iHeartMedia

The Leading Audio Company Kicks off the Decade Announcing Seven New Upcoming Integrations with General Motors, Android Automotive, Panasonic, SoundHound and Others at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show

LAS VEGAS – January 7, 2020 – iHeartMedia today announced new upcoming automotive integrations for iHeartRadio, the company’s free all-in-one digital music, podcasting, on demand and live streaming radio service, during the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. To optimize and enrich the in-vehicle experience for drivers, iHeartRadio is rolling out a series of automotive integrations and concept demonstrations all designed to bring iHeartRadio’s unprecedented library of audio content to listeners in a seamless way.

As the leading audio company in America with a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, iHeartMedia is uniquely poised to lead the way in a new era of audio evolution – one where virtual assistants, smart speakers and intuitive design interfaces are experiencing explosive growth. By integrating with the most innovative automotive companies on the market, iHeartRadio enables consumers to access the music, podcasts and personalities they love, whenever and wherever they are, on any device. iHeartRadio is currently available on more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices including on digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables and smartphones as well as on virtual assistants, smart speakers, TVs, gaming consoles and more.

“2019 was a momentous year for iHeartMedia and in 2020 we will continue to expand our audio offerings and connect with more and more marquee technology companies to provide a seamless, unmatched audio experience to consumers,” said Michele Laven, President of the Strategic Partnerships Group for iHeartMedia. “Broadcast radio dominates in-vehicle listening and iHeartRadio continues to be at the forefront when it comes to new digital interfaces and experiences. We’re excited to be at CES unveiling our new integrations and concepts with the world’s leading auto innovators as we continue to steward audio innovation in the car.”

Full details on iHeartRadio’s new integrations can be found below:

Android Automotive OS

iHeartRadio is releasing a new, stand-alone version of its app for vehicles powered by Android with the Google Play Store built-in. iHeartRadio first announced and demonstrated capabilities at Google I/O 2019 in May, and the app will be distributed via the Google Play Store and available first in the Polestar 2 and the Volvo XC40 Recharge vehicle launches in 2020. iHeartRadio users will be able to seamlessly access Live Radio, Artist Radio, Podcasts and Playlists while cruising around. Experience Android Automotive OS at CES 2020 in the Google Assistant footprint at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

BMW ConnectedDrive

Building upon iHeartRadio’s existing BMW ConnectedDrive experience, the company is releasing a new app version that will be available in both Flagship Mobile clients, iOS and Android. This latest update offers an enhanced audio experience for both BMW and MINI drivers and allows iHeartRadio listeners to safely and easily listen to Live Radio, Artist Radio, Podcasts and Playlists while on the road.

General Motors

iHeartRadio is releasing a new integration that will be available across in-market and future Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles with eligible infotainment systems[1]. While iHeartRadio currently offers an in-vehicle experience, the new app will be expanded to include access to Podcasts and Playlists in addition to Live Radio and custom Artist Radio.

HARMAN Ignite

Consumers demand highly connected, seamless and intuitive driving experiences that enable their digital lifestyle. HARMAN believes in the power of partnerships as the key to unlocking innovative consumer experiences. The new HARMAN Ignite Marketplace, supported through a strong partner ecosystem of in-vehicle apps and services - from navigation and messaging to productivity and media, allows consumers to personalize and control their connected driving experience and ensure time in the car is time well spent. iHeartRadio today announced it is an early ecosystem partner for the HARMAN Ignite Marketplace.

LG webOS Auto

iHeartRadio will soon be available for LG’s webOS Auto platform. Originally designed for the smart TV, the webOS platform is now supported by the car. iHeartRadio on webOS Auto is based on its TV design and is available for rear seat use. webOS Auto provides features and functionality that enable an infotainment system to offer improved comfort and convenience to passengers. Together, iHeartRadio and LG are giving passengers the opportunity to access audio content in a way like never before.

Panasonic

Panasonic Automotive has built several next generation in-vehicle experiences in recent years and its latest infotainment experience, SkipGen – which is powered by Android 10, features the iHeartRadio app designed for Android Automotive. To learn more about this in-vehicle experience at CES, visit the Panasonic footprint at Booth 12908.

SoundHound / Houndify / Hound App

iHeartRadio and SoundHound are working together to bring iHeartRadio’s robust slate of content to SoundHound Inc.’s Houndify™ voice AI platform and Hound app. Houndify is the voice AI solution for various automotive and connected platforms, and Hound is the popular voice assistant app available on iOS and Android. Through the partnership, developers and partners using Houndify and Hound app will have access to iHeartRadio’s free suite of offerings including Live Radio (U.S. only), Artist Radio (U.S. only), and Podcasts (available globally except the U.K.), no login or authentication required.

[1] Available on select 2017 model year and newer GM vehicles with compatible hardware. Requires active service plan and paid AT&T vehicle data plan. Requires active iHeartRadio account to customize favorites and create custom stations. See onstar.com for details and limitations.

Google, Android and Google Play are trademarks of Google LLC.

NEW YORK – December 13, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, and Einhorn’s Epic Productions (“EEP”), an entertainment creative house, today announced a partnership to rollout a slate of iHeartRadio Original Podcasts that will feature strong female characters and compelling storytelling designed to appeal to the young adult (YA) audience. The first podcast of this multi-show YA slate will be a scripted teen political thriller called “Daughters of DC,” to be released in the fall of 2020 in advance of the presidential election and distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network.

