Radio Industry Delivers FM-enabled Smartphone App to Consumers

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Unprecedented coordination by radio broadcasters led to today's announcement that Sprint will begin installing the NextRadio® application in a broad array of FM-enabled wireless devices over the coming years, allowing consumers to listen to their local radio stations on their smartphones.

"Today we set a new course as an industry, one that will bring exciting audience and advertiser engagement opportunities," Emmis Chairman & CEO Jeff Smulyan said.  "This announcement is a credit to the entire radio industry, which has unified to make this happen."

The announcement by Sprint also marks the official launch of NextRadio®, the smartphone app that delivers a highly interactive artist and ad experience to FM-enabled smartphones.  

Data for the NextRadio® app is supplied by TagStation®, the cloud-based engine that offers stations the ability to upload branding images that will display as default artwork in the NextRadio® app, as well as call letters, format, station name and slogan. This basic, free level of station integration is open to all radio stations and creates a compelling experience within the app as the user is able to quickly associate their local stations with familiar visuals while browsing.

If a station does not register at TagStation®, listeners using the NextRadio® app will still be able to hear the radio station but may not see the station's logo displayed.

"Whether the station is large market, medium market, small market, commercial or non-commercial, this free service will provide listeners with a visual radio listening experience on the FM-enabled smartphone. Radio stations no longer have to add the cost of Internet Streaming to get local FM radio on a mobile device," said Paul Brenner, Emmis' Chief Technology Officer and President, NextRadio, LLC.  "Adding full TagStation® capabilities allows radio stations to offer listeners features like album art and artist information, listener feedback, song tagging capabilities, enhanced advertising options and social integration, which dramatically enhance the listening experience."

Smulyan noted that more than 1,500 stations signed up for the free services offered by TagStation® and thousands more are expected following today's product launch. Additionally, industry leaders like Beasley, CBS Radio, Entercom, Greater Media and Hubbard registered for the additional services through TagStation®.

The Radio Advertising Bureau and National Association of Broadcasters enthusiastically endorse the idea of FM receivers in smartphones.  The NextRadio® system brings that feature to select Sprint smartphones and includes every radio station in America on the service. To see a demonstration of the NextRadio® app, go to http://tagstation.com/NextRadio/.  To sign your station up for this free service, visit http://www.tagstation.com/signup

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About Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications Corporation is a diversified media company, principally focused on radio broadcasting. Emmis operates the 10th largest publicly traded radio portfolio in the United States based on total listeners.  Emmis owns 18 FM and 3 AM radio stations in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Austin (Emmis has a 50.1% controlling interest in Emmis' radio stations located there), Indianapolis and Terre Haute, IN.  One of our FM radio stations in New York is operated pursuant to a Local Marketing Agreement ("LMA") whereby a third party provides the programming for the station and sells all advertising within that programming.  TagStation® and NextRadio® are registered trademarks of Emmis' wholly owned subsidiary, TagStation, LLC.  The NextRadio® app is distributed by Emmis' wholly owned subsidiary, NextRadio, LLC.

Note: Certain statements included in this press release which are not statements of historical fact, including but not limited to those identified with the words "expect," "will" or "look" are intended to be, and are, by this Note, identified as "forward-looking statements," as defined in the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future result, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement. Such factors include, among others:

• general economic and business conditions;
• fluctuations in the demand for advertising and demand for different types of advertising media;
• our ability to service our outstanding debt;
• increased competition in our markets and the broadcasting industry;
• our ability to attract and secure programming, on-air talent, writers and photographers;
  inability to obtain (or to obtain timely) necessary approvals for purchase or sale transactions or to complete the transactions for other reasons
  generally beyond our control;
• increases in the costs of programming, including on-air talent;
• inability to grow through suitable acquisitions or to consummate dispositions;
• changes in audience measurement systems
• new or changing regulations of the Federal Communications Commission or other governmental agencies;
• competition from new or different technologies;
• war, terrorist acts or political instability; and
• other factors mentioned in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Emmis does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Emmis Communications