Audio4cast

In an article in today’s Radio Business Report, Kevin Conroy, Executive Vice President at AOL, says that their association with CBS RADIO, which began in March, has been very successful. Conroy elaborates on the elements of the relationship that made it so, and has some words of advice for the industry.

AOL CBS widget

With the partnership, AOL gained the benefits of CBS Radio’s core competency in radio, while CBS gained the benefits of AOL’s successful online platform with more than 10 million unique visitors per month. Together, they developed some platform extensions which improve the listener experience and will further expand the listener base. Those include a media player with increased functionality and listener choices, widgets and tool bars that expand access to social network sites, and what Conroy refers to as a breakthrough app for the iphone.

It’s been a groundbreaking year for both companies and for online radio, according to Conroy, who says the lesson to take away from their success this year is “ that by carefully watching market trends, being willing to rethink your business, focusing on your core competencies, and delivering what consumers want most, you can achieve a remarkable turnaround against seemingly insurmountable odds.”

It’s an excellent message. AOL and CBS did indeed put aside what could have been perceived as head to head competition, and instead created a partnership that focused on building a better listener experience. That’s made AOL and Kevin Conroy happy, and I suspect it’s made CBS happy as well…