EEP which is known for creating strong heroic franchise intellectual properties combined with iHeartMedia’s impressive reach and ability to introduce podcasts to new audiences has already proved successful. Previously, the two companies partnered to develop the first-ever young adult scripted podcast “Lethal Lit: A Tig Torres Mystery," which is currently being developed for television by producer Dana Brunetti of Cavalry Media (“House of Cards,” “The Social Network”) and was the only scripted podcast featured on The New York Times’ Five Great Podcasts of 2018 list. The second season of “Lethal Lit” is currently in pre-production. 

“Daughters of DC” takes place in an elite Washington, D.C. school where four friends share their deepest, darkest secrets on a private audio group chat. When the girls, all from diverse and influential political families, are hacked, they’re thrust into a twisted government conspiracy that threatens to expose some of the world’s most powerful people. 

“At EEP, we're all about creating the next generation of heroic, female characters and stories,” said Heather Einhorn, CEO of Einhorn’s Epic Productions. “Given the current political climate, we think the time is right for a smart teen political thriller with diverse and dynamic female leads. Our synergy with iHeartMedia is unique, and we can’t wait to bring more original stories to the audience that fell in love with ‘Lethal Lit.’” The scripted podcast slate will be overseen by Einhorn, CCO Adam Stafaroni and Aroop Sanakkayala for EEP and Head of Podcasting Conal Byrne for iHeartRadio.

“The Einhorn team is one of the strongest creative shops we’ve worked with in podcasting – and their goal is nothing less than building entire universes from scratch – like Marvel and DC have done in the past,” said Conal Byrne, Head of Podcasting at iHeartRadio. “What’s more, Einhorn’s aim is to accomplish this while staying loser-focused on a female young adult demo – with powerful new female heroes at the center of the stories. We think the potential there is massive, the mission is important, and wanted to support it in any way we could.”

About Einhorn’s Epic Productions 

As an entertainment creative house, Einhorn’s Epic Productions builds heroic franchise IP for today’s ever-changing media marketplace. Focusing on underserved fandoms, EEP creates story IP to live in both traditional and non-traditional platforms like film, television, graphic novels, podcasts, immersive experiences, digital content and more.  EEP’s unique collaborative approach, strengthened by their team of fandom experts, creates opportunities for new and unexpected partnerships to successfully launch the next generation of franchise IP.

NEW YORK – December 23, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, announced today the recipients of the three Icon Awards at the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards streaming live Friday, January 17 at 8 p.m. PT via a LiveXLive stream and on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide from the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles. The second annual event will honor the New York Times’ “1619” podcast with the Social Impact Award, NPR’s “Life Kit” podcast with the Innovator Award Presented by Zoom and Tenderfoot TV’s Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright with the Audible Audio Pioneer Award.

The iHeartRadio Podcast Icon Awards pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture.

“We’re thrilled to honor ‘1619,’ ‘Life Kit’ and Tenderfoot TV as this year’s iHeartRadio Podcast Icon winners,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “From history to true crime to everyday guidance, their work is as diverse as it is trailblazing, and they make it easy to understand why podcasts have become a must-listen for millions of people each and every day.”

The New York Times’ “1619” podcast, recipient of the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Social Impact Award, is a five-episode series that is part of a major initiative by the newspaper to observe the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery and reframe the history of the United States by understanding that 1619 was the nation’s true founding. The podcast series is hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, an award-winning journalist who serves as a domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine focusing on racial injustice.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Innovator Award Presented by Zoom winner, NPR’s “Life Kit,” provides listeners with practical information and guidance to help them improve their lives. Launched in December 2018, “Life Kit” is designed for search as it seeks to reach beginners and those with more knowledge on topics that include personal finance, health and wellness, and parenting. The podcast episodes are aggregated in topical playlists for deep dives. “Life Kit” is produced by NPR, which received the first-ever iHeartRadio Podcast Pioneer Award in 2019.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Audible Audio Pioneer Award recipients – director/independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright – paved the way for true crime podcasts. They launched Tenderfoot TV in 2016 with their first podcast, “Up and Vanished,” which showed that an aspiring filmmaker/musician could take an unsolved murder and turn it into a compelling story and hit podcast – with the alleged killer ultimately confessing due to the podcast investigation. The award-winning podcast has received over 330 million downloads and created the blueprint for Tenderfoot TV’s other No. 1 critically acclaimed podcasts, “Atlanta Monster,” “To Live and Die in LA,” “Culpable” and “Sworn.” “To Live and Die in LA,” which received 50 million downloads in 2019, was also named Podcast of the Year by the Associated Press. Since its launch in 2016, Tenderfoot TV has surpassed 500 million downloads as a company, including 185 million downloads in 2019 alone.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will honor the most entertaining and innovative podcasts of 2019 and will span 30 categories, celebrating the incredible talent and wide variety of leaders across the booming podcasting industry. Nominees were announced on November 12 and include podcasts from all creators, distributors and platforms with a panel of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries determining the winners across categories including Music, Comedy, Crime, News, Sports & Recreation, Food, Business & Finance and more. Podcast fans themselves will once again decide the winner of the Best Podcast of the Year award through social voting on Twitter through January 10. Select category winners will be announced during the live show and stream filled with unique celebrations at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles. For a full list of categories, visit iHeartPodcastAwards.com.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of incredibly successful, nationally recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartCountry Festival, iHeartRadio ALTer Ego and iHeartRadio Wango Tango. Executive producers for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards are John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Conal Byrne for iHeartMedia and Augie Max Vargas.

