Raycom Media Launches Digital Media Alerts Platform

Raycom Media Launches Digital Media Alerts Platform

Alerts.com selected the NAB Show(TM) to unveil new digital offering for local media broadcasters, unleashing digital strategy capabilities not seen before.

LAS VEGAS, April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Alerts.com(TM) (www.alerts.com) announced at the NAB Show(TM) (National Association of Broadcasters) the release of its private label digital media alerts platform and the deployment of the solution to power Raycom Media's stations in multiple markets.

Raycom is poised to capitalize on the latest industry indicators. Nielsen Media Research reported that 41.2% of adults 18+ visited local broadcast TV station websites during the May/June 2008 period of time. Business Week (2/25/09) found that daily digests sent via e-mail and SMS can generate some much needed ad revenue when there's not much of it to go around. The Kelsey Group released their U.S. Local Media Annual Forecast 2008-2013 predicting an accelerated shift to digital media platforms with the interactive segment growing throughout the forecast period from $14 billion to $32.1 billion in 2013. With and Alerts.com's technology platform broadcasters can capitalize on their web traffic as the solution allows for easy integration of interactive alertable content channels into any Web site and distribute that content via email, text message and voice.

Raycom VP of Digital Media, Pat LaPlatney said, "Deploying a digital alerts platform strengthens our digital leadership position in each of our active markets as we can now further our engagement and communication with our audience, as they can access a state-of-the-art subscription platform to receive our local and/or national content when and where they want it." "We have seen very strong growth over the past year in the demand for push based content and particularly mobile content," added LaPlatney, "As we explored available solutions we identified the Alerts.com platform as a well integrated, user friendly and all encompassing solution to meet our needs. The fact that we can offer our advertisers the capability to extend their reach to our audience via the web, email, text message or even voice is a very compelling differentiator, especially at a time where ROI is critical for advertisers."

Alerts.com tailors the range of titles and alerts in a customized fashion and the company's technology allows for specific station's local content to also be made available in the form of alerts. Users create their own account on a stations' website, configure which, when and how they want their alerts to be delivered (i.e. on the site, via email, text message, voice). The traditionally free subscriptions are supported via advertising units which a station can offer to their local advertisers. Additionally, Alerts.com provides unique interactive capabilities offering stations to offer viable promotion opportunities on and off the air. The first release of the Alerts.com powered digital media alerts platform can be viewed at Raycom's Wave 3 TV station at http://www.wave3.com/myalerts.

"The local media industry is suffering from the economic downturn and must respond more energetically to the needs of advertisers to better reach their local audience," commented Pascal Stolz, CEO of Alerts.com. "As alerts are in the vernacular of local stations - think local news, traffic, severe weather - it was a logical opportunity for Alerts.com to private label our capabilities for Raycom Media and others. With a 360 degree engagement capability we empower media websites to grow their top and bottom line with effective non-traditional revenues," Stolz added. "This market expansion is carrying our 100% opt-in multi-mode delivery platform across the United States and we are excited to be working with Raycom to provide their online audience with world-class alerts, reminders and notifications," concluded Stolz.

About Raycom Media Inc.

Raycom, an employee-owned company, is one of the nation's largest broadcasters and owns and operates 46 television stations in 18 states. Raycom stations cover more than 13 percent of U.S. television households and employ 3,500 individuals in full and part-time positions. In addition to television stations, Raycom owns Raycom Sports (a marketing, production and events management and distribution company in Charlotte); Raycom Post (a post production facility in Burbank, California), Broadview Media (a post production/telecommunications company based in Montgomery), and CableVantage (a cable advertising sales group based in Columbia, South Carolina).

About Alerts.com

Alerts.com offers an online service platform where anyone can manage alerts and information from every available service all in one place. Alerts.com helps reduce information overload on the Web by simplifying the everyday process of information access, delivering messages to consumers on their terms and in the context of their lives.

Alerts.com is an opt-in service aggregating content from multiple sources. The platform enables local media companies to offer anyone, anywhere the capability to access, manage, organize and control how to receive reminders, notifications and alerts of personally relevant and time-sensitive information and content. With the private label solution users get updated news headlines, sports scores, birthday or party reminders, weather, price, gas price alerts and more. All alerts can be delivered via email, SMS and/or voice and there is absolutely no spam - what users select is what they get, nothing else.

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Source: Alerts.com

CONTACT: Pascal Stolz, CEO, Alerts.com, Info@alerts.com

Web Site: http://www.alerts.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment