Online radio 101.RU, created by Prof Media in 1996, pioneered the concept of Internet radio broadcasting in Russia.  From four musical themes at inception, the station has grown to meet the increasing demands of its rapidly expanding customer base in Russia and abroad and now offers more than 200 types of Russian music from sister stations to fit all audience preferences from rock to jazz to classical to disco and more.

More than 3 million unique listeners per month tune into one or more of the musical offerings offered by the online radio portal. Today, radio 101.ru is a virtual “Radio City” for Russian listeners everywhere, boasting an audience of which nearly thirty percent tune in from 70 countries.

Prof Media hired VIAcode to build a mobile app for Windows Phone users to access their online radio programs ‘on the go’. The VIAcode team utilized the latest Microsoft UX trends in designing the interface. Leading edge techniques for both front and back-end functionality ensures a smooth, positive user experience, as evidenced by the five-star rating the app has achieved in the Windows Phone Store.

The new mobile app mimics the look and feel of the 101.RU website and enables listeners to bookmark and play their favorite channels with a single touch. Users can retrieve special info on the tracks, view recent playlists and access all available stations from wherever they are – from the car or at home, from the office or a coffee shop. The app is available for free download by clicking here.

Already, RU.101 for Windows Phone has climbed to the Top 20 list of apps in the Windows Phone Russia store. The VIAcode team is setting up a Russian user group so listeners can offer feedback and suggest enhancements for the next version.  After just six months in the market, there have been 100,000 downloads from users in 114 countries.  It has been rated as the #1 app in the music category and #6 app overall In Russia.

Dmitry Osin, Broadcast Development Director at ProfMedia, noted, “The Windows Phone market is growing rapidly in Russia and it is part of our mission to deliver music on every major listening platform.  VIAcode made this possible for us by creating the best Windows Phone music listening experience on the market today.”