The Auto Leasing App That Redefined The Leasing Experience Expands into New Markets and Rolls Out Its First Major Multiplatform Marketing Campaign With The Nation’s Leading Audio Company

New York, NY – December 17, 2019 – Rodo (Rodo.com) the only App that empowers consumers to lease a car in minutes announced today a multi-platform marketing partnership with iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America. The new marketing campaign will empower Rodo to present its value proposition to more than 90 percent of the US market and kicks off today in 10 states on 48 iHeartRadio stations and 700 podcasts across the country. Rodo will also expand its innovative auto leasing product into three new major markets including Chicago, Columbus, and Atlanta.

“iHeartMedia has a unique understanding of their on-the-go audience especially with relation to automotive sales and branding. We believe that iHeartRadio listeners will enjoy shopping for and leasing their next vehicle in minutes rather than spending days going from dealership to dealership,” said Nathan Hecht, CEO and Founder of Rodo. “We recently introduced auto insurance to the marketplace and we are now excited to announce our first major audio marketing campaign which will help us build further awareness of our product and services as we launch into new markets.” Rodo auto insurance is a significant product expansion to bring the entire new vehicle transaction online. Consumers can choose from three leading insurance carriers and get real time quotes for the vehicle they are leasing and bind a policy at the point of sale in the app. 

“We recently commissioned an intensive automotive industry study that uncovered several best practices in how to plan an effective automotive radio campaign and we are excited to leverage these new findings in this marketing partnership with Rodo, introducing our listeners to this innovative and convenient new way to lease a car online,” said Peter Volynsky, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Ventures for iHeartMedia. 

How Rodo Works

Rodo lets a perspective leasee view vehicles bydisplaying live inventory from local dealers with actual monthly lease payments. With its proprietary technology Rodo shows the best price available and automaticallyapplies all available rebates, incentives, taxes, and discounts. The app lets the user filter through inventoryby make, model, monthly payment, or by specific vehicle features and the orderingexperience is quick, easy, and secure with free home delivery. Additionally, in an industry-first, Rodo now makes it incredibly easy to shop for auto insurance from major carriers at the point of purchase all online. 

About Rodo

Rodo is the fastest and easiest way to lease a new car without ever stepping foot in a dealership. Leveraging proprietary technology and the inventory from thousands of dealer partnerships nationwide, in real-time, Rodo puts hundreds of thousands of vehicles in the hands of consumers.  Rodo offers a simple, mobile-first, three-step leasing process and free delivery. Founded in 2016 as Honcker by CEO Nathan Hecht along with co-founders Amir Lahav and Zorah Anapolsky, Rodo is backed by IAC, Evolution VC Partners and Lead Edge Capital. Rodo is based in New York City with operations in every major U.S. market. For more information, please visit Rodo.com.

Event Will Also Feature Performances by Billie Eilish, The Black Keys, blink-182, The Lumineers, Rex Orange County and SHAED

Hosted By Woody of iHeartRadio ALT 98.7’s Nationally-Syndicated The Woody Show

New York, N.Y. – December 5, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the number one audio company in America, which also has a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, announced today that Coldplay will join the lineup for the third annual iHeartRadio ALTer EGO Presented by Capital One. The sold out event, hosted by Woody of iHeartRadio ALT 98.7’s nationally-syndicated The Woody Show, will also feature performances from Billie Eilish, The Black Keys, blink-182, The Lumineers, Rex Orange County, SHAED at the historic, “Fabulous” Forum in Los Angeles on January 18, 2020 to celebrate everything Alternative Rock.

The star-studded event will livestream exclusively on LiveXLive.com and broadcast live across over 70 Alternative and Rock iHeartRadio stations.

Through January 10, iHeartRadio will give Alt-Rock fans across the country the opportunity to win a trip to Los Angeles to attend iHeartRadio ALTer EGO. The promotion will run across more than 85 Alternative, Rock and Classic Rock 90s iHeartRadio stations.

Capital One is the national presenting partner for iHeartRadio ALTer EGO. Additional proud partners of this year’s event include Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, Movember, Musician’s Institute and My Computer Career.

iHeartRadio ALTer EGO is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of incredibly successful, nationally recognized concert events, including the iHeartRadio Music Festival, iHeartRadio Music Awards, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour Tour presented by Capital One, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, the iHeartCountry Festival Tour presented by Capital One, iHeartRadio Wango Tango and the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.

iHeartRadio ALTer EGO is an iHeartMedia Production. For more information, visit iHeartRadio.com/alterego.

Artists and/or events subject to change or cancellation without notice.

About Capital One

At Capital One we’re on a mission for our customers – bringing them great products, rewards, service, and access to unique and unforgettable experiences they are passionate about. Capital One is a diversified bank that offers products and services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients. We use technology, innovation and interaction to provide consumers with products and services to meet their needs. Learn more at capitalone.com/access.

About the Forum
The award-winning "Fabulous" Forum, located in Inglewood, CA, is the largest indoor performance venue in the country designed with a focus on music and entertainment, in addition to select sporting events. The interior of the bowl features flexible seating that ranges from 17,500 seats to 7,000 seats, enabling the venue to attract a wide variety of premier events. Fans at the Forum enjoy approximately 8,000 square feet of event level hospitality offerings, including merchandise, along with food and beverage options from some of SoCal’s most celebrated brands. A tinted glass wall separates this concession area from the arena, ensuring fans do not miss a moment of the performance. A 40,000 square foot outdoor terrace surrounds the perimeter of the building and offers food and beverage options, as well as comfortable furnishings, to further elevate guests’ enjoyment. The Forum delivers a one-of-a-kind experience for all thanks to its superior acoustics, intimate ambiance and state-of-the-art facilities. Designed with entertainers and performers in mind, the venue includes nine, star-caliber dressing rooms that provide unparalleled comfort. The Forum is part of The Madison Square Garden Company’s portfolio of iconic venues, which also includes: New York’s Madison Square Garden, the Hulu Theater at MSG, Radio City Music Hall, the Chicago Theatre, the Boch Center Wang Theatre, and the Beacon Theatre. For more information, please visit www.fabulousforum.com.

iHeartRadio Digital Expands Team into Nashville, Creating New Jobs and Further Accelerating Product Growth and Innovation in Emerging Tech Hub

New York, New York – December 2, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in the U.S., today announced that it has selected Nashville as the location for iHeartRadio’s second digital headquarters, further expanding its current New York-based digital team; creating new jobs; and building on iHeartRadio’s continued growth and innovation as the leading audio platform for consumers across the country.

