Google radio ads!!

Check this out, google wants to do local ads over radio to support
"local search", radio is NOT the answer what if you are listening to a
CD or other device here is how local "radio" ads work with our device.
- radio ad locations are geocoded
- As you approach an ad location, a voice-ad, it is downloaded in MP3
to the Icecube
- A notice pops up on the device that shows the availability of the ad
- User can touch the screen to hear the ad.

Is a Google-Clear Channel deal at hand?

Steve Rosenbush

<mailto:steve_rosenbush@businessweek.com>

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/dealflow/archives/2006/11/is_a_google-cle.html

Google, known for its cutting-edge Internet software, may be setting its
sights on the low-tech radio market, according to one media and
entertainment analyst. David Bank, of RBC Capital Markets, issued a note
yesterday saying he thinks it would make a lot of sense for Google to
take a minority stake in radio, TV and outdoor advertising giant Clear
Channel Communications.

The idea might seem strange at first, but there are reasons why such a
deal could work, according to Bank. Clear Channel is exploring strategic
options. And Google may be gearing up to acquire a large chunk of
advertising inventory, as part of a plan to expand beyond its core
search business. link.
<http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2006/tc20061024_318265.htm?chan=search%20target=>
He says Google has been adding "high profile" radio sales people in New
York, Washington, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Chicago. It has little radio
inventory to sell, though. Bank concludes that Google needs to add
inventory, and that Clear Channel is the best option.

Why would Google, of all companies, are about the radio market? Bank
says Google has its eyes on the local search market, where it sees an
opportunity to sell ads to people looking for nearby goods and services.
"The radio market is by definition a local market, deriving 80% of its
revenue from local advertising," Bank says. "So the radio market would
be a logical add-on for Google."

Google could play a role in a buyout without putting up much cash. Clear
Channel has an enterprise value of about $25 billion, suggesting that a
"club" of private equity firms and other investors might put in a total
of $5 billion to $6 billion in equity. Any one of them could get a small
but strategically important stake of, say, 5% or so, by investing $250
million in cash.

Google's stock closed today at $467.50. The stock, which dropped below
$350 last winter, has been on a tear because investors believe its
expansion into new markets holds promise.