Ronning Lipset Radio Expands Sales Force With Strategic Hires From XM Satellite Radio and Yahoo! Music

Ronning Lipset Radio Expands Sales Force With Strategic Hires From XM Satellite Radio and Yahoo! Music

Leading Online Radio Advertising Representation Firm Staffs Up To Support Additional Inventory, Increased Demand from Media Buying Community

NEW YORK, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Ronning Lipset Radio, the leading third-party advertising representation firm to the nation's largest online radio broadcasters, today announced that it has expanded its sales force with strategic hires from XM Satellite Radio and Yahoo! Music. The two appointments come at a time when the media buying community's commitment to run national audio ads across Ronning Lipset Radio's network is at an all-time high. The company also continues to experience increased levels of inventory, as a result of the platform's ever-expanding listenership as well as the recent addition of CBS Radio's online properties to its affiliate network.

Los Angeles-based Dana Detlefson joins the company as Director of Sales, Southwest Region. Previously, she spent three years at XM Satellite Radio, most recently as Senior Account Manager. She also served as National Radio Supervisor at Carat North America for six years, during which time she managed the Western Region's billings of close to $75 million annually. During her tenure there, Detlefson increased 2005 Upfront billings by more than 14% annually. Prior to Carat, she was a Senior Media Buyer at Focus Media, where she oversaw the planning, negotiating and implementation of media buys for spot TV, radio and cable for more than six years.

Chicago-based Angie May Cook has been named Director of Sales, Midwest Region. She joins Ronning Lipset from Yahoo! Music, where she was a Music Sales Specialist in charge of creating and selling sponsorships and custom music promotions to Fortune 100 advertisers. She was previously Director of Integrated Solutions at Emmis Communications, where she was responsible for securing annual multimillion-dollar revenue in integrated interactive products, events and on-air sponsorships for Chicago radio stations WKQX and WLUP. Before that she was in sales and management for Chancellor and Emmis Communications in Phoenix.

"Dana and Angie's careers have been rooted in radio and music advertising and they bring deep experience, respect and connections to our organization," said Andy Lipset, co-managing partner, Ronning Lipset Radio "At a time when there is some chatter around 'automated, technological inventory exchanges' in the media space, Ronning Lipset Radio continues to put human interaction at the forefront. Online radio is still in its early stages, and the vast majority of marketing decision-makers at Fortune 500 companies are experts who want to talk with other experts about their media buy, messaging, reach, and more. They want qualified professionals who are responsible to them, and Ronning Lipset Radio is dedicated to providing that service with great hires like these."

Today's announcement follows on the heels of positive findings about online radio's listenership, as part of a study released jointly on Wednesday by Arbitron and Edison Media Research. The Infinite Dial 2008: Radio's Digital Platforms found that the weekly online radio audience increased in the past year to an estimated 33 million. Thirteen percent of the U.S. population age 12 and older has listened to online radio in the past week, up from eleven percent (approximately 29 million) in 2007. On a weekly basis, online radio reaches more than one in seven 25- to 54-year olds (15%).

"We are extremely fortunate to be working in an entertainment medium that has shown impressive audience growth year after year," said Eric Ronning, co- managing partner, Ronning Lipset Radio. "Big brand advertisers recognize that online radio is an excellent investment, and they are increasingly integrating this platform into their overall media buys. With Dana and Angie in place, we have two very passionate and creative sellers on board and are even more equipped to respond to this increased demand and drive revenues further for our client broadcasters."

About Ronning Lipset Radio

New York-based Ronning Lipset Radio (www.rlradio.com) is the leading online radio representation firm, serving national advertisers who purchase traditional radio. The company represents the nation's largest online broadcasters, including AOL Radio, CBS Radio, Live 365, and Yahoo! Music's LAUNCHcast, as well as the RL Select network of independent stations. Ronning Lipset Radio's unique approach of aggregating these networks under one umbrella creates a powerful buying opportunity, reaching up to six million online radio listeners weekly.

Source: Ronning Lipset Radio

CONTACT: Laurie Rubenstein, Candescent Communications, +1-973-992-6890,
laurie@candescentcomm.com, for Ronning Lipset Radio

Web site: http://www.rlradio.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment