I though this was part of a strategy aimed at strengthening the medium against emerging radio competitors by making it easier to find stations of interest by increasing web presence through sharing. The concept is that if you want to find any interesting listening check your local radio website.

It’s a co-opetition or frenemies approach – working together to protect the medium while still competing for local listeners and advertisers.

Unless you’re sharing data across sites why would you need and API?

Ho ho! Crikey, no! (grin)

Not entirely sure whether it’s a good idea for me to post my API paper here; I’ll have a think about it.

If I read between the lines it points to the fact that organizations banding together can solve problems, and deliver new value, for their common audience that cannot be addressed any other way. And in the battle of mediums – ensures that radio remains competitive against alternative mediums.

I’m assuming that the API will be accessed in a widget that stations put on their web sites – and once a listener lands on any station web site (shown a preference for radio) they will be directed to the station that most matches their interest.

This co-opetition should make for a stronger industry – and as a result generally stronger stations.