US company dMarc Broadcasting has announced a sweeping Progressive Radio Data Services Initiative to
advance the deployment and utilization of analog (RDS) and digital (HD Radio)
data services within the terrestrial radio broadcast industry.
The Company will
provide a turn-key software and service upgrade, to enable data services
support, to each of its 4,600 station clients, at no cost.
These software and service modules will enable each of its station clients
to seamlessly support and manage the dynamic and automated scheduling,
delivery, and reporting of data services, through both analog RDS and digital
HD Radio (PAD) protocols, including dynamic text broadcasting (dynamic PS),
song and artist identification, traffic, weather alerts and more.
CEO Chad Steelberg says: “The revenue and service opportunities made available through broadcast
data services are significant. Through this multi-million dollar initiative, we are
committed to leading the industry in this important data services advancement,
which is imperative to radio’s continued growth as a communication,
entertainment and advertising medium.”
This announcement includes the renewed license of iBiquity Digital
Corporation’s data services technology for HD Radio broadcasting. With the
addition of iBiquity Digital technology to dMarc Broadcasting’s automation and
digital systems, stations using these integrated solutions will be able to
easily and cost effectively broadcast data services directly over their HD
Radio and existing analog signals.
“dMarc’s Progressive Radio Data Services Initiative is a significant
commitment to HD Radio data services,” according to iBiquity’s
Robert Struble.
“dMarc’s initiative will allow broadcasters to immediately integrate
text-based data services into their analog (RDS) and HD Radio programming and
will lay the foundation for the introduction of next-generation HD Radio
digital applications that fully leverage the potential of rich media in radio
broadcasting.”
In its first move, the company will provide a free software license and
service account to its dRDS (dynamic Radio Data Service) solution, supporting
remote, web-based RDS and HD Radio (PAD) data services management and
broadcast capabilities, to each of its Scott Studios, Computer Concepts
(Maestro), and DCS automation and digital customers.