Clear Channel Radio today announced a multi-point plan to raise the bar for radio programming across all day parts and platforms, including online and mobile. The plan includes the launch of new programming and makes programming and on-air talent that’s proven to be most popular with audiences, available more broadly to local program directors in all markets for all day parts.

“Our programming objective is to increase audience size and engagement across all day parts and all platforms,” said John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio. “At the same time, we face a particularly difficult economy that makes it extremely challenging for some local stations to invest in developing the highest-quality programming and talent. Despite the difficult economy, we see enormous long-term opportunity in investing in things that immediately improve the competitive situation of our stations.”

Local Clear Channel Radio program directors will have total choice and flexibility in choosing the Premium Choice programming elements. They can elect large portions, single pieces, or none of the offered programming. All of the Premium Choice elements were determined in full consultation with the company’s most experienced and trusted programming and operations managers.

“These improvements have been part of the company’s long-term strategy to strengthen its competitive position,” added Hogan. “We’re accelerating these pieces because of the undeniable competitive opportunity presented by this market,” he said.

Some 266 radio stations in the U.S. have gone dark since the fourth quarter of 2007, unable to compete effectively for audiences and advertising dollars, according to data from the Federal Communications Commission and Radio-Locator.com.

* Premium Choice and proven results

A primary element of the plan is “Premium Choice,” an ongoing, rigorous analysis that identifies Clear Channel Radio’s most effective content across music genres and on-air talent and presents significant expansion opportunities for both. Content and talent are selected for the program based on the evaluation of new PPM-based audience-measurement reports and data produced by Clear Channel Radio’s proprietary talent performance tool.

Over the past two years, the company has rigorously evaluated all of the programming at every station across every day part. Based on tests of the programming elements, audience growth and ratings have grown dramatically.

• On Air with Ryan Seacrest increased audience share in San Francisco by some 86% within three months of beginning its broadcast there; and the show increased audience share in Denver by some 46% in the same timeframe.
• Similarly, Steve Harvey has improved ratings in all 10 markets into which he’s expanded.

“Alongside music artists, on-air talent contributes enormously to the quality of an AM or FM broadcast,” added Hogan. “Now, local talent can be rewarded for extraordinary success.”

Clear Channel’s performance analysis tools evaluate a wide range of variables connected to a broadcast program and/or specific on-air talent and identifies properties with significant potential to succeed in other markets. The company believes it is the most sophisticated tool of its type in broadcasting. The performance analysis tool and the Premium Choice program will combine to build the careers of lesser-known talent that consistently outperform their peers.

* Creating new channels, by genre and by personality

Also central to the plan is an expansion of the programming currently being created for the company’s online and on-demand broadcasting platforms. The new channels will focus on either a specific music genre or specific on-air personality.

Launching imminently in the genre category are Country Road and Soft Rock. They join existing channels including erockster, Pride, smooth jazz, slow jams, and others.

In the personality-driven side, new channels for Kidd Kraddick and Lex & Terry are on tap, joining already successful channels focused on AT40 (Ryan Seacrest), Elvis Duran and JohnJay and Rich.

As with the existing online and on-demand channels, this new programming will be available directly to audiences during a testing phase via the three platforms: Clear Channel Radio’s local-station Web sites, the iheartradio mobile broadcast application for iPhone and BlackBerry, and the company’s HD2 multicasts.

* Important opportunities for new, local and unsigned music artists

The third element of the program is the expansion of the company’s already industry-leading programming showcasing new, local and unsigned music artists. Select AM and FM stations will add to existing new-music shows (e.g., urban, some country and some rock), and some stations will also develop customized shows.

In addition, the company will expand its highly acclaimed NEW! program for new, local and unsigned artists available to its highly successful mobile broadcasting application, iheartradio. More than 15,000 new, local and unsigned artists have been promoted to millions of online and on-demand listeners through the program. NEW! is currently available on hundreds of local-station Web sites.

Most recently, iheartradio has seen astounding success on both the iPhone/iPod Touch and BlackBerry platforms.

• Engagement among users with the iPhone/iPod Touch is dramatically better than with most AppStore applications. Weekly unique users continue are up by some 43% and the application saw more than one million downloads in just 20 weeks.
• And earlier this week, the company disclosed that its BlackBerry App World version rose to the #2 position among all BlackBerry applications, achieving the #1 position among media apps of any kind. The BlackBerry version is on track for astounding success, having been downloaded more than 250,000 times in less than a month.

Also coming soon to iheartradio: traffic-on-demand expands to 10 markets and the company’s highly regarded NEW! program. Since its inception, NEW! has showcased more than 15,000 new, emerging and unsigned music artists to millions of listeners.

“This year is a level-setting year in which we’re taking responsibility for the health and success of our company,’ concluded Hogan. “We will continue to actively evaluate economic and market conditions and our competitive position. We’ll also continue to make adjustments throughout the year so we are best poised to take advantage of the upturn as soon as it occurs.”

About Clear Channel Radio

Clear Channel Radio is a leading radio company focused on serving local communities across the U.S. with more than 110 million listeners choosing Clear Channel Radio programming each week. The company’s content can be heard on AM/FM stations, HD digital radio channels, on the Internet, via iPod, cell phone, and in navigation systems from BMW, Volvo, TomTom, Garmin and others. The company’s operations include radio broadcasting, syndication and independent media representation. Clear Channel Radio is a division of Clear Channel Communications, Inc. (OTCBB:CCMO), a leading global media and entertainment company. More information on the company can be found at www.clearchannel.com.