Backchannelmedia

MARKET WIRE

Using original content to attract a premium audience of advertisers to their Web site, Ecast Inc., which owns and operates a Location-Based Broadband Entertainment Network(TM) powering thousands of ad-serving, digital-downloading jukeboxes that reach an audience of eight to ten million people each month, will underwrite more than a dozen audio podcasts live from the Ad:Tech 05 conference in San Francisco, to give thought leaders a virtual forum to discuss how new media channels and interactive technologies are impacting the media business.

"For those who couldn't make it to Ad:Tech, this is a chance to hear what the keynote speakers and session panelists had to say on-demand," said Chris Scott, senior director of advertising business development, Ecast Inc. "By making these interviews available on our Web site, we hope to introduce interactive media planners and advertising executives to our Location-Based Broadband Network, which currently generates close to two million unique transactions each month."

All podcasts will be recorded today and tomorrow. Experts will discuss such topics as audience fragmentation, new media channels in the digital age and the shift from a traditional "push" system, where broadcasters of distribute content and set schedules, to a system where consumers "pull" their preferred content to variety of devices.

The interviews will be uploaded to http://www.ipressroom.com/pr/ecast/info/podcasts_register.asp continuously today and tomorrow. Listeners are invited to download the podcasts on-demand to their portable MP3 players, or stream the interviews on the Net. The programs are available free of charge, but registration is required.

Experts expected include:

Mon., Apr. 25

 --  John Costello, executive vice president, merchandising and marketing,     The Home Depot - leads the company's merchandising, branding, advertising,     visual merchandising, public affairs, e-business and global sourcing     initiatives --  Bambi Francisco, reporter, CBS Marketwatch - named by Adweek as "one     of the top ten most influential journalists on the Web, covering the     Internet and new technologies" --  Taddy Hall, chief strategy officer, The Advertising Reach Foundation -     a recognized authority in the fields of innovation and strategy --  Mike Shields, senior reporter, interactive media, MediaWeek - covers     interactive media, convergence, marketing and online advertising --  Carolyn Tang, affiliate manager, Orbitz.com and CheapTickets.com -     manages affiliate marketing programs --  Peter Figueredo, CEO, NetExponent - agency that specializes in online     direct marketing programs whose clients include ESPN, The Financial Times     and The New York Times --  Michael Tchong, CEO, Trendscape - named "the most influential trend-     spotter in America" by the UK's Daily Telegraph      

Tues., Apr. 26

 --  Dr. Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Annenberg School Center for the     Digital Future at USC's Annenberg School of Communication - founder and     director of the World Internet Project, which studies the effects of the     computer and Internet technology on society --  Rebecca Lieb, executive editor, ClickZ Network - covers interactive     marketing news and research, and was a former media business writer for The     New York Times and The Wall Street Journal --  Dr. Roger D. Blackwell, professor of marketing, Fisher College of     Business, Ohio State University and president of Roger Blackwell     Associates, Inc. - accomplished consultant and author on the subjects of     marketing, consumer behavior, e-commerce and business strategy --  Kris Oser, reporter, Advertising Age - covers the interactive beat and     has also covered Web and direct response marketing --  Mitch Oscar, executive vice president, Carat Digital - helps     advertisers integrate interactive television, wireless and online     applications with traditional media --  Jeff Lanctot, vice president, media, Avenue A / Razorfish - helps     advertisers integrate search, display media, video and emerging     technologies into their media buying programs      

For those not familiar with podcasting, Wikipedia defines it as "...a web-based broadcast medium in which files are made available online in a way that allows software to automatically detect new files (generally via RSS), and download them." According to an April 2005 study by Reuters using research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, "Twenty-nine percent of U.S. adults who own MP3 players like Apple Computer's iPod say they have downloaded podcast [or traditional radio] programs from the Internet."

About Ecast

Founded in 1999, Ecast Inc. (http://www.ecastinc.com) is privately owned with offices in San Francisco. Ecast owns and operates a Location-Based Broadband Network that combines a digital media proprietary software platform, a US-wide broadband network and pay-per-use devices such as ad-serving, digital jukeboxes and games consoles. The platform enables the secure delivery, management and accurate administration of rights usage. Ecast's platform has become the out-of-home digital jukebox standard, powering units built by the leading jukebox manufacturers in the United States. Visit the Ecast Internet pressroom at http://www.ipressroom.com/pr/ecast/info/

 Media contact (only): Hillary Smoot Schwartzman & Associates, Inc. Tel: 310-789-2446  

SOURCE: Ecast Inc.