• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, January 13, 2012

The nation’s largest radio broadcaster is emphasizing its growing portfolio of non-radio offerings, with Clear Channel Radio’s decision to rebrand itself as Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. The new name highlights the company’s ongoing transformation from a traditional radio broadcaster to a multiplatform content business with digital channels, including online and mobile.

John Hogan, CEO of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, stated: “Radio is both our history and the foundation upon which we will grow our company moving forward. That will not change. Clear Channel Media and Entertainment represents our evolution as we prove our relationship with our listeners is so much more than just our transmitters and towers.”

The move to rebrand the radio giant, which owns some 850 radio stations around the country, comes not long after the appointment in October of Bob Pittman as the CEO of parent company CC Media Holdings. Pittman’s appointment was followed, in turn, by the creation of a new national programming platforms team and new brand management team at Clear Channel Radio, where they are expected to exert more centralized control over formats and content.

In addition to its proliferating digital channels, the company is also placing more emphasis on experiential marketing and live entertainment, as showcased in the iHeartRadio music festival hosted by Ryan Seacrest in Las Vegas in September -- a two-day live event which reached more than 100 million with performances by Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys, among others.

The Clear Channel Entertainment and Media re-branding also highlights the company’s content-creation capabilities, including Premiere Radio Networks, which provides around 5,000 stations with programming from Ryan Seacrest and Rush Limbaugh, among others, and the Total Traffic Network, which delivers traffic reports and real-time traffic data to vehicles via in-car and portable navigation systems, broadcast media, wireless and Internet-based services to thousands of radio and television stations.