A major update for the Radio Disney application for iPhone and iPod touch, which has exceeded 1 million installations, is now live in the App Store.

The update, using the multitasking functionality of Apple's iOS4, lets listeners stream Radio Disney while using other features and applications on their device. The updated Radio Disney application also lets users request songs, learn of events, and send shout-outs to Radio Disney and to the network's on-air personalities.

The new version also extends new enhancements to Radio Disney advertisers with featured in-app placement. The application is free, but access to the premium features costs $2.99.

Mobile Marketer?s Dan Butcher interviewed Sean Cocchia, senior vice president and general manager at Radio Disney, headquarted in Burbank, CA. Here is what he had to say:

What was Disney's strategy behind the launch of the new update for the Radio Disney app?
When we launch Radio Disney products, like our iPhone/iPod touch application, we are constantly evaluating the product to see how we can improve and enhance the user experience.

The original application has been successful, with more than 1.1 million downloads to date, and we really wanted to continue developing the product addressing some feedback from our audience on a couple different areas like multitasking functionality and geotargeted information.

We know that our audience is constantly evolving how they use digital media and it is important for us to stay informed of those changes and evolve our products accordingly.

Additionally, we recently commissioned a study inclusive of kids 9-14 and their parents and one of the relevant findings showed that nearly nine in 10 kids listened to music as recently as yesterday with 59 percent listening for one-to-two hours.

Since we know music is so meaningful to our demographic, we are happy that our multitasking functionality will now allow them to keep the stream playing while also doing other functions on their devices.

What is the target demographic?
Our target demographic for our application parallels that of our network and our multiple platforms, which is inclusive of kids, tweens and parents.

How will Disney get the word out about it and drive downloads?
Our updated application is something we are excited about and want to continue growing our number of downloads.

Our plan right now is to use a multifaceted approach inclusive of digital media advertising with our mobile partners including a Tapulous promotion, on-air promotion on both Radio Disney and Disney Channel, online through Disney.com and RadioDisney.com, and on the local level, we are working with our station group of more than 35 terrestrial stations to get the word out about our geotargeted functionalities.

Since there are so many great new features to talk about, we foresee our marketing initiatives to be ongoing, which will give us the ability to focus on function-specific messages.

Which brands are advertising/sponsoring the app?
One of the most exciting things about our updated application is that it opens up a whole new opportunity for our sales team to provide clients with in-application advertising.

Since this is a brand new feature, we do not have any brands yet, but are confident that this will provide an added opportunity for existing clients and help forge conversations with new clients.