FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks this week visited an early adopter of FM geotargeting in Las Vegas.
According to a press release from GeoBroadcast Solutions, Starks visited Radio Activo Broadcasting FM stations KADD and KXLI, where he saw an implementation of the company’s MaxxCasting technology and heard about its plans to start ZoneCasting on KADD.
Starks has been a proponent of allowing geotargeting using FM boosters, such as will be provided by the ZoneCasting product.
“In his remarks to the station staff, Commissioner Starks commended KADD for its leadership in embracing innovative technologies,” according to a summary in the GBS press release.
“He emphasized the significance of these technologies in promoting community-specific content, particularly for minority communities, and expressed his pride in the FCC’s role in making this technology available.”
KADD plans to use ZoneCasting to broadcast very localized content and sell ads tailored to distinct geographical areas.
“Las Vegas itself will operate as one zone, encompassing the main signal and three boosters that will deliver content specific to the Las Vegas area,” the company stated.
“St. George, Utah, forms another distinct zone, with four boosters broadcasting content customized for St. George without relying on the main Las Vegas signal. This capability allows KADD to broadcast specialized content to different states, across different time zones, and, when necessary, even in different languages — creating new opportunities for audience engagement and revenue generation.”
Starks was given a driving tour to observe handoffs between three antenna sources in the Las Vegas zone.
GBS quoted Fabian Saldivar, programming director and air talent at Radio Activo, saying that the increase in coverage will allow the stations to better serve the Latino community of Southern Nevada, particularly an underserved Hispanic community in St. George.
