Mediasite Webcasts Help Ontario Hospital Association Achieve 280% Return on Investment

MADISON, Wis., April 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Through strategic use of webcasting with Mediasite by Sonic Foundry, Inc.(NASDAQ: SOFO), the recognized market leader for rich media webcasting, lecture capture and knowledge management, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) has achieved 280% return on investment on its educational programs and is reaching more members.

"You can't underestimate the power of webcasting. With Mediasite we deliver one message to our membership, which is then archived and it can be shared again. We're able to record quality speakers to deliver a quality message which adds credibility and new revenue for our programs," said Todd Hutchings, director of distance learning for OHA.

OHA is a provincial non-profit that serves 154 member hospitals and hundreds more associate and affiliate members across the province of Ontario, Canada. More than a decade ago Hutchings' team was tasked with providing more educational programs to members across Ontario. Serving hundreds of members scattered over hundreds of miles made this a difficult – and expensive – endeavor. A government funded videoconferencing pilot helped, but Hutchings says everything changed in 2007 when they deployed Mediasite webcasts.

The department used webcasting to enhance their established educational offerings, reducing travel costs and meeting the growing demand for online healthcare training events.

"In one year, with the same resources we were able to educate twice as many people three times as often," said Hutchings. "The growing demand of our live events has increased demand for our archived events. Thousands more viewers are tuning into on-demand educational webcasts every year. We're actually generating more awareness and more publicity around certain topics or issues."

In 2009, OHA increased its live webcasted events, which not only helped them expand their reach, but also further enhanced their standing as a valued partner in the health care sector. By adopting a pay-per-view model, OHA's educational webcasts now see a 280% return on investment, generating nearly $100,000 per year in new revenue. OHA's program has also earned a Rich Media Impact Award in both 2009 and 2010.

"Increasingly our customers face growing pressure to develop programs that deliver measurable results, both for their mission and their bottom line. With Mediasite, the Ontario Hospital Association uses webcasting to not only rapidly develop their online training line business, but also build solid industry partnerships and create a valuable customer experience for their members," said Gary Weis, CEO of Sonic Foundry.

Hutchings shares his Mediasite strategy in an on-demand webinar, How to Engage Members, Attract Partners and Generate Revenue: The ROI of Webcasting for Associations. View it at http://sofo.com/7f247.

About Ontario Hospital Association (OHA)

Since its inception in 1924, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) has influenced and helped shape health care policy in Ontario, leading the way through changes, innovations, challenges and opportunities.

Today, representing 154 public hospitals, the OHA assumes a leadership role in safeguarding patients and offers first-rate educational and career development programs including access to the latest communications technology such as webcasts, online education, audio and videoconferencing.

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.

Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, www.sonicfoundry.com) is the global leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, providing enterprise communication solutions for education, business and government. Powered by Mediasite, the patented webcasting platform which automates the capture, management, delivery and search of lectures, online training and briefings, Sonic Foundry empowers people to transform the way they communicate. Through the Mediasite platform and its Event Services group, the company helps customers connect a dynamic, evolving world of shared knowledge and envisions a future where learners and workers around the globe use webcasting to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.

Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.