Is Google the only company in the world that understands the potential for open-source advertising models?

Today’s washingtonpost.com reports on a new Google program that lets users create and book ads on any radio station, using Google for the entire deal.

Here’s how it works, as described by The Post:

A small advertiser logs into Google's Web site and creates a radio ad campaign online, selecting the geographical area, demographics of the radio audience, time of day and radio format. The advertiser bids on how much it is willing to pay to buy the air time, but doesn't know the exact station that will carry the ad.

If the advertiser doesn't already have a radio ad created, Google provides access to on-air talent and producers who bid on the job, allowing the two sides to negotiate the price and content.
The radio stations can see how many advertisers bid on each slot, listen to an ad and choose or reject one -- all online. Google makes a commission off of the transaction with the radio station.

You might remember that Google recently started a similar program with newspapers. Before that it tried a program for magazines. And the whole experiment started with its online AdSense program. Eventually, Google is going to get another one of these right.

There will be up and down sides to letting Google explore this territory all on its own. The company will have to spend an enormous amount of money to create these programs from scratch. The next company won’t have to blaze the trail.

Problem is that with a situation like this, it’s entirely possible for Google to gain so much market share that there won’t be a next company.