Nashville -- best known as one of the nation’s leading music scenes – also continues to see rapid growth in the technology space, with a wide range of companies – from small tech startups to major Fortune 500 companies – building offices and hubs in the Music City.  Nashville’s music culture, eccentric vibe and lower cost of living continues to attract young and inspiring millennials, students and startups.  Nashville also is home to 20 universities and colleges with a number of highly regarded technology programs, fostering some of the strongest tech talent in the country today. 

“As we continue to invest in our ad tech, products, research, sales and content, and further build on the success of our digital service, this is the right time to expand our digital team -- and what better location than Nashville, given that music is at the heart of our business,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio.  ”Nashville’s technology ecosystem is thriving, and combined with the city’s rich history in music, entrepreneurial spirit and diverse culture, we believe this is the perfect location for us to extend our digital leadership and recruit highly-skilled and passionate candidates for our second iHeartRadio Digital headquarters.”

“We can think of no better place than Nashville for iHeartRadio to establish its second digital headquarters,” said Bob Rolfe, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. “For generations, music has been ingrained in Tennessee’s culture, economy and way of life. iHeartRadio’s new operation is the perfect fit for Tennessee’s growing tech scene, and we’re proud to welcome one of the world’s leading entertainment companies to the Volunteer State.”

Since its official launch as an all-in-one digital service in 2011, iHeartRadio has grown to become the number one streaming broadcast radio platform -- with six times the digital listening of the next largest commercial broadcast radio company. With iHeartRadio, listeners can stream thousands of live broadcast radio stations, hundreds of thousands of podcasts, music playlists, custom Artist Radio stations and on demand, everywhere, on every device.  The digital app now has more than 135 million registered users and is available on over 250 platforms and over 2,000 different connected devices — including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions and gaming consoles. The iHeartRadio service and brand has also expanded internationally with licensed partners in Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

More details about the new office, which will be located in the heart of Nashville, will be announced soon.  Opening its doors in Q1 2020, the new location will be home to a new hub for the iHeartRadio digital product team, which will be making additional technology advances in conjunction with its teams in New York, San Antonio and Silicon Valley.

“At iHeart we operate as talent first in the same spirit of entrepreneurship found in successful startups,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. “We are excited to expand our NYC digital team into Nashville and tap into this city’s diverse pool of high tech and creative, ambitious talent. As the leading audio company in America, this new facility will allow us to continue to deliver the best content, cultivate even more innovation and drive further listener growth and revenue opportunities to our advertisers.”

“We are excited about iHeartRadio's expansion in the Nashville region. Music continues to be an integral part of our culture, community and economy. IHeartRadio's decision to focus their North American growth in Nashville is a testament to our vibrant music scene, our talented workforce and robust business climate.” said Ralph Schulz, President and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

iHeartMedia plans to begin hiring immediately in Nashville for positions in engineering, product development, data science and more.  All applicants can visit https://jobs.iheart.com/. For all other iHeartMedia positions, applicants can visit www.iHeartMediaCareers.com

iHeartMedia and Masterworked Media Team up to Bring Season Two of the Hit Scripted

“True Crime” Podcast to Millions of New Listeners

Kevin Pollak and Patton Oswalt Join Returning Stars Joe Manganiello, Constance Zimmer, Alfred Molina and Others for Season Two

LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK – November 26, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the No.1 commercial podcast publisher globally, and Masterworked Media creators Ryan Martz and Oliver Vaquer team up to bring season two of “The Angel of Vine,” the hit scripted mystery podcast starring Joe Manganiello, Constance Zimmer and Alfred Molina to the iHeartPodcast Network. Season two is set to launch Spring 2020. Listeners can binge all of season one now on iHeartRadio and everywhere else podcasts are available.

 “The Angel of Vine” tells the story of a present-day journalist who uncovers the audio tapes of a 1950s private investigator, voiced by Joe Manganiello, who cracked the greatest unsolved murder mystery Hollywood has ever seen – known as The Angel of Vine – and kept it a secret. Season two will pick up where season one left off, bringing listeners back in time to 1959, Palm Springs, California, with another victim, new suspects and clues that lead back to The Angel of Vine.

“I absolutely cannot wait to dust off Hank’s recorder and reunite with the Angel of Vine team to see what twisted mayhem Oliver and Ryan have in store for us for season two,” said Manganiello, star of ‘The Angel of Vine.’ “I loved working on season one and was thrilled by the overwhelmingly positive response and hunger for more adventures in this rich and addictive world.”

“The Angel of Vine” features the one of the largest celebrity casts in an audio drama to date and since its season one launch, has attracted an impressive fan base that has attributed to its more than one million downloads. In season two, actors Kevin Pollak and Patton Oswalt will join the star-studded cast, one as a greedy land developer and the other as well-connected informant from the seedy underground of Palm Springs. The first season included actors Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”), Alan Tudyk (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), Alfred Molina (“Feud”), Constance Zimmer (“House of Cards”), Khary Payton (“The Walking Dead”), Mike Colter (“Evil”), Misha Collins (“Supernatural”), Cree Summer (“Queen Sugar”), Oliver Vaquer (“Jane the Virgin”) and Camilla Luddington (“Grey’s Anatomy”) – many of which will return for season two.

