In another recent acquisition, Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has added the radio advertising services company, dMarc Broadcasting, to its portfolio for USD102 million in cash.

According to the media release, dMarc connects advertisers directly to radio stations through its automated advertising platform. The platform simplifies the sales process, scheduling, delivery and reporting of radio advertising, enabling advertisers to more efficiently purchase and track their campaigns. For broadcasters, dMarc’s technology automatically schedules and places advertising, helping to increase revenue and decrease the costs associated with processing advertisements. The company serves thousands of stations across all US markets and formats.

The dMarc platform will be integrated into AdWords, which Google’s Tim Armstrong, vice president of Advertising Sales claims “will bring new ad dollars and accountability to radio”.

Is Arbitron (NYSE: ARB) next? With annual revenues of USD310.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2005, this would be a not insubstantial play.

The next question for the future of personal media is, with real traction in terrestrial radio, how long before we can expect a Google AdWords podcast advertising play, where measurement is inherently simplified compared to terrestrial?

Despite over a year of hype (triggered by the WIRED article), podcasting remains nascent, and to many potential listeners, an unknown phenomenon.

Google Zeitgeist 2005

(via Andrew Pascoe)

With dozens of directories, thousands of podcasters, and millions of listeners across the globe, podcasting is set to continue its growth in 2006. However the industry needs to do much more to promote its wares to the public, and radio listeners in particular.

With mobile handsets being the next frontier, podcasting is on a clear collision course with the cellular carriers. In the carrier world-view, content is paid for, and then charged again for the carriage required for its delivery. Listening to podcasts, and lots of them, needs lots of memory. And who subsidises handset prices? WiMax could ultimately unleash podcasting’s real charge into the mainstream.

Next-Generation podcast receivers are likely to stimulate further interest by lowering the cost of trying something new. Just go through the setup wizard, choose your interests, and get a roughly personalised set of feeds to try out. Don’t like a feed? Reject it and get another recommendation.

Podcasting however also faces a threat from within. Whilst some quick dollars have been made with advertising deals, podcast advertising has the potential to quickly negate the positive listening experience.

Life on the long tail should be context-sensitive. Isn’t that the whole point? Inane ads such as Motorola’s “dude” who (dis)graces the head and tail of TPN shows are really becoming annoying. Worst still, TPN has introduced interstitials, creating interruptions during the content. The time that a “regular” listener can devote to podcasts is always going to be limited. Even more precious is their attention. If podcasts are to become just another ad-ridden medium full of untargeted, irrelevant interruptions, what value is there to the potential listener? (and there are far more non-listeners than current podcast listeners out there).

Just what does Google have up its sleave to save the podcasting industry from itself? (hint: that’s why podcast transcription through speech recognition is going to be important: AdWords)

To end on a positive note (for a change):

Google results for “podcast” search
4 October 2004: 5,950
10 January 2006: 77,600,000

Bob Ellis, author, political speechwriter and social commentator, presented at the Adelaide Festival of Ideas in 2005, “On Interruption: How Human Beings Changed in the 19th and 20th Century” (Friday 8th July, 2005).

I caught a replay of his speech on ABC Radio National this week, and dug up the original recording, by community radio station, Radio Adelaide.

Before you play the mp3, turn off the phone, shut down your e-mail, RSS reader, Skype and IM, and get ready for some quality listening time.

http://radio.adelaide.edu.au/festivalofideas/audio05/on_interuption.mp3

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced the rollout of its converged subscription radio service for cellular handsets, iRadio, at the 2006 International CES in Las Vegas.

The service is currently being trialled in Los Angeles, Washington DC and San Diego. Subscription fees are expected to be around USD7 per month