Google expanding into radio

Why is Google pushing into radio? Why not? It's an advertising company, after all. And, radio is not dead. It'll be consumed on the Web eventually, and ad dollars will support it. For now, advertisers still like radio - and they really like local. Marketers are on track to place about $15.6 billion into local radio vs. $3.4 billion in national radio in 2005, according to the figures from the Radio Advertising Bureau. See RAB site

Google's purchase of dMarc Technologies, a company that automates the process between advertisers and radio stations, will at least give the search engine the technology and relationships with radio stations. Ryan Steelberg, president of dMarc Technologies, told me that his company has 100 employees and several thousand radio-station customers. There are about 13,000 radio stations across the country. Oh, and Google paid $102 million in cash, with a maximum amount of $1.136 billion over the next three years. Is that expensive? It depends on the financials. Steelberg won't disclose them, nor would he say how much venture financing the company took since its inception in 2002.

Speaking of radio, check out Pandora.