"We wanted to make a scripted podcast that was engaging and entertaining,” said Ryan Martz, co-founder of Masterworked Media. “We collaborated with an ensemble of incredibly talented actors and sound designers to make that possible. It was also important to us to make it appealing to the non-fiction listeners in a format that they’d recognize. After launching ‘The Angel of Vine’ independently, we’re thrilled to join the iHeartPodcast family for our second season. It’s exciting to have such great partners that can introduce our podcast to a whole new audience.” 

“Working with the Masterworked team on ‘The Angel of Vine’ is incredibly exciting for me as a fan of great stories,” said Holly Frey, Podcast Lead Executive Producer for iHeartMedia. “In a time when true crime is all the rage in podcasting, they take that idea in a new direction through fiction to craft a finely tuned narrative that is scary and revelatory, but always engaging and one of the best scripted podcasts in the industry. The cast is spectacular, and the podcast has gained a massive following because of their performances and the show’s haunting story — it’s something that people want to binge. I feel so honored to work on bringing this title to the iHeartPodcast Network and really fortifying our fiction offerings with more quality content.”

iHeartRadio is available on more than 250 platforms and 2,000 different connected devices — including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions and gaming consoles. Visit iHeart.com/apps to download the iHeartRadio app and listen to season one of “The Angel of Vine” on your favorite device now. 

About Masterworked Media

Masterworked Media was founded as a podcast production studio by Oliver Vaquer and Ryan Martz. Created out of their mutual love of storytelling and shared experience in the voice over world, they independently produced The Angel of Vine with the goal of creating quality scripted audio content with an ensemble of incredibly talented actors and sound designers.

Study Finds Radio Drives First Time Customers to Business Websites; and Reach, Frequency and Endorsements Play a Key Role in Successful Radio Marketing

Findings Upend Many Common Advertising Industry Misconceptions

Results Were Presented During a Special Workshop at the Automotive Analytics & Attribution Summit on November 19

New York, NY – November 19, 2019 – Marketing attribution software company LeadsRx and iHeartMedia today released the findings from their new marketing attribution study focused on automotive radio advertising. In 2018, the automotive industry accounted for $1.2 trillion in motor vehicle sales and parts sales in the U.S. The study upends common advertising misconceptions about the ways consumers shop online for cars and highlights radio’s key role in driving immediate and measurable results for automotive businesses. 

The study found that radio reaches new potential customers; the majority of radio attributable web traffic is from new customers who had never previously visited the site; endorsements drive two times the response and produces optimal results because radio is a companion; and the top factors for successful radio marketing are reach and frequency. In addition, the study uncovered several best practices in how to plan an effective automotive radio campaign leveraging dayparts, days of week, ad length, and the number of radio stations included in the campaign.  

As one of the largest studies ever conducted for automotive radio advertising, iHeartMedia and LeadsRx used advanced marketing attribution technology to analyze the impact of radio advertising over the course of 17 months, for more than 300 automotive advertisers, across nearly 2 million commercials and across all major automotive brands. The findings were shared during the “Turbocharge Your Radio Spots. The Top 5 Attribution Secrets Discovered From Over 300 Automotive Advertisers” workshop at the Automotive Analytics & Attribution Summit on November 19. 

“The iHeartMedia/LeadsRx study provides a great deal of insight and helps automotive advertisers to get the quantifiable results they need to develop the most effective advertising strategy,” said John Karpinski, Executive Vice President of Automotive Business Development and Partnerships for iHeartMedia, Inc. “Importantly, the use of attribution upended several commonly held industry misconceptions as to what makes for a successful advertising campaign. We are now fully committed to marketing attribution to drive 100 percent of our automotive advertising business.”

There are several misconceptions about the most effective media, days, time, advertisement length and advertising budget in regards to automotive ads. iHeartMedia/LeadsRx’s study uncovered five important takeaways:

• Radio drives immediate web traffic response for automotive advertisers. Automotive advertisers earned an average 17 percent lift in web traffic attributable to radio marketing. In addition, the web traffic response is immediate – within 10 minutes of hearing a commercial.
• For optimal results, advertisers should air ads seven days per week versus just on specific days. Those who advertise seven days a week saw +90 percent greater results than those who advertised three to four days per week. Automotive advertisers running only in the second half of the week are missing out on the opportunity to capture online shoppers in the early portion of the week.
• Car shopping aligns with radio listening because car shopping is primarily a daytime activity, which is also when radio has its largest audience. The study found web traffic response to advertising is two times greater from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. than in evenings or overnight. 
• The study found that automotive advertisers who found the best results used multiple ads of varying lengths. Campaigns with multiple ad lengths outperformed campaigns with single ad lengths by over two times. Advertisers seeking to build additional reach and frequency with a limited budget may see improved results by adding :05s and :15s ads to existing schedules, when the message applies.   
• Overall, the most important determinant for a successful market campaign is reach and frequency – that is, the number of people who hear your ad, and the number of times they hear it. Running 10 commercials per day using a mix of ad lengths, dayparts, stations and days of the week can lead to a two times greater web traffic response rate. 

“iHeartMedia is taking a leadership role in the broadcast industry by leveraging marketing attribution in strategic-level discussions with its advertisers,” said AJ Brown, CEO of LeadsRx. “The goal of any attribution study is to demonstrate how to make campaigns more effective and this study confirms that advanced attribution helps automotive businesses to plan, measure and evaluate their advertising.” 

iHeartMedia has worked with LeadsRx on advanced attribution solutions for broadcast advertisers since 2018.  

