Goom Radio launched today with the mission of “reinventing radio for the Internet generation.” Led by a team of some of the brightest minds from both radio and technology, Goom Radio plans to launch its U.S. service later this year. They are showing the service at this year’s Hot Freaks at SXSW.
The executive team is led by chief executive officer Rob Williams, who most recently served as President and Market Manager for Clear Channel New York, and chief sales officer Drew Hilles, who led dMarc Broadcasting, through an acquisition by Google, where he served as a director for four years.
The company will maintain operations in Jersey City, where it has taken over the historic Z100 (WHTZ, New York) studios. Williams brings 18 years of experience to Goom Radio. Before joining Clear Channel, he was a leader at AMFM, Inc. Hilles was most recently director of audio content partnerships and ad sales for Google and joins Goom with more than 17 years of Internet and broadcast advertising and sales experience.
Additionally, Tim Herbster, who was most recently music director for New York’s Z100, one of the world’s most successful radio stations, will serve as head of programming for Goom Radio. With fifteen years in radio content experience across genres and leading radio markets, Herbster will help define the different Goom Radio stations and programming options.
“We have put together a stellar team, all with a strong background in radio and an eye toward the future of programming for the Internet generation,” said Williams, “to establish Goom Radio as a unique alternative to what is currently available in the world of online music. Our objective is to create remarkable radio experiences, something we feel the current generation of online offerings has not really focused on, truly bringing together the best of both the radio and the Internet.”
The leadership team is rounded out with its marketing leaders Hayeon Kim and Adam Klein, both joining from past positions at Google. With proven success in France, Goom Radio will be adapted to meet the varying needs of the U.S. market. Goom Radio France launched in 2008 and is led by Emmanuel Jayr and Roberto Ciurleo, former executives at NRJ, France’s number one radio station.
If you go to the site, you can sign up to be become a beta user of the service.
