SnipIT makes radio more personal

What: Hyran Media Services, Woodinville

Who: Peter Hartmaier, 53, president and CEO

Mission: Give listeners "first click" access to what they hear on the radio.

Radio days: Hartmaier remembers when radio was a robust, profitable way to get an advertising message across. It was also a time when listeners would need major investigative skills to identify a song they heard over the airwaves. He has now brought this behavior into modern times with SnipIT, which allows users to access a list of recently played songs along with live links to the advertisers broadcasting at the same time.

Through the cracks: SnipIT gives advertisers control of the audience the ad attracts. Currently, a listener may hear an ad while driving, then note some of the keywords for a subsequent Google search. This is imprecise, as the listener might not get the name correct or be sent to a page that sells similar products — sponsored by the advertiser's competitors. The advertiser then loses the sale.

Instant gratification: A text message to SnipIT including the radio station's call letters returns live links to the most recent play list, based on the newly required embedded song tags. Advertisers send listeners directly to their Web site. Additionally, the listener can identify and immediately purchase the elusive song in question.

Employees: Four

Financials: The private company does not disclose any specific financial data. Hartmaier said it will be profitable "as soon as we land one major client." No money changes hands at present; the company provides free information to listeners, along with links to the ads. Hartmaier said once broadcasters see the possibilities, they will get on board.

Around the dial: "This will give radio stations access to the revenue-generating aspects of the Internet," Hartmaier said. "In order to survive, it will need to learn how to incorporate those models."

— Charles Bermant