To receive the complete iHeartMedia/LeadsRx marketing attribution study “Five Secrets for Automotive Advertisers” please visit https://leadsrx.com/automotive-study to download a copy. Visit the LeadsRx Marketing Attribution Blog for additional perspective about the study and its benefits to advertisers.

About LeadsRx

LeadsRx offers a cross-channel marketing attribution SaaS platform that has been used by more than 20,000 businesses around the world. The company's attribution software provides marketers an unparalleled, unified view of campaign performance across advertising mediums throughout the entire customer journey. Marketers who use LeadsRx reduce customer acquisition costs to improve overall return on ad spend and bottom-line profit. Consumers benefit by seeing fewer, more-relevant advertising from brands. More information can be found on the company’s website at LeadsRx.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leadsrx

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadsrx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadsrx/

Fast-growing mobile-banking service kicks off national media campaign

in cities across the country.

Mobile banking company Varo Money, Inc. today announced a multimillion dollar marketing partnership with iHeartMedia, the number one audio company in America. Under the agreement, Varo will launch an extensive three-year campaign across iHeartMedia’s multi-platform audio network, including its broadcast radio, digital, podcast, social, and live events platforms. The deal helps build further awareness of Varo as one of the most-loved challenger banking companies in the United States and will kick off with a seven-week campaign that spans the largest radio metros in the country, including radio talent out of Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York.

Varo, whose mission is to help every person feel better about their money and improve their financial health, has nearly one million bank account customers and has seen double-digit growth since the launch of its No Fee Overdraft initiative in August 2019. The first service of its kind, Varo customers can overdraft their bank account balance up to $50 with no fee and no interest when they meet certain eligibility requirements,* offering greater flexibility for paying bills in between paychecks. Incumbent financial institutions charged $34.5 billion in overdraft fees in 2018, and the vast majority of overdraft fee revenue came from customers who could least afford it.

“Building community through our customers who live in great American cities and towns—and who connect to the trusted local radio personalities they hear every day—is central to our mission to not just improve financial standing but also empower communities that may feel underserved and overcharged by the existing traditional banking system,” said Colin Walsh, CEO and co-founder of Varo Money.  “We are thrilled to work with iHeartMedia and use their unparalleled range of audio platforms to increase our local presence in cities that have the ‘Varo love.’ Varo’s trusted banking services are flexible enough to meet the diverse needs in every city, from helping transportation workers get paid early** with direct deposit to supporting teachers to save for a rainy day with automated saving tools.”

The multi-year deal with iHeartMedia, which has more than 850 radio stations and reaches a quarter of a billion consumers every month through its broadcast radio assets alone, adds momentum to Varo’s hyper-growth around the country.

“iHeartMedia reaches more than 91 percent of Americans monthly, and Varo’s important mission of financial inclusion and education is a natural fit for our audiences nationwide,” said Peter Volynsky, iHeartMedia’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Development & Ventures. “We are delighted to work with Varo to bring valuable lifetime banking services to tens of millions of Americans.”

Varo customers can save up to hundreds of dollars in bank and overdraft fees. Customers are also eligible to get paid two days faster** with direct deposit through the bank account’s Early Direct Deposit feature. They can also set up auto-savings features to build savings and earn up to 2.80% Annual Percentage Yield*** with no minimum balance requirement with a Varo Savings Account.

Varo is the first fintech company to receive preliminary approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to open as the first mobile-first national bank.

Varo bank account services are provided by The Bancorp Bank; Member FDIC.

About Varo Money

Varo Money, Inc. (“Varo”) is on a mission to help people make progress with their financial lives. In one mobile app, Varo offers customers no-cost† premium bank accounts, high-interest savings accounts, and tech-first features to help people save and manage their money more easily. Bank account services are provided by The Bancorp Bank; Member FDIC. As a fintech leader, Varo has been granted preliminary approval for a de novo national bank charter by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and is working to become the first mobile-centric national bank in U.S. history. Varo Personal Loans are offered by Varo Money, Inc., under state licenses, subject to application approval. For more information, visit www.nofeeoverdraft.com or www.varomoney.com, like Varo on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter@varomoney.

*To be eligible for No Fee Overdraft, customers must make at least 5 qualifying debit card purchases each calendar month; receive payroll or government direct deposits of at least $1,000 each calendar month into their Varo Bank Account or Savings Account; and opt-in to the program via the app on their mobile device.

**Faster access to funds is based on comparison of traditional banking policies and deposit of paper checks from employers and government agencies versus deposits made electronically. Direct Deposit and earlier availability of funds is subject to payer's support of the feature and timing of payer's funding.

***To earn 2.80% APY, the Savings Account balance must be $50,000 or less and the customer must meet both of the following requirements.  If the Savings Account balance is above $50,000, or both of the following conditions are not met, the APY will be 2.02% on the entire Savings Account balance:

1. Receive payroll or government direct deposits totaling at least $1,000 each month into the Varo Bank Account
2. Use the Varo debit card to authorize at least 5 purchases each month (excluding ATM or Over-the-Counter Cash Withdrawals and P2P transfers)

New customers seeking to qualify for 2.80% APY will first need to set up direct deposit and receive their debit card in the mail and activate it.  Until the qualifying direct deposit(s) are posted and debit card purchase transactions made, they will earn 2.02% APY.

The APYs are accurate as of November 1, 2019; rates are variable and may change. There is no minimum balance required to open the account. Balance in Savings Account must be at least $0.01 to earn interest.

