`Personal Radio' Coming to U.K.; Command Audio Teams with Industry Leaders to Bring Revolutionary Service to Digital Radio

Business Wire, Feb 14, 2001

Business Editors

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2001

In a revolutionary development for digital radio, US technology firm, Command Audio, has teamed up with leading UK broadcaster Capital Radio plc and UBC Media Group plc in a new joint venture -- Command Audio-UK.

The new company will bring on-demand interactive audio -- personal radio -- through the UK's Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network. DAB will be used to transmit on-demand audio programmes, advertising and information, providing listeners with unmatched choice, control and personalisation.

The deployment of DAB in the UK is the most advanced in the world with some 40 digital stations available in the London area alone. California-based Command Audio has developed end-to-end solutions that enable broadcasters to take full advantage of the new capabilities made possible with digital broadcast technology, while Capital and UBC are current market leaders in content for the UK.

This new joint venture, Command Audio-UK (CA-UK), will make the most of the combined experience of its three partners by both producing on-demand interactive programmes and licensing other programmers and service providers to do so as well.

For example, when the Command Audio technology has been fully-deployed, listeners will be able to choose from a vastly increased range of programmes from a variety of different media then listen to them whenever and wherever they want.

Listeners to Command Audio-enabled services will be able to select the programmes they want to receive using an Electronic Programme Guide and have full control over how and when to listen, instantaneously scanning from story to story pausing, skipping, or saving programs for later listening.

"Command Audio-UK will enable digital broadcasters to deliver a truly new media experience that will clearly differentiate their services from conventional FM radio," said Don Bogue, co-founder and CEO of Command Audio. "On-demand interactive audio is about providing listeners a `personal radio' experience that appeals to their individual lifestyles and satisfies their particular interests. It is the ultimate application of digital broadcast technology. By teaming with industry leaders Capital and UBC, we have created the basis for rapid proliferation of this revolutionary new media."

The joint venture anticipates a great deal of interest from broadcasters, who will be able to make better use of their bandwidth, appeal to a wider range of listeners in a more targeted fashion and create new advertising and revenue opportunities.

"As leading players in the provision of digital radio services and internet radio, Capital is keen to apply innovative applications such as on-demand audio," said Sally Oldham, Strategy and Development Director for Capital Radio. "By partnering Command Audio and UBC we will benefit more fully as the take up of digital radio rolls out."

"This powerful platform gives broadcasters new and innovative programme opportunities and consumers more choice. The technology available to this joint venture takes digital radio to another level as it brings the on-demand element, now increasingly expected by consumers, into the radio medium. The result will be the development of new kinds of programmes which will lead to exciting new services for consumers. We have always promised investors we will be at the front line of such development," adds Simon Cole, founder and CEO of UBC Media.

Notes to Editors:

The Joint Venture

Command Audio, Capital Radio and UBC Media have formed a joint venture to proliferate personalised on-demand radio services across the UK. This joint venture is key to that deployment, putting in place licensing and content solutions.

ABOUT COMMAND AUDIO

Command Audio developed, launched and test marketed in the U.S. the world's first broadcast on demand interactive audio service. Now, it is the first company to enable digital broadcasters to deliver personalised on-demand interactive radio services. Command Audio brings to the new joint venture real world experience in delivering on-demand audio services and an extensive portfolio of intellectual property in on-demand media technology. Command Audio's US operation will continue to provide on-demand interactive program production tools for broadcasters and the software and hardware solutions to receiver manufacturers that will enable listeners to receive personalised, on-demand radio. (Command Audio has recently partnered with Motorola to integrate on-demand interactive audio technology into Motorola's next generation telematics system, the iRadio, to bring on-demand functionality to the car.)

Command Audio is a privately-held company backed by strategic investors Texas Instruments and Motorola and leading financial investors, including Canaan Partners, Granite Ventures, J.P. Morgan Capital Partners and Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures. It is based in Redwood City, California, near the heart of Silicon Valley. www.commandaudio.com

ABOUT CAPITAL RADIO plc

Capital Radio plc is Britain's leading radio group with market leading analogue radio stations broadcasting to 58% of the UK's population and local digital stations operating in major metropolitan areas throughout the UK.