Radio giant Clear Channel rebrands as iHeartMedia amid digital land grab

Clear Channel built a glimmering empire atop FM broadcasting, until digital music players and streaming services came along and stole the show. Now, as Clear Channel scrambles to grow its digital services, the company announced a bold rebrand today; Clear Channel is now “iHeartMedia,” named after the company’s iHeartRadio online radio station streaming service.

iHeartMedia is coming out with guns blazing following its rebrand, declaring in a corporate press release that its iHeartRadio service has already reached “70 percent consumer awareness.” iHeartMedia claims iHeartRadio hit 50 million registered users at a rate “faster than any digital music service.”

However, the monopolistic media company made at least one exception to the company-wide rebrand; “Clear Channel Outdoor,” the company’s outdoor advertising operation, will retain its name.

iHeartRadio was created in 2011 and in three short years completely transformed 42-year-old Clear Channel.