As 2006 becomes the year in which the monetization of digital media moves forward, here are two blows against the incumbent radio empire:

**Podtrac, a leader in connecting podcasters and advertisers, today announced the availability of the first on-line advertising auction to determine ad rates for the podcasting market.  Podtrac also announced that beginning today, advertisers and advertising agencies can buy advertisements in individual podcasts from Podtrac.  To facilitate ad sales, Podtrac offers customized podcast media plans, access to Podtrac Demographic Profiles and Podtrac Media Kits.  The combined ad offerings give the advertising industry, for the first time, the services they need to include podcasting in their advertising and media strategies.

**Google Inc. announced it has agreed to acquire dMarc Broadcasting, Inc., a Newport Beach, Calif.-based digital solutions provider for the radio broadcast industry.

dMarc connects advertisers directly to radio stations through its automated advertising platform. The platform simplifies the sales process, scheduling, delivery and reporting of radio advertising, enabling advertisers to more efficiently purchase and track their campaigns. For broadcasters, dMarc's technology automatically schedules and places advertising, helping to increase revenue and decrease the costs associated with processing advertisements.

In the future, Google plans to integrate dMarc technology into the Google AdWords platform, creating a new radio ad distribution channel for Google advertisers.