Select Beantown listeners could soon hear something different on 104.5 XLO (WXLO). Cumulus Media plans to bring ZoneCasting to the station in the first quarter of 2027. In partnership with Aktira, Cumulus says the approach lets the station serve specific parts of Greater Boston while keeping the reach of FM.
Cumulus did not specify which exact communities fall inside the zone or how many listeners it will cover, except that the geographically targeted ads will air east of Route 128 while everyone else hears the primary broadcast.
ZoneCasting uses FM boosters to swap in different audio, such as commercials, for listeners in a defined zone while the main signal continues elsewhere. Current FCC rules allow boosters to originate up to three minutes of unique content per hour.
Cumulus Media Vice President/Market Manager Bob Goodell said, “Cumulus is bringing together two complementary technologies to make local radio more relevant and measurable.”
GeoBroadcast Solutions Chief Executive Officer Chris Devine said, “Cumulus is demonstrating what the next generation of local radio can look like. This deployment preserves the broad reach of FM while giving the station greater flexibility to serve the distinct communities within a large, diverse market.”