†Varo charges no fees for banking services. While Varo does not charge fees for ATM withdrawals, some third-party ATM operators may charge a fee. To avoid ATM fees altogether, customers can use an Allpoint^® Network ATM. There are more than 55,000 Allpoint locations worldwide.

“The Daily,” “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Stuff You Should Know,” 

“My Favorite Murder,” “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend,” “Revisionist History,” 

“The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “The Dropout,” “The Shrink Next Door” and 

“The Read” Nominated for Best Podcast of the Year 

NEW YORK – November 12, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, today announced the nominees for the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards on Friday, January 17 at 8 p.m. PT held at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles. Fans across the country will also be able to tune in to the second annual live awards event via a LiveXLive stream and on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide. The event will honor the most entertaining and innovative podcasts of 2019 and will span 30 categories, celebrating the incredible talent and wide variety of leaders across the booming podcasting industry. 

Podcasts nominated for Best Podcast of the Year include “The Daily,” “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Stuff You Should Know,” “My Favorite Murder,” “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend,” “Revisionist History,” “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “The Dropout,” “The Shrink Next Door” and “The Read.” Additional nominees include podcasts from all creators, distributors and platforms with a panel of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries determining the winners across categories including Music, Comedy, Crime, News, Sports & Recreation, Food, Business & Finance and more. Podcast fans themselves will once again decide the winner of the “Best Podcast of the Year” award through social voting on Twitter now through January 10. More information can be found at iHeartPodcastAwards.com.

In addition, the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will present three Icon Awards to pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture. The winners for the 2020 Pioneer Award, Social Impact Award and Innovator Award will be announced at a later date.

Last year’s winners of the inaugural iHeartRadio Podcast Awards included Slate’s “Slow Burn” for Podcast of the Year; “Up and Vanished” for Best Crime Podcast; “The Joe Rogan Experience” for Best Comedy Podcast; Marc Smerling, host of “Crimetown” and “The RFK Tapes,” for Podcast Innovator; “Fantasy Footballers” for Best Sports Podcast; and Dax Shepard and Monica Padman of “Armchair Expert with Dax Shephard” for Breakout Podcast of the Year, among many other categories and winners. The 2019 event featured appearances by award nominees, celebrity presenters and other special guests including Mike Tyson, Dax Shepard, Jillian Michaels, Jana Kramer, Topher Grace, Dr. Drew, Becca Tilley, Scheana Shay, Dean Unglert, Vanessa Grimaldi, Jake Brennan, Charlamagne Tha God, Holly Frey and more. NPR was also honored with the first-ever iHeartRadio Podcast Pioneer Award. 

This year’s category finalists (by alphabetical order) are:

Best Podcast of the Year (Socially Voted Category)

• “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf) 
• “My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark” (Exactly Right) 
• “Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries) 
• “Stuff You Should Know” (iHeartRadio) 
• “The Daily” (The New York Times) 
• “The Dropout” (ABC News) 
• “The Joe Rogan Experience” (Independent) 
• “The Read” (Loud Speakers Network) 
• “The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio) 
• “The Shrink Next Door” (Wondery/Bloomberg) 

Best Comedy Podcast

• “Comedy Bang Bang” (Earwolf & Scott Aukerman)
• “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf)
• “My Dad Wrote A Porno” (Independent) 
• “The 85 South Show” (Independent) 
• “The Joe Rogan Experience” (Independent) 
• “The Read” (Loud Speakers Network) 
• “The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Crime Podcast

• “Crime Junkie” (audiochuck) 
• “Hit Man” (iHeartRadio) 
• “Man In The Window” (L.A. Times/Wondery) 
• “Root of Evil” (TNT & Cadence 13) 
• “The Clearing” (Pineapple Street Media/Gimlet) 
• “The Shrink Next Door” (Wondery/Bloomberg) 
• “White Lies" (NPR) 

Best Music Podcast

• “All Songs Considered” (NPR) 
• “Bobbycast” (iHeartRadio) 
• “Broken Record with Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam” (Pushkin Industries) 
• “DISGRACELAND” (iHeartRadio) 
• “expediTIously with Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris” (PodcastOne) 
• “Song Exploder” (Radiotopia) 
• “Sound Opinions” (WBEZ Chicago) 

Best News Podcast

• “Pod Save The World” (Crooked Media) 
• “Post Reports” (The Washington Post) 
• “The Daily Zeitgeist” (iHeartRadio) 
• “The Daily” (The New York Times) 
• “The Journal” (The Wall Street Journal & Gimlet) 
• “Today, Explained” (Vox) 
• “Up First” (NPR) 

Best Sports & Recreation Podcast

• “30 For 30” (ESPN) 
• “Fantasy Footballers” (Independent) 
• “Knuckleheads” (The Players' Tribune) 
• “Pardon My Take” (Barstool Sports) 
• “Sports Wars” (Wondery) 
• “The Bill Simmons Podcast” (The Ringer) 
• “The Herd w/ Colin Cowherd” (iHeartRadio & FOX Sports Radio) 

Best Overall Host - Male

• Aaron Mahnke (iHeartRadio) 
• Bill Simmons (The Ringer) 
• Glynn Washington (WNYC) 
• Jonathan Van Ness (Earwolf / Stitcher) 
• Malcolm Gladwell (Pushkin Industries) 
• Marc Maron (Independent) 
• Roman Mars (Radiotopia) 

Best Overall Host - Female

• Amanda Seales (Starburns Audio)
• Anna Sale (WNYC) 
• Holly Frey (iHeartRadio) 
• Jenna Wortham (The New York Times) 
• Kelly McEvers (NPR) 
• Nora McInerny (American Public Media) 
• Rachel Maddow (MSNBC) 

