iHeartMedia Hearts ‘American Idol’

• iHeartMedia will celebrate Sunday’s Season Two premiere of American Idol on ABC with a radio special hosted by Ryan Seacrest, who just happens to also be the host of Idol. The 30-minute special will be broadcast on Sunday (between 11am and 4pm local time depending the station and market) across more than 90 iHeartMedia AC and Hot AC radio stations and feature songs from current American Idol judges and past contestants, along with exclusive content, ahead of the show’s two-hour season premiere that night at 8pm ET on ABC.

Along with Seacrest, judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie are returning this season, along with iHeartMedia personality Bobby Bones, who will take on the role of in-house mentor.

As part of the promotion, local iHeartMedia stations in key markets will feature a commercial-free American Idol afternoon drive takeover on Wednesday, March 6 to promote the show’s second premiere-week episode, which airs that night at 8pm ET. In addition to playing today’s biggest hits, the hour-long broadcast will include special audio content from the show. The Idol promotion will also feature content from the show on iHeartMedia’s national and local brand social platforms.

“American Idol continues to be one of America’s favorite singing competition shows,” said Adrienne Pabst, EVP, Connections & Agency Partnerships at iHeartMedia. “We can’t wait to help ABC celebrate its return with a week of amazing content across iHeartMedia’s extensive network of media platforms that will make music fans across the country even more excited for the premiere.”