A computer system receives information snippets from a mobile device. The information snippets are extracted from a simulcast of a data stream of a radio broadcast received on the mobile device. The system identifies content metadata from the information snippets. The content metadata describes one or more features of the radio broadcast. The system selects a radio station from a radio station repository based on attributes of the radio station. One of the selection criteria is that the attributes of the radio station match at least a portion of the content metadata. The system presents a reference to the radio station to the mobile device as a recommendation.

A receiver (10) includes one or more tuners (12) and one or more controller-circuits (28). The one or more tuners (12) are operable to receive broadcast-signals (14) from transmitters. The broadcast-signals (14) include metadata (16) that includes the broadcast-station-name (18). The one or more controller-circuits (28) are in communication with the one or more tuners (12). The one or more controller-circuits (28) store the metadata (16) in a first-memory-location (32), detect metadata-sequences (38) based on the metadata (16) stored in the first-memory-location (32), count occurrences (40) of each metadata-sequence (38), determine whether the count of occurrences (40) of each metadata-sequence (38) is greater than a first-threshold (42), determine the broadcast-station-name or its sequences (18) and store the broadcast-station-name (18) in a second-memory-location (44). A method (100) of operating a receiver (10) is also provided.

A method includes identifying, from radial contours indicating listening areas for respective radio stations, each radial contour specifying a geographic location of a respective radio station and a plurality of segments surrounding the radio station, each segment defining a radius outward from the geographic location defining a boundary of the listening area for the corresponding segment, a segment of a radial contour of a radio station currently tuned to by a radio receiver for a listener location; responsive to the listener location exceeding the radial extent from the radio station for the segment, identifying an alternate radio station available for the listener location; identifying, from the radial contours and the listener location, a segment of a radial contour of the alternate radio station; and responsive to the listener location being within a radial extent from the alternate radio station for the segment, transitioning to the alternate radio station.

Implementing and applying a database with radio station information that is gathered from client devices as stations become available to a plurality of users (i.e., crowd sourced radio station information) and allowing for a client device to download only the radio station information that is pertinent to the travel route of the user and/or radio station selection criteria associated with the client device or the user. Radio station information can be rendered via a graphical interface of a client device to allow the user to informatively select a new radio station, either before or as a current radio signal degrades to the point of being unusable. Radio station information may be rendered to cause the user's terrestrial radio to tune to a new station.

A method for decoding the name of detected radio stations, the method being implemented by a receiving system including at least one radio receiver, each of the received radio signals including a digital datum corresponding, at least intermittently, to the name of the radio station, the method including the following steps: for each radio station belonging to a list of radio stations preselected from the detected radio stations, a first decoding of the digital datum at a first sampling frequency, in order to determine a probable name; for any detected radio station not belonging to the list of preselected radio stations, a second decoding of the digital datum at a second sampling frequency lower than the first, in order to determine a probable name; and measuring a quality of the radio signal and inhibiting the first and second decodings if the quality of the signal drops below a preset threshold.

A receiver and associated methods are described. The receiver comprises a first oscillator 14, a second oscillator 16, a controller 18 operable to control frequencies to which the first and second oscillators are tuned, and a discrimination circuit 24 operable to receive and monitor transmitted signals; wherein the discrimination circuit is configured to receive a signal at a first transmission frequency determined based on a first tuned frequency to which the first oscillator is tuned, and to determine, in a capture time period, whether data is being transmitted at the first transmission frequency; wherein the controller is configured to tune, in a tuning time period, the second oscillator to a second tuned frequency; and wherein the tuning time period is shorter than the capture time period.

A radio receiver of an audio system receives a radio signal that includes a main signal and a radio data system (RDS) signal. The RDS signal includes custom information associated with media content tags and synchronized with time slots in the main signal. A media streaming service identifies targeted media content based on a profile of a mobile device connected to the audio system and sends the targeted media content to the mobile device over an Internet connection. During a playing of the audio broadcast, the audio system receives a custom information in the RDS signal and sends to the mobile device a request including the media content tag associated with the custom information. In response, the audio system receives from the mobile device a targeted media content matching the media content tag. The audio system plays the targeted media content synchronized with the time slot in the main signal.

A method includes identifying, from radial contours indicating listening areas for respective radio stations, each radial contour specifying a geographic location of a respective radio station and a plurality of segments surrounding the radio station, each segment defining a radius outward from the geographic location defining a boundary of the listening area for the corresponding segment, a segment of a radial contour of a radio station currently tuned to by a radio receiver for a listener location; responsive to the listener location exceeding the radial extent from the radio station for the segment, identifying an alternate radio station available for the listener location; identifying, from the radial contours and the listener location, a segment of a radial contour of the alternate radio station; and responsive to the listener location being within a radial extent from the alternate radio station for the segment, transitioning to the alternate radio station.

A system and method for blocking normal media content signals, such as television program signals emitted on a visual display of an electronic media device and substituting alternative content for blocked signals includes a control module operable to receive a blocking command via an input device electrically connected to the electronic media device. Receiving a blocking command results in the normal content being blocked and predetermined alternative content is played for either a user specified time or a predetermined time. Control over the television or other media device may be oral via speech recognition technology.

A system and method for blocking normal media content signals, such as television program signals emitted on a visual display of an electronic media device and substituting alternative content for blocked signals includes a control module operable to receive a blocking command via an input device electrically connected to the electronic media device. Receiving a blocking command results in the normal content being blocked and predetermined alternative content is played for either a user specified time or a predetermined time. Control over the television or other media device may be oral via speech recognition technology.