08.19.2009 – The nation’s third-largest radio group covering more than 50 major markets is the first leading media company to adopt iMapWeather, a new application that combines the power of social networking with real-time, street-level weather information.

The radio group is now using iMapWeather on nearly 250 of its stations’ websites, including WBAP in Fort Worth, KABC in Los Angeles, and WABC in New York. The application allows visitors to post photos, videos and share “eye-witness” weather reports. The new widget provides the most advanced global weather detection and forecasting technology available anywhere.

iMapWeather uses Google Maps, user-friendly navigation tools, and social media features such as photo- and video-sharing and Twitter-like bursts of text. The Flash widget version has an embed code that can easily be copied and pasted into any website for free. As such, iMapWeather.com serves as a hub for a larger network of iMaps® hosted on more than 700 other websites to date, from schools and sports organizations to TV and radio stations.

The free iMapWeather widget includes an advertising engine that delivers revenue to all “affiliate” organizations that post it on their websites. The advertising is weather and location-specific and is embedded within the iMapWeather application. For instance, cafés can choose to advertise hot chocolate only where it is snowing on the iMap, or an iced beverage when temperatures rise above 90º F.

Affiliates share in iMapWeather’s advertising revenue and control which ads they accept; they do not have to lift a finger to sell advertising. Instead, companies go directly to iMapWeather.com to purchase ads.

"iMapWeather is a completely new online phenomenon -- a whole new way of accessing and sharing vital weather information for millions of people,” said Stuart Balcom, president of the Balcom Agency. “The media industry has everything to gain by adopting this free weather service, and their viewers will love it.” The agency created the site in a joint venture with Weather Decision Technologies, Inc.

iMapWeather’s design offers the easiest, most enjoyable way to get weather conditions and view the highest-resolution radar images available online. iMapWeather deploys a proprietary Flash application integrated with the Google Maps API. It provides Doppler Radar, satellite imagery and the most sophisticated forecasting available anywhere.