iHeartƹϴý Introduces Local News, Traffic and Weather "Add-Ins" to its Custom Stations
“Add-Ins” To Offer Users More Convenience and Control Over Their Personalized iHeartƹϴý Listening Experience
AUSTIN, TEXAS – March 11, 2013 – iHeartƹϴý, Clear Channel’s all-in-one digital radio service, today announced Add-Ins, a new feature of its Custom Stations, which will offer users more convenience and control over their personalized digital listening experience. Beginning today, the new “Add-Ins” feature will enable iHeartƹϴý listeners to insert short local news, weather and traffic updates into their Custom Stations when listening online.
iHeartƹϴý, which provides instant access to more than 1,500 of the nation’s most popular live broadcast and digital-only radio stations from across the country, plus Custom Stations inspired by favorite artists and songs, will now offer a geo-targeted news and information experience. “Add-Ins” brings another level of personalization to listeners’ Custom Stations by allowing users to add local news, traffic and/or weather via regular updates into the listening experience. This new feature will leverage Clear Channel's extensive national network of more than 850 stations in 150 markets and utilize its unmatched radio resources to provide listeners with a custom experience they can't find anywhere else. iHeartƹϴý's ability to utilize Clear Channel's broadcast resources allows users to receive localized information based on their current location or choose to receive updates from hundreds of markets across the country while listening to the music they love. Once enabled in Account Settings, “Add-Ins” will automatically pinpoint the listener’s location -- or users can set an alternate location by entering a zip code under the manual “Add-Ins” settings.
“Clear Channel’s best-in-class infrastructure and local content resources now allow iHeartƹϴý users to get timely local updates in a way no other digital radio service can replicate,” said Brian Lakamp, President of Digital, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. “With iHeartƹϴý’s new ‘Add-Ins’ feature, listeners can choose to stay connected to their hometown, get easy updates on their work commute and know whether or not they should take an umbrella when they leave the house.”
Add-Ins is now available on , with iPhone, Android and other platforms coming soon.
iHeartƹϴý is the fastest digital service to reach 20 million registered users in internet history — and registered users are only a percentage of iHeartƹϴý’s overall listeners, since registration is only required for the Custom Station feature. iHeartƹϴý continues to be the No. 1 digital radio service and also includes a number of other groups such as Univision, Cumulus, Greater Media stations, WNYC, EMF’s Contemporary Christian Air1 and KLove stations, college radio, Cox, Emmis, Salem and others. The iHeartƹϴý app is available across all major platforms including web, mobile, tablets, automotive, television and gaming devices. Visit iHeartƹϴý.com for the complete list of app availability.