Louisville FOX affiliate WDRB has launched two free music apps, “WDRB Classic Hits” and “WDRB Hot Country.”
The station plans to use its MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYO along with its Antenna TV and Cozi TV digital subchannels, facebook and twitter to attract listeners to the radio stations.
“Local internet radio stations have historically lacked two things: A promotional platform and a sales team,” WDRB President and GM Bill Lamb said in a statement. “We have both. If we’re successful building an audience – and monetizing it – we will have created a great promotional circle where TV promotes our radio stations, radio promotes our web site, and both promote TV. It’s a new business model for television stations with a low barrier to entry.”
The Louisville station says its two channels give listeners benefits national and international stations can’t.
“From the listeners’ perspective, these are different from Pandora and other apps of that type in that they will be locally relevant, with live DJs and local news and weather information” said Lamb. “The concept has instant credibility as an extension of the WDRB-TV brand. And it’s different from local terrestrial radio because, with our low operational costs, we can be profitable and still give our listeners more music and fewer commercials.”