Z100 Announces Third Annual "Z100's Hometown Hero Competition Presented by State Farm®"

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The world-famous Z100, New York's Hit Music Station, announced today the launch of Z100's third annual Hometown Hero competition presented by State Farm®.  Tri-state area musicians will compete to win the chance to perform live at the Z100 and Coca-Cola All Access Lounge at Hammerstein Ballroom, which serves as the pre-event to Z100's annual holiday concert, Jingle Ball on Friday, December 7.  The winner will be determined with the help of the digital media company, Eventful, and its unique "Demand it!"® social media platform, which empowers hopefuls to Demand the winning spot.  Last year's winner, New Jersey native Ali Brustofski, performed in front of more than 10,000 attendees at Z100 Coca-Cola's All Access Lounge and was a part of a star-studded line up that included Hot Chelle Rae, The Script, Karmin, and Mindless Behavior.  She then went on to become a finalist on this season's CW music competition show, The Next.

From Wednesday, October 10 until Thursday, November 1, at 12:00 p.m. ET, unsigned artists and bands from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are invited to sign up for the chance to win Z100's Hometown Hero contest at www.Z100.com keyword: Jingle Ball.  Fans can vote for their favorite artist or band at http://eventful.com/Z100, and are encouraged to spread the word virally, inviting their friends to demand their favorite artist or band through Facebook and Twitter.

The top 25 artists with the most demands will move to a semi-finals round, which will be narrowed down to the final five by an A-List panel of music industry judges.  Judges include Producer/Songwriter Claude Kelly; Jacqueline Saturn, Senior Vice President of Promotions, Epic Records; David Dyer, Vice President of Pop Promotion, Warner Brothers Records and executives from Clear Channel Media and Entertainment including Tom Poleman, President, National Programming Platforms, Sharon Dastur, Program Director, Z100; Darren Pfeffer, Vice President of Music & Entertainment Marketing, and Zena Burns, Vice President of Digital Programming Platforms. Clear Channel Media and Entertainment; The ultimate winner will be selected by fans, who will have the chance to vote online once again.  The winner will be announced LIVE on November 30, at 7:00 p.m. EST by Z100 ZJ Mo' Bounce and will have the honor to perform amongst the amazing talent at this year's Z100 and Coca-Cola All Access Lounge.

"Z100 has a long established history of introducing new artists to our listeners.  Z100's Hometown Hero gives aspiring talent the opportunity to take the stage and perform at a star-studded event," said Darren Pfeffer, Vice President - Music & Entertainment Marketing, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.  "The contest allows our community to decide who could be the next big name in the music industry."

Hometown Hero is an extension of Z100's commitment to supporting emerging independent musicians by sharing original music with an engaged public audience.  As part of a company-wide focus on championing locally-grown music, Z100 continually offers both an online and on-air platform for developing artists through its weekly NEW! Discover & Uncover program.

Z100's Jingle Ball 2012 will take place at Madison Square Garden on Friday, December 7.  For up-to-minute information on Jingle Ball 2012 listen to Z100, New York's Hit Music Station, or log on to www.Z100.com, keyword: Jingle Ball.

About Z100:
Owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications, Inc., WHTZ Z100 is "New York's Hit Music Station" with more than 4.8 million listeners per week.   Z100, consistently rated the No. 1 Contemporary Hit Radio station in the U.S., is home to popular morning radio program, "Elvis Duran and the Z100 Morning Show," a nationally syndicated program heard on 40+ stations across the United States.  Additional information on the station including upcoming events and air personalities is available online at www.Z100.com.

About State Farm:
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

About Eventful, Inc.:
Eventful is the leading digital media company connecting consumers with live entertainment, movies and local events. Over 20 million people use Eventful to find out what's happening and decide what to do. Eventful partners with leading brands and entertainment properties to reach consumers and drive commerce through a unique and targeted blend of digital, social media and direct marketing.  Eventful's unique social media service "Demand it!" empowers consumers to influence the content and location of entertainment and live events. Learn more, visit Eventful.

SOURCE Z100