Gordon, who was the lead negotiator for A2IM in the pending announcement, tells FMQB that final details may take "a few days," but "we have an understanding in principle. We have agreed to agree, which is always nice."

Details of the breakdown of half-hours per radio company are still being worked out. Gordon says they were first looking for a "basic level of commitment which shows that this is being taken very seriously. We also have to respect that every radio group will implement them with different programming concepts and points of execution. We certainly respect that and will work with them on an individual basis to make sure this is successful. We're not trying to make it one-size-fits-all. We're trying to be flexible within their programming philosophies. That's what makes us good as indies. We are agile. We are forward thinking and willing to work with radio to herald this relationship for the right reasons."

One question among some programmers that FMQB talked to today found them wondering if the programming half-hours needed to run in blocks. Some stations feel they have two or three hour programs dedicated to new music equally from both independent and major labels. So would that type of programming fulfill the pending agreement?

"We've looked at it in principle as an indie programming block," explained Gordon. "There may be variations on a theme, depending how a station is formatted and their relationship with the market. But the block is the first operative principle. From there we have to see what type of programming fits in best with what the listener is experiencing. We don't want to be considered out of context, but we want to have that point of recognition. The whole point is indie content is being isolated as something very special and an important segment of the programming."

Asked if stations could relegate the half-hour blocks to their HD channels, Gordon replied, "This is terrestrial right now."

Gordon also wanted to stress that he sees this agreement as "not the end of a negotiation, but the start of a relationship. Maybe we are starting with 8,400 half-hour blocks, but that could double or triple. This is really the hope and the promise of two sectors coming together to add a freshness to the approach. We really can't do it without radio."