Clear Channel Readies New Digital Apps

While traditional radio is tanking, the digital business is going great guns, with a steady stream of new deals and services being announced. Some of the most ambitious initiatives come from Clear Channel Radio, including a raft of new features and services. On monday, Clear Channel announced the rollout of a new Flash-based digital player for all its online properties; a new structure to encourage navigation between these properties (increasing overall "stickiness"); improved ad-serving capabilities that allow advertisers to "follow" consumers; more preference-mapping to refine content offerings for individual consumers; and new mobile apps. A central goal of the expansion is pushing the transformation of Clear Channel Radio from a traditional radio broadcaster to a multimedia company, creating and distributing content across a variety of platforms.