Astral Media Radio Partners with Emmis Interactive

3/8/2010 -- Chicago -- Emmis Interactive Inc. today announced it has signed a long-term agreement with Astral Media Radio, a division of Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A/ACM.B). Emmis Interactive will provide its interactive platform and sales consulting services to Astral as part of Astral Radio’s renewed emphasis on building out its Interactive business.

“Astral is proud of the work done over the last few years online and with mobile, but our deal with Emmis Interactive marks a new chapter in our commitment to capitalize on the amazing growth of digital media,” said Jacques Parisien, Group President, Astral Media Radio and Astral Media Outdoor:

“Partnering with Emmis Interactive will allow us to take a huge leap forward in terms of our online product, by building more robust and engaging sites for our strong radio brands. This is a critical element of our Interactive strategy; we are very focused on making Interactive a strong and important part of our business.”

“The Astral Media Radio Interactive team is enthusiastic about the arrival of this great news and all its employees and resources will be dedicated to making this project a great success for all our radio stations” said Philippe Patrice, Chief Digital Strategies Officer for Astral Media Radio. “In addition to all the technical benefits of this partnership, we believe that working side by side with an industry leader will be both stimulating and exciting.”

“While we will continue to build on our national sales and content strategies, the Emmis Interactive platform and the associated training will empower our local markets to develop highly engaging Interactive content and offer our local advertisers an opportunity to connect with prospective clients through our sites in a meaningful way,” added Deborah Beatty, Vice President of Interactive for Astral Media Inc, and head of the iMedia national online sales group.

“Everything Astral Media Radio does is with purpose and with the highest regard to broadcasting excellence,” Deborah Esayian, Co-President of Emmis Interactive said. “It is an honor and privilege to serve beside them as they stretch beyond what they have already accomplished to discover more of the wonderful possibilities interactive media presents. We are excited that Astral will be using BaseStation® to craft their signature ‘branding’ magic in the digital space.”

BaseStation, Emmis Interactive’s proprietary Audience Engagement platform, includes all the features a local media brand has come to expect from a progressive website, as well as tools that increase engagement and create two-way communication possibilities between the station and the audience.

Astral Media Radio operates 82 licensed radio stations across Canada including major markets like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal. Astral Media Radio brands include NRJ, Rock Détente, Boom FM, Virgin Radio, CJAD and CHOM.

Source: Emmis Interactive, Inc.