BREAKING NEWS: CBS offers personalizable radio service.

Story by Inside Radio

Becoming the first terrestrial broadcaster to unveil a Pandora-like service, CBS Radio today announced that it will now offer consumers the ability to create their own online stations via one-click functionality integrated into its Radio.com player.

Taking advantage of more than 4.5 million artists and nearly 12 million tracks from sister company Last.fm’s library, the player will provide listeners with a nearly endless number of free streaming experiences across broadcast, online and personalized radio.

Last.fm, which has more than 40 million users worldwide, employs “scrobbling” technology to track the music users play on Last.fm, Radio.com and on more than 600 music applications. Last.fm then uses the collective intelligence to recommend the songs and artists that power its personalized radio stations.

Using the “create a station” button just added to the Radio.com player, a listener can enter an artist and hit the play button to hear their personalized radio station. Related music will populate the station with the ability to love, ban, and skip tracks as appropriate. In addition, the user can create a different station, or return to their favorite CBS Radio station, or one of its streaming partners.

“CBS is in the unique position of programming to consumers who appreciate high quality local radio stations both on-air and online, but also value the ability to experiment with their own musical tastes,” CBS Interactive Music Group president David Goodman says. “We can easily accommodate the listener’s needs as a result of combining our breadth of assets, and by using them in a way that complements their inherent strengths and value proposition.

“Premium content from major market brands like KROQ and WXRT, for example, is in high demand and will continue to foster growth online for many years to come. But in a world where consumers expect more and more control over their audio consumption we’re pleased to provide them with the best of both worlds.”