Radio.com was first registered by CNET, the company CBS paid $1.7 billion dollars to acquire about a year ago.
If you look at radio.com today its a simple parked page.
Incredibly strange considering CBS owns last.fm, an online radio station which it paid $280 Million for in May 2007, and over 100 on-air radio stations throughout the US.
The parked page for radio.com does not even list Last.fm or any of the other CBS properties prominently, if at all (I didn’t click on every link on the page).
A multimillion dollar category killer media domain, owned by one of the largest media companies in the world, pulling up paid search results.
I will never understand the suits.
C’mon Mike, you know how long these developers take 🙂
But Mike. Radio.com isn’t their brand. People who visit Radio.com are looking for a radio station, not Last.FM the brand that CBS owns. Come on, why would they want to “dilute the brand” they’ve spent so much building, when they can make a few dollars a day on PPC links?
Well, it’s not just the suits, take a look at Network Solutions, an internet company born and bred.
They own DomainNames.com and it wasn’t being used for anything, not even a parking page, NOTHING.
It wasn’t until someone brought it to their attention on the following blog that they started redirecting it to their main page:
http://availabledomainnames.com/2008/network-solutions-has-no-use-for-domainnamescom/
They replied:
“Hi, my name is Shashi. I work at Network Solutions. Thank you for pointing this out. You are so right. We’ll get it pointed to the main site ASAP. Much obliged.”
How about……. redirecting Radio.com to Last.FM….. Tell me that doesn’t get me promoted at CBS….Hello new suit!
Oh, goody. Think I’ll get myself a design trademark that includes the word “Radio” . . . and take it from them via a UDRP action; courtesy of WIPO.
@C_Sivertsen: Sad, but true, that suggestion would generate enough revenue for them to justify a salary.
Much better to pay some clueless ad agency big bucks to promote the brand than to take the easy way out by sending users looking for a radio station directly to one that they own.
Mad props for their fearless integrity. Jack must be one proud daddy.
@ Everyone
Are you all suggesting that in a fast paced environment such as the internet within a capitalistic society that demands so much of our time, that brand recognition is not a strong variable for the consumer decision making process?
CBS is a media ad driven company educated and brain washed to think BRANDING is KING. Ad media companies subvert non branded sites whenever possible. They simply Do Not want non branded sites to flourish. This is my opinion, whats yours?
Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie were visionaries that sold CNET way too soon. Most would argue that having acquired $200 million each from the CBS deal would make a good retirement but both have been trying to get back into the game ever since.
CBS bought the content, product reviews and positioning of CNET. The killer domain names like Search.com, Radio.com, News.com, Download.com and others where just assets that came with the deal. I really do not think they know what they have yet. I am sure they will soon enough.
Hi Mikey,
It just goes to show you that the domain industry hasn’t been doing its part to organize and educate. Period.
When we accomplish the “educate” part, enduser sales will jump, and our industry will be a gold mine.