Google is discontinuing its Radio Ads program after a three-year trial that was meant to drive new advertisers to the medium. The move comes just after the recent announcement that the Print Ads program was also discontinued.

Google started the Radio Ads program in January 2006 when it purchased
an automation software company. It licensed the software
to radio stations and signed deals with several large
radio companies in which Google could sell
some of the on-air ad time.

 It was thought the closure of both the Audio and Print Ads business
was due to the lack of accountability when looking at the return on
investment of offline measures.

The strategy behind Google Audio Ads,
as it was with Print Ads, was to make
buying ad inventory much more efficient for the smaller advertisers
that have been instrumental in growing Googles AdWords and
find new ways to match relevant ads to audio content.

Advertisers will continue to be able to use Google Audio Ads until May 31 and broadcasters will be able to publish inventory to Google until that date as well. We will work with partners to make sure that there is as little disruption to their business as possible and will work to find a buyer for the Google Radio Automation business… we expect that up to 40 people may not be able to find other roles at Google, Google announced.

Google has no plans to cut the TV ads program as it has had good feedback from advertisers.

We have always accepted that if you take risks not all of them will
pay off, Susan Wojcicki, VP product management, expressed on the
companys blog. Deciding to close products is never easy, but we will
continue to focus on advertising products that provide measurability
for advertisers, and are relevant and useful for users, listeners and
viewers.