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| Brian LaKamp |
Clear Channel, the country's largest broadcast radio
company, has told anyone who will listen from the tech sector its traditional
radio is not intimidated by streaming music services such as Spotify, iTunes
radio, or even Pandora.
"The internet is proving to be an opportunity for
us," said Brian Lakamp, president of Clear Channel Digital and the man
running iHeartRadio, Clear Channel's web radio service.
The company has big plans to expand its online offering, and
Wednesday announced it is launching a test version of a new platform called
iHeartRadio talk.
According to The Verge, One feature enables users to record and post their own talk
shows to the website and potentially be promoted alongside the company's
top-rated shows from Jimmy Kimmel, Rush Limbaugh and CollegeHumor. The Daily
Pulse is another feature that enables users to aggregate and customize their
favorite talk shows.
iHeartRadio is a Pandora rival that has been largely ignored
by the tech press. The prevailing wisdom is that Spotify, Pandora, and the
growing number of music streaming services are siphoning off listeners from
broadcast radio.
"That's a misconception that is simply not true,"
Lakamp told The Verge last week. Lakamp said that traditional radio listening
is as high as ever. The secret, he says, is that people just want a good
listening experience, and his company has the knowhow to provide that both
online and over the airwaves. He said Clear Channel and radio broadcasters have
many other advantages over internet-only players.
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