WFNX/Boston, flagship station for the WFNX Radio Network and Snapple have announced a landmark partnership that will see the heritage Modern Rocker broadcast commercial-free for 40 days as part of a unique "brandcasting" initiative. Snapple purchased every minute of WFNX's ad time between Memorial Day Weekend and July 4, constituting the "Summer Free For All" campaign. Snapple and WFNX will work together to create nontraditional on-air messaging that both engages WFNX listeners and supports the Snapple brand.  Short messages and event announcements will be seamlessly woven into WFNX's music programming in the form of hundreds of recorded audio "collages," live DJ reads, bumpers and sweepers.

Additionally, Snapple and WFNX will be producing numerous unique concerts and promotions over the six-week period.  One such promotion is the Snapple/WFNX "Guitarmeter" - a ten-foot tall, guitar-shaped thermometer that was unveiled today by Wendy "The Snapple Lady." The gist of the promotion has Snapple handing out free samples of its products outside of popular retailer Store 24 in Copley Square each time the temperature tops 85 degrees.

"Free-For-All" concerts will feature free shows over the course of the 40 days by acts such as Dashboard Confessional, the first and largest show scheduled, and will take place at Boston's City Hall Plaza in front of 15,000 concertgoers.

Listeners will also be able to gain access to "Snapple Cap Shows" by presenting three Snapple bottle caps upon arrival. The venue will feature new Snapple products and custom Snapple cocktails. The first Snapple Cap Show will feature Hawthorne Heights on June 23, followed by Yellowcard on June 28.

Snapple will also offer opt-in mobile alerts and prize promotions via mobile media company, g8wave. FNX and Snapple street teams will also be flooding local beaches and parking lots with prizes, promotional giveaways, the latest music and concert information, and ice-cold bottles of Snapple product. 

"We jumped at this commercial-free opportunity from Snapple," said Andy Kingston, WFNX Network General Manager, "and crafted it into a bold and innovative radio brandcasting experiment.  As a pioneer of the Alternative Format, WFNX is constantly pushing the boundaries of traditional radio and this program is certainly reflective of that.  We are thrilled to be partnering with Snapple to make this 40 day commercial-free treat for our listeners possible!"

Max Tolkoff, WFNX Program Director/Operations Manager added:  "I've been drinking Snapple for many years now. I feel like an old friend has come to visit for a while. An old friend who also happens to be buying dinner for everyone for six weeks. Since we have traditionally lived our lives on the cutting edge here at FNX it's only natural that we would be one of the first stations to bring a sustained  "brandcasting" concept to radio, where traditional commercial time has been purchased by one client who's message will be incorporated, unobtrusively, into the entire personality of the station. It's a win win for everyone, especially the listeners, who will now get more music per hour."

"Forty days of commercial free radio is a huge win for WFNX and their listeners,"  said Beau Phillips, President, Rainmaker Media.    "Rainmaker's challenge was to make it work for Snapple, to weave them into the station without violating our commercial-free promise. The answer was  "Brandcasting,"  which is really product placement on the radio.  So we created Snapple-branded imaging, music features and concert events that reinforced the theme: FNX and Snapple, playing the best stuff on earth (a twist on Snapple's slogan).  As advertisers look to get more impact from their radio budget, brandcasting makes great sense.  Our plan is to continue refining our model and rolling out more programs in the future."

"This bold, ground-breaking initiative is a good reflection of Snapple's history and mission," said Holly Mensch, Vice President, Snapple. "We are excited to partner with FNX to bring Bostonians commercial-free radio, free concerts and the best free stuff on earth."

The Snapple/WFNX commercial-free concept was initiated by EMCI, a marketing collective based in New York.