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‘BusRadio’ Brings Radio with Ads to School Buses; Commercial Alert Protests

A company called BusRadio is hoping to broadcast commercial radio programs complete with ads on school buses to more than 100,000 Massachusetts students in September in a deal that will give school districts a way to raise money and marketers a way to reach students, the Wall Street Journal reports. The free service, which the company hopes to roll out nationwide in 2007, would give 5 percent of the ad revenue back to schools.

The plan calls for different programs tailored to different age groups to be broadcast to students via a customized digital player on the buses. Advertising would account for about 8 minutes per hour.

According to the company website, BusRadio has developed a proprietary closed network of school buses that “receive age appropriate programming each day as students travel to and from school. The show is geared towards entertaining the students, while also incorporating educational content and safety awareness messages.”

BusRadio has exclusive agreements with school bus contractors and school districts nationwide to outfit their fleets with the digital player. Shows are specifically targeted to schools’ geographic location, age level and ethnicity.

This marks the next in a series of battles about advertising aimed at children, and at public school students, in particular. Commercial Alert has written an open letter to Massachusetts Governor Romney asking that he halt BusRadio’s plans, according to Adrants.