Corus Entertainment and Flink Unite Music Fans, Writers and Artists Globally on Publishing Platform

Alan Cross' The Ongoing History of New Music Launches in the Flink Community

LOS ANGELES and TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2014 /CNW/ - Flink (www.flink.to), the crowd-sourced publishing platform and Corus Entertainment Inc., a leading media and entertainment company in North America, today announced a global content and promotional partnership agreement that will see a growing selection of past and new episodes of The Ongoing History of New Music, the world's longest-running radio program on new music, featured on Flink's storytelling platform. Flink, which crowd sources content from writers, artists and fans, will allow subscribers to gather and share their expertise about the program. In the process, SuperFans become part of the biggest story on rock history itself.

Hosted by legendary music journalist Alan Cross and produced by Corus Entertainment, The Ongoing History of New Music chronicles the evolution of new music through almost 700 episodes. The series profiles pioneering musicians and provides intimate insight into topics including new music's conspiracy theories, festivals, censorship, bootlegs, and more.

The Ongoing History of New Music "flink" is a super-charged collection of the program's episodes and its community of SuperFans. Flink and Corus are working together to bring the most talked about episodes to a global audience. Released monthly, they will include audio files and transcripts from episodes that will be further enhanced with exclusive content such as video interviews with Alan.

"We have been searching for a spectacular way to showcase the radio series and Flink is the disruptive platform that does justice to our vision," said Alan Cross, host at 102.1 the Edge, Toronto's alternative rock station. "This represents a revolutionary opportunity for new and longtime fans to engage with the show on an unprecedented level. Now, episodes can grow and evolve and ultimately take on a life of their own with contributions from myself, fans, and even the artists themselves."

"The Ongoing History of New Music is the type of legendary content Flink was designed to nurture on a global scale," said Allison Sweeney, Sr. Vice President of Content, Flink. "Now hundreds of thousands of SuperFans have an outlet, a community through which to share their passion, interact with other fans and even intersect with their music industry heroes like Alan Cross in a way that's never been done before."

Subscribers to The Ongoing History of New Music flink can begin contributing their expertise to episodes immediately and earn status. SuperFans will rise up the flink's leaderboard based on votes to their contributions. Also, anyone who successfully promotes the flink has the opportunity to earn a share of the flink's revenue.

"If you're a true music fan, there's just nothing like it...The Ongoing History of New Music shaped my entire life path," said 28-year-old Canadian music journalist, Julia Wallace. "From the age of seven, I spent every Sunday night sitting by the radio with a notepad waiting for Alan Cross' newest episode. On Flink, fans around the world will now have a voice in this ongoing history—it will get people excited about music again."

"This is a great opportunity to extend The Ongoing History of New Music brand and grow the series' popularity with existing and new music fans through an exciting new platform," said David Farough, General Manager, Corus Radio Toronto.  

Redefining the publishing industry, Flink is a crowdsourced publishing platform that delivers a beautiful digital experience, eclipsing the coffee table book by offering talent, writers and SuperFans a new way to create stories that evolve with more depth than any other medium can offer. Flink puts the focus back on great content by rewarding and recognizing those who create it through an innovative revenue sharing model. It's a visually stunning, ad-free storytelling platform where serious fans pay a small monthly subscription fee to come together for the love of what they love, organized into collections of stories known as "flinks."

About Flink
Launched in 2014,Flink is a crowdsourced publishing platform that connects people to the things they love in one, dynamic ecosystem. Flink lets true fans discover, share and even contribute to incredible stories from talented writers that are organized into collections known as "flinks."  From music and TV shows to hobbies and more, our vision is a flink for every passion. Flink recognizes and rewards those who create great content through the intersection of technology, gamification and the mass distribution available in the digital era. Flink is publishing redefined, crowdsourcing content by giving everyone, from writers to promoters and fans, a say in the story and a share in the revenue.

About Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based media and entertainment company that creates, broadcasts and licenses content across a variety of platforms for audiences around the world. The Company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children's book publishing, children's animation and animation software. Corus' brands include YTV, TELETOON, ABC Spark, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), HBO Canada, Historia and Séries+, as well as Nelvana, Kids Can Press, Toon Boom and 39 radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Fresh FM London, JUMP! 106.9, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus on the web at corusent.com

SOURCE: Corus Entertainment Inc.

Media Contacts: Agency, Susan Yin/Diana Bulnes, Rogers & Cowan, 310.854.8122/310.854.8180, [email protected], [email protected]; Magda Krpan, Corus Entertainment, 416.479.6054, [email protected]; Flink Corporate, Allison Sweeney, 647.402.9340, [email protected]