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Former Panasonic Automotive Electronics Executive to Develop Automotive and OEM Alliances

14 June 2000

Jeff McGannon to head new USA Digital Radio Detroit office as Director, OEM Business Development

    COLUMBIA, MD - USA Digital Radio, a digital broadcast technology company owned by the nation's largest broadcasters and other prominent media, technology and investment companies, today announced that Jeff McGannon, a former executive at Panasonic Automotive Electronics Company, has joined the company as Director, OEM Business Development.

    McGannon, who will head USA Digital Radio's new Detroit office, will be responsible for developing strategic alliances with automobile manufacturers and their radio and telematics suppliers to develop the next generation of AM and FM radios using USA Digital Radio's Digital Audio Broadcast technology, iDAB(TM).

    McGannon joins USA Digital Radio after spending nearly a decade at two of the world's leading suppliers of automotive entertainment and information systems, Panasonic and Pioneer. Most recently, McGannon served as Panasonic's Director for the General Motors and European Business Division, responsible for sales, marketing and customer service. Prior to joining Panasonic, he was the OEM Manager at Pioneer Electronics USA, responsible for managing key OEM accounts, including Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and Class 5-8 truck markets.

    As USA Digital Radio's Director of OEM Business Development, McGannon will pursue strategic alliances with automakers to incorporate iDAB technology into their vehicles. McGannon will also work closely with telematics organizations to develop business plans that make use of the array of new data services enabled by iDAB technology. iDAB is designed to allow future AM and FM radio signals to be broadcast digitally, offering consumers CD-like sound quality without interference, and a wide range of new wireless data services that will be displayed on next generation radios.

    "Hiring Jeff and opening a Detroit office are significant additional steps toward developing partnerships with the major auto manufacturers, as they prepare for the biggest change to radio since its introduction over 70 years ago," said Robert J. Struble, President and Chief Executive Officer, USA Digital Radio, Inc. "Jeff's experience working with the major automakers while at Panasonic and Pioneer makes him the perfect choice to lead our automotive and OEM initiatives."

    iDAB is a broadcasting technology that uses the current radio spectrum to transmit existing AM and FM analog simultaneously with new high-quality digital signals. iDAB is designed to provide a unique opportunity for broadcasters and listeners to convert from analog to digital radio without service disruption while maintaining current dial positions of existing stations. Listeners who purchase digital radios would receive their favorite radio stations with superior sound quality free from static, hiss and noise. Additionally, listeners would have the capability to receive new wireless data services displayed on a radio screen, similar to those offered on web-enabled cell phones and pagers, such as station and program content, stock and news information, local traffic and weather, and much more.

    About USA Digital Radio, Inc.

    USA Digital Radio (www.usadr.com) is developing and marketing an IBOC DAB technology, called iDAB, for AM and FM radio. Owners of USA Digital Radio include fifteen of the nation's largest radio broadcasters, and other prominent media, technology and investment companies: ABC, Inc., New York ; Allbritton New Media, Inc., Washington, DC; AMFM, Inc., Dallas, Texas ; Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc., Naples, Florida ; Bonneville International Corporation, Salt Lake City; Chase Capital Partners, New York, an affiliate of Chase Manhattan Corporation ; Citadel Communications Corporation, Las Vegas ; Clear Channel Communications, Inc. San Antonio ; ComVentures, Geneva, Switzerland; Cox Radio, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia ; Cumulus Media, Inc., Milwaukee ; DB Capital Partners, New York; Emmis Communications, Indianapolis ; Entercom Communications Corporation, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania ; Flatiron Partners, New York; Gannett Company, Inc., Arlington, Virginia ; Grotech Capital Group, Timonium, Maryland; Harris Corporation, Melbourne, Florida ; Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, Dallas ; H & Q Venture Associates, San Francisco;; J&W Seligman & Co. Incorporated, New York; Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, New Jersey; Pequot Capital, Westport, Connecticut; Pictet, Geneva, Switzerland; Radio One, Inc., Lanham, Maryland ; Regent Communications, Inc., Covington, Kentucky (RGCI); Riggs Capital Partners, LLC, Washington, DC; Saga Communications, Inc., Grosse Pointe, Michigan (AMEX: SGA); TI Ventures, Dallas; Viacom International, Inc., New York ; Waller-Sutton Media Partners, New York; Whitney & Co., Stanford, Connecticut and Williams, Jones & Associates, Inc.
    USA Digital Radio's efforts include development agreements with outside parties, including Xetron, Cincinnati, Ohio; Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS), Erlangen, Germany; BittWare Research Systems, Concord, New Hampshire; Nautel Limited, Nova Scotia, Canada; QEI Corporation, Williamstown, New Jersey; Broadcast Electronics, Quincy, Illinois; Kenwood, Tokyo, Japan; Texas Instruments, Dallas, Texas; Continental Electronics Corporation, Dallas, Texas; Andrew Passive Power Products, Gray, Maine; Energy-Onix, Valatie, New York; Orban, San Leandro, California; Shively Labs, Bridgton, Maine; Telos Systems/Cutting Edge, Cleveland, Ohio; Digital Radio Express, Milpitas, California; Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), Norwood, Massachusetts, Armstrong Transmitter, Marcellus, NY; Dielectric, Raymond, ME; Jampro RF Systems, Sacramento; and Moseley, Santa Barbara, CA.; SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan; and Lowpass Prototype, Raymond, Maine.