Inside Radio featured the new partnership between XAPPmedia and Federated Media in part one of their “exclusive series on how radio is using digital in groundbreaking ways.” Federated Media recently hired XAPPmedia to develop a custom Alexa skill for its country “B100” WBYT South Bend radio station to give listeners access to its audio content through their Alexa-enabled devices. The content includes live-streaming, on-demand music and podcasts. James Derby, Federated’s chief strategy officer, commented:
“You have this really advanced digital product in voice controlled devices and it allows us to bring the traditional terrestrial signal back to listeners in a new way. This just helps increase radio’s potential reach.”
While XAPPmedia has already developed several Alexa skills, this is the first one they have created for a radio station. And unlike other radio skills, it does more than just offer a simulcast of the live broadcast. Users can also listen to audio on-demand, allowing them to easily browse and discover content using just their voice. XAPPmedia believes the future of radio lies in voice-speaker integration, including Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home:
“We thought a whole new user experience could be created for radio on this platform that made it exciting again and brought it into the future,” says Pat Higbie, CEO for XAPPmedia.
To read the full article click here or watch the video below for a demo of the B100 radio skill.