VeriSign tunes into Clear Channel deal

Clear Channel Radio selected VeriSign Inc. to launch a suite of mobile radio services for the broadcast giant. Clear Channel in May announced a mobile effort that the company said would expand to around 100 of its U.S. stations by the end of 2008.
Clear Channel’s deal with VeriSign will enable listeners to “send text messages directly from their mobile device to the studio, participate in contests, receive an alert before their favorite song plays, make requests and dedications, and view the last 10 songs played on their favorites stations,” according to both companies.
The deal is also expected to spur the development of a new WAP mobile portal for each station and a J2ME portal that can be installed on consumers’ mobile devices designed to enable listeners to access station-specific services or purchase content.
“Consumers increasingly prefer mobile devices for accessing content and services, a trend that is prompting the world’s largest brands to make mobile communications an integral part of their marketing campaigns,” said Oliver Holle, VP of mobile applications at VeriSign. “We are excited to work with Clear Channel Radio to help them strategically leverage America’s passion for mobile applications messaging to extend its brand beyond the radio dial and open new avenues for building incremental revenue and listener loyalty.”