 Best Business & Finance Podcast

• “Business Wars” (Wondery) 
• “How I Built This with Guy Raz” (NPR) 
• “Marketplace” (American Public Media) 
• “The Chris Hogan Show” (Ramsey Network) 
• “The Indicator from Planet Money” (NPR) 

Best Pop Culture Podcast

• “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast” (iHeartRadio) 
• “Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe” (PodcastOne) 
• “Pop Culture Happy Hour” (NPR) 
• “Talk Is Jericho” (Westwood One) 
• “The Breakfast Club” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Food Podcast

• “Doughboys” (HeadGum/Doughboys Media) 
• “Gastropod” (Independent) 
• “The Splendid Table” (American Public Media) 
• “The Dave Chang Show” (The Ringer & Majordomo Media) 
• “The Sporkful” (Dan Pashman & Stitcher) 

 Best Wellness & Fitness Podcast

• “Happier with Gretchen Rubin” (Gretchen Rubin/The Onward Project) 
• “Last Day” (Lemonada Media) 
• “Life Kit” (NPR) 
• “Therapy For Black Girls” (Independent) 
• “Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel” (Esther Perel Global Media/Gimlet) 

Best History Podcast

• “1619” (The New York Times) 
• “Lore” (Independent) 
• “Mobituaries with Mo Rocca” (CBS) 
• “Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries) 
• “Stuff You Missed In History Class” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Kids & Family Podcast

• “#MOMTRUTHS with Cat & Nat” (Independent) 
• “Brains On!” (American Public Media) 
• “Story Pirates” (Gimlet) 
• “The Longest Shortest Time” (Stitcher) 
• “Wow In The World” (NPR)

Best Fiction Podcast

• “Blackout” (Endeavor Audio & QCODE) 
• “Carrier” (QCODE) 
• “Limetown” (Two-Up) 
• “Passenger List” (Radiotopia) 
• “Welcome To Night Vale” (Night Vale Presents) 

 Best Science Podcast

• “Hidden Brain” (NPR) 
• “Invisibilia” (NPR) 
• “Science Vs” (Gimlet) 
• “StarTalk Radio” (Independent) 
• “Stuff To Blow Your Mind” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Technology Podcast

• “TechStuff” (iHeartRadio) 
• “This Week In Tech” (Independent) 
• “Reply All” (Gimlet) 
• “Recode Decode” (Recode) 
• “Vergecast” (The Verge) 

Best Ad Read 

• “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” (Armchair Umbrella) 
• “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf)
• “Pod Save America” (Crooked Media) 
• “Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries) 
• “The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Political Podcast

• “Intercepted” (The Intercept) 
• “NPR Politics” (NPR) 
• “Pod Save The People” (Crooked Media) 
• “Political Gabfest” (Slate) 
• “The Ben Shapiro Show” (The Daily Wire) 

Best TV & Film Podcast

• “Binge Mode” (The Ringer) 
• “How Did This Get Made?” (Earwolf) 
• “Rewatchables” (The Ringer & Bill Simmons) 
• “Straight Up with Stassi” (Radio.com) 
• “The Bechdel Cast” (iHeartRadio)

 Best Spanish Language Podcast

• “El Cine De LoQueYoTeDiga” (LoQueYoTeDiga) 
• “El Show de Piolín” (Eduardo “Piolín” Sotelo | reVolver Podcasts) 
• “Nadie Sabe Nada” (Cadena SER) 
• “Radio Ambulante” (NPR) 
• “TED en Español” (TED) 

Best Advice/Inspirational Podcast

• “Call Her Daddy” (Barstool Sports) 
• “Dear Prudence” (Slate) 
• “Death, Sex & Money” (WNYC)
• “Life Kit” (NPR) 
• “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations” (OWN) 
• “Terrible, Thanks For Asking” (American Public Media) 
• “Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer” (HeadGum) 

Best Beauty & Fashion Podcast

• “Dressed: The History of Fashion” (iHeartRadio) 
• “Fat Mascara (At Will Media) 
• “Forever35” (Independent) 
• “Naked Beauty” (Independent) 
• “The Cut On Tuesdays” (Gimlet) 

 Best Travel Podcast

• “On She Goes” (Independent) 
• “Overheard at National Geographic” (National Geographic) 
• “She Explores” (She Explores) 
• “The Wild” (KUOW) 
• “Travel with Rick Steves” (Independent) 

Best Spirituality & Religion Podcast

• “A Little Juju Podcast” (Independent) 
• “Almost 30” (Independent) 
• “Elevation with Steven Furtick” (Elevation Church) 
• “On Being with Krista Tippett” (On Being Studios) 
• “The Joel Osteen Podcast” (Independent) 

Best Green Podcast

• “Climate One” (The Commonwealth Club) 
• “Drilled” (Critical Frequency) 
• “Sustainability Defined” (Independent) 
• “Terrestrial” (KUOW News and Information) 
• “Warm Regards” (Independent) 

Best Branded Podcast

• “Camp Monsters” (REI Co-Op) 
• “Going Through It” (MailChimp) 
• “NBC’s Songland” (NBC) 
• “Spit” (23&Me) 
• “Trained” (Nike) 

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of incredibly successful, nationally recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartCountry Festival, iHeartRadio ALTer Ego and iHeartRadio Wango Tango. 

Select category winners will be announced during the live show and stream filled with unique celebrations at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles. For more information visit iHeartPodcastAwards.com.

Executive producers for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards are John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Conal Byrne for iHeartMedia and Augie Max Vargas.