Pay-per-call advertising pioneer Ingenio and podcast ad network and audience measurement firm Podbridge have teamed up to integrate Ingenio's performance-based ad listings within Podbridge's podcast network - an industry-first combination, according to the companies. "As far as we know, this is the first time podcasts are being monetized with pay-per-call ads," Ingenio CEO Marc Barach is quoted by ClickZ as saying. The move may also be positioning the company for expansion into radio.

Podbridge's network consists of mainstream podcasters, including the BBC, Clear Channel and Bloomberg. Its ads were previously sold exclusively through a relationship with online radio ad rep firm Ronning Lipset Radio. It can serve ads dynamically and target them by demographics or geography.

The podcast channel extends Ingenio's audio ad operation, which it began late last year with a deal to distribute previously text-only ad listings to 1-800-FREE411, a free, ad-supported phone directory service - and later with free 411 company 1-800-IDEAS.

Previous coverage:

- Ingenio Pay-per-Call Ads on SMS-Based 411 Service
- Pay-per-Call Proponents Want to Click with Agencies, SEMs
- Podbridge Launches Podcast Ad Network
- Ingenio, InfoSpace Partner for Pay per Call
- Google Tests Click-to-Call Ads
- Yahoo Testing Ingenio Pay-Per-Call Ads
- MSN Buys Net-Phone Startup; Pay-per-Call Possible for adCenter
- Ingenio Debuts Pay-per-Call Tools
- Miva to Build U.K. Pay-Per-Call
- Kelsey: Pay-Per-Call Adoption Coming
- AOL Search to List Ingenio Pay-per-Call Ads