Infinity Broadcasting is trying to “Get Back” to the days when radio and the record industry enjoyed a special relationship.

The chain aired a two-hour special which premiered Apple/Capitol’s reworked Beatles album, Let It Be… Naked. The show was carried on 76 Infinity stations to a nationwide audience of more than 10 million on Nov. 13, five days before the CD hit retail.

Infinity President of Programming Andy Schuon, with his experience on the label and MTV side, has been trying to bridge the gap between the radio and record industries with promotions like these.

“This is an example of the kind of thing we’re trying to do more of by reaching out to the record industry and going to where the listeners are,” he says. “We had everyone from oldies, classic rock, APM and AC outlets to news and talk stations carrying our programming.”

A one-hour Let It Be…Naked special preceded the show featuring the premier airing of the album, which was hosted by Access Hollywood’s Pat O’Brien. The record was then played and a discussion followed with an eclectic panel that included Jimmy Iovine, NSYNC’s JC Chasez, Fred Durst, Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow, Alan Parsons, Geraldo Rivera, Rolling Stone editor David Fricke and Chris Carter, host of the syndicated radio show Breakfast with the Beatles. Stations were also provided with canned short historical tidbits, including interviews with the original Beatles that ran in the weeks prior to the broadcast.

Added Schuon: “The stations participated in some or all of the programming that was put together leading up to the event, like we used to do at MTV with the Video Music Awards.”

Let It Be…Naked debuted Top Five with 270k in sales, which Schuon says is more than the label was anticipating, and he attributes it to the exposure for the show.

Schuon points to a series of ongoing promotions at the chain which combine programming with advertising, dubbed Sudden Impact. Those include A Very Special Acoustic Christmas week on all country stations supporting the Bobby Shriver album for Special Olympics. There’s also an Offspring promotion at Alternative and Rock stations, along with recent projects for John Mayer at Hot Adult and Pop and Sarah McLachlan at Hot Adult, Pop and Adult that included flying listeners to Las Vegas for a live radio concert.

But it was Infinity recognizing the importance of the Fab Four release that provided the impetus to show how record labels and radio stations can still be mutually beneficial to one another. To paraphrase another Beatles song, “All You Need Is Programming.”

“We want to be proactive,” Schuon insists. “As someone who’s crossed over from the record industry to the broadcasting business, I have tried to understand the music business’ needs. It’s a way to distinguish ourselves from the competition, and offer a complete package to help promote label releases. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mel’s shoes need another spit polish.”