TORONTO – Astral’s Virgin Radio stations will be the first in Canada to use interactive audio software that allows listeners to help determine the stations’ programming.
Starting next month, the Virgin stations in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary will begin using Listener Driven Radio (LDR), software that ties in directly to a radio station’s automation systems. Listeners may vote and participate from their web browser, mobile, or tablet device in real time, all within the rules set by the radio station’s program director. The LDR platform allows songs to be moved within the playlist queue; accepts recommendations of songs for airplay; and send text messages, IMs, or e-mails when a listener’s chosen song is about to play.
Other LDR features include integration with Facebook and Twitter, direct integration with music scheduling software, built-in capabilities for mobile devices including optimized interfaces for iPhone, iPad, and Android, and seamless integration into stations’ websites. Stations can elect to use listener input as a feature several times an hour through the day, or devote entire dayparts to listener control.
LDR is already on air in markets from New York to Los Angeles and Milan to Paris. In Canada, the software is represented by radio content syndication company Orbyt Media, a division of Astral.
