online

Federated Media's WRBR/South Bend, IN ("103.9 The Bear") has launched a series of customizable online music streams powered by Social Radio, called "My Bear."

The service enables listeners to choose from seven different niches of rock music, and personalize their listening by skipping, banning, and voting on the songs they hear. Federated chief strategy officer James Derby told Inside Radio he thinks the "My Bear" service could potentially convert "P3 and P4 listeners" into "P1s" by way of more individually-tailored listening experiences.

Federated Media plans to add liners from the jocks as well as "interactive commercials" (the streams are just music and general sweepers now), according to the news source. The station says it will soon launch mobile apps and a social media presence. And should Federated deem the project a success, look for personalized versions of the company's other stations.

Social Radio powers the new Balut Radio, launched by TV5 New Media in the Philippines (RAIN coverage here).

Religious media company Salem Communications has launched its ChristianRadio.com website as a portal to streams of its more than 60 Christian/conservative music and talk broadcast properties. The new portal also includes on-demand programming from Christian ministries as well as several live streaming Spanish-language Christian talk stations.

While Salem radio streams will still be available elsewhere (e.g. iHeartRadio), ChristianRadio.com will exclusively showcase Salem properties.

In addition to its extensive broadcast holdings, the Salem Web Network provides online Christian and conservative-themed websites, content, and streaming. Seventeen percent of Salem's Q4 revenue came from its online businesses; 15% across all of 2012.

"ChristianRadio.com is a joint effort of Salem's radio and new media divisions. Together we have built a content aggregator that gives our listeners, ministries and advertisers digital content delivery within an environment that is consistent with their values and ours," said Salem Radio Division President, Dave Santrella.

Borrell Associates, in new research for the RAB, says radio's local digital ad revenues grew 22% in 2012 over the previous year -- slightly higher than the local media average of 20%. This follows news (in RAIN here) that radio's overall digital revenue was up 11%.

However, for the past three years radio has been losing local online market share to newspaper, TV, yellow pages and Internet companies, and radio's share of local online sits at just 2%.

"It looks like quite a few groups are breaking out and challenging their newspaper and TV competitors for a slice of that very large digital pie," said Borrell Associates CEO Gordon Borrell (pictured). He expects online ad revenue to pass $420 million this year for radio.

RAB CEO and president Erica Farber (also pictured) said, "Revenue opportunities continue to grow for those who are pushing the digital limits with online and mobile initiatives." Farber, by the way, will keynote RAIN Summit West April 7 in Las Vegas. Please see more information here.

The new report is called "Benchmarking: Local Radio Stations’ Online Revenues," and is available to RAB members here. The RAB and Gordon Borrell will present the findings with a free webinar Thursday, March 7 (more info here).

Read more in NetNewsCheck here.

Nielsen says it will expand its definition of "TV" and begin measuring television audiences by including viewing via the Internet.

The ratings company reportedly hopes to measure viewership of streaming content in 23-thousand TV households by next fall, plus video viewing on the iPad by the end of the year.

Read more in Wired here.

The non-profit "Friends of MVY" has already raised about $175-thousand of the necessary $600-thousand to keep WMVY programming alive online. Aritaur Communications president Joseph Gallagher, the current owner, told The New York Times a "major donor had made an offer," as he assembles a governing board. The paper featured its coverage in its New York edition, and in the Media Decoder blog online. 

The Martha's Vineyard, MA station is being sold (pending FCC approval) to NPR-member WBUR, but the non-profit hopes to keep MVY's traditional adult alternative/eclectic format going as an online-only station (see our coverage here).

WMVY reportedly attracts about 30-thousand unique monthly listeners to its live online stream. Backers must "be able to convince a much higher percentage of its listeners to continue to donate to keep it going," Gallagher told the paper.

Gallagher explains the number of online listeners is not enough to sustain a commercial venture, thus the decision to keep the stream non-commercial. Gallagher said, "The power of MVY is its deep, deep relationship with its listeners."

Read more in The New York Times here.

Saga Communications notified its program directors this week that their position titles have changed to "brand manager." Saga EVP Steve Goldstein wrote to these employees, "We truly live in a multi-platform world. As a Program Director, you are now spending an increased amount of your time thinking about and working with our various digital platforms. Whether it be the station website(s), social media such as Facebook, Twitter or crafting emails and texts, it’s all now a part of the PD’s day. This is in addition to managing the external marketing feel and visual aspects of the brand."

Saga is the broadcast group that recently made news for turning off the online streams for its properties in markets outside the top 100 (and limiting stream listening on the stations that are still online, so only local listeners can connect). The company also will no longer substitute "online only" content (such as online-only audio ads) when the on-air station goes to commercial break. See more here.

"We’ve been thinking about how successful programmers are morphing their skills to become proficient at not just managing the on-air product, but the overall brand," Goldstein's letter continued. "And conversely, it has exposed the vulnerability of Program Directors who are not learning and growing as we become more digital."

Saga Communications has more than 100 broadcast stations in 29 U.S. markets.