South Bend Radio: XAPPMedia, WBYT Launch Alexa App

XAPPmedia today announced the launch of the WBYT 100.7 FM B100 Amazon Alexa Skill for Federated Media’s country music station in South Bend, Indiana.

Listeners can simply prompt their Amazon Echo by saying, “Alexa, enable B100,” to access the new skill. Once enabled, users can listen to the live stream, select from six on-demand music categories or access six different B100 podcasts. Each of the on-demand and podcast categories employs a unique XAPP technology that enables audio scanning of the topics, which greatly improves the user experience and facilitates the discovery of podcast content.

“Federated Media is excited to have our listeners access B100 content on whatever device is most convenient for them from wherever they reside.  The Amazon Echo, with over ten million people in homes throughout the United States, provides a phenomenal platform for us to share our live radio stream, on-demand custom music channels and podcasts.  XAPPmedia’s technology made this possible and easy for us to launch the skill. The XAPP team really understands radio and the new interactive voice platforms. We were proud to work with XAPP to become the first radio station offering an interactive listening experience for Alexa,” said James Derby, chief strategy officer at Federated Media.

Pat Higbie

“Alexa provides a new opportunity for broadcasters to bring radio back into the home and make radio an interactive listening experience for the first time. A few stations have created short Flash Briefings for the Amazon Echo, but Federated Media’s B100 is the first to provide a fully interactive radio experience that includes live stream, on-demand listening and podcasts. The Echo and Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant are putting audio back in the media spotlight. B100 is a great example of the future of radio and is available today,” said XAPPmedia CEO and co-founder Pat Higbie.

Analysts estimate that there will be over 25 million Amazon Echo devices in use serving 65 million Americans by the end of 2017. Another 15 million Ford vehicles and millions more from Hyundai, BMW and other manufacturers will also soon be online and using the same Alexa skills as the Echo. Radio broadcasters are moving quickly to the Echo and Alexa because that is increasingly where consumers are spending their audio listening time.




Users can enable the B100 Amazon Alexa skill in their Alexa app, online here, or simply by saying, “Alexa, enable B100.” Once enabled, listeners can say “Alexa, open B100,” to access the B100 live stream or any of the following on-demand music categories and podcasts:

On-Demand Music Categories

• Variety My B100
• My B100 Nineties
• The Beach
• Legends of Country
• Alt Country
• Southern Rock

Podcasts

• Blue Gold Report
• Flavor 574
• Item Podcast
• Freakin Podcast
• Let Me Ask You a Question
• Sprinkles