Report: Google Seeks To 'Remove The Middleman' In Radio Ad Sales

Post Profiles Plan

GOOGLE's foray into radio advertising was the subject of a WASHINGTON POST story on SATURDAY (12/9) that explained how GOOGLE is tapping into its customer base of small online advertisers to "transform old media by removing the middleman, such as a radio station's ad department, and make it easier for small companies to gain access to radio, magazines and newspapers through the same types of online auctions that GOOGLE has used to sell its popular search ads."

"One of our primary objectives is to mobilize and introduce radio to our extensive advertising base and also introduce new advertisers to radio," GOOGLE head of radio operations RYAN STEELBERG told the POST; STEELBERG is also founder of dMARC, which was recently acquired by GOOGLE. "If we can mobilize a few thousand advertisers, it's great for GOOGLE and great for radio broadcasters."

The story points out that test ads aired in BOSTON and SACRAMENTO and that GOOGLE faces competition from SOFTWAVE MEDIA EXCHANGE, whose COO, BILL FIGENSHU, tells the POST that GOOGLE's emphasis on small advertisers and excess inventory would go only so far. "There isn't a market for all those small little advertisers to be on these big radio stations," he said. "The flower shop in RESTON can't afford to be on WTOP."

Read the full story here.

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