us, its very exciting to partner with a company that's
already been there and done that. Theyv'e put together and end-to-end
solution -- while others are hoping to get there, Mediapassage is
already there. It's taken us a giant
step forward in a very crowded field -- and left a lot
of others in the dust."
Calling from Seattle, where the merged firms are currently having
their first board meeting, Broadcastspots.com founder Jeff Trumper
told RAIN,"The real teeth of this merger is that there
are a lot of companies out there talking the talk, but we're two
companies who are actually walking the walk.
"They're
a transaction engine that has been very successful in print
and magazines, and we're simply moving our broadcast planning and
buying system onto that transaction engine, so we'll be able to
provide an end-to-end solution in the world of broadcast media."
Greater Media, Inc. yesterday announced the promotion of
Michael Joly to the newly created position of Director of
Internet Strategies.
Effective immediately, Joly will develop Greater Media’s
long-term Internet strategies and function as the company’s  point
person for Internet radio initiatives. He will identify technologies,
partners and business models with the potential to strengthen the
competitive posture and value of Greater Media’s radio properties
in the Internet era.
Joly was formerly Research Director for Greater Media Marketing
Group in Boston, MA. In that role, Joly identified Non-Traditional
Revenue development opportunities and created systems to distribute
competitive research and business knowledge to Greater Media’s radio
sales managers and account executives in Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia
and NJ. He will continue to be based in Boston.
Greater Media
COO Peter Smyth noted: “Since joining Greater Media
early last year, Michael has
already greatly enhanced our Internet understanding and the inherent
partnership potentials the technology represents. In his new position
as the company’s Internet point person, he becomes the company’s
'eyes and ears' for identifying new Business-To-Business opportunities,
as well as bringing in the latest cutting-edge technologies to our
own station websites.”
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This reader is responding to
last Friday's news item that (here)
Global Media is
buying Magnitude Network
for $6 million (Canadian) in Global stock.
 |
"Does
this mean that all of Magnitude's clients are going to have
to switch to Real?"
|
As far as
I know, Magnitude streamed primarily in Microsoft while Global
Media streams exclusively in Real. Does this  mean
that all of Magnitude’s clients are going to have to switch to Real?
Did the scales just tip even more in favor of Real without Rob Glaser
even lifting a finger?
Do the stations have an option to go with other providers
or is Global Media going to start streaming in Microsoft? I do  not
know how stations are going to react to being forced to change.
After the whole Broadcast.com ordeal, I do not know how stations
are going to react about being dictated to change their operations.
Besides, doesn’t Global Media have some sort of proprietary
player that users have to download in order for the Real Player
to work? This means that a radio station that signs up  with
Global Media is forcing their listeners to download a plug-in and
it just adds another thing to do before the listener gets to hear
the music.
The other issue the stations should consider is that a significant
portion of their online listeners stem from the working population.
Due to firewalls and other security issues, the average person does
not have administrative rights to their PC and therefore can
not download the Real Player or the Global Media plug
ins. Stations  should
seriously consider these obstacles making a commitment that could
possibly alienate an important segment of their online listening
population.
If you do
publish this, please leave my name off. (I do believe everything
I said to be true, but I do not want my words associated with the
company I work for, because we are not in the business of making
enemies.)
P.S. Why didn’t Magnitude sell its assets to Activate? (Aren’t
they all part of the CMGI family?)
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