My Life As An iPhone Reporter

4-2-15

How are your reporters covering news today? For nearly two decades, Neal Augenstein has been an award-winning reporter with WTOP-FM and wtop.com. He's believed to be one of the first major-market radio reporters to do all his field reporting on an iPhone. The Newseum recently displayed one of Augenstein's phones as "an artifact of the new era of mobile-empowered reporting," according to the tech site Mediashift, where  Augenstein  reflected on his five years as an iPhone reporter.

Augenstein  says technology has evolved, along with journalists' job descriptions. And WTOP's focus changed from being the top-rated radio station to being a multi-platform digital news organization. And he goes on to say how emerging platforms and social media have changed the fast-paced game of news even more.

Augenstein says that, in 2015, photo and video-sharing sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are where news is broken, "generally in visually-oriented, easily-digested tidbits." He says Facebook has altered its mobile app to provide similar features to Instagram (now owned by Facebook), which boasted over 300 million active users in 2014. "Visual storytelling apps such as Steller, Storehouse, and JamSnap provide an alternative to traditional news packages and can be used in conjunction with those legacy packages, to remain engaged throughout the day with listeners, viewers, and users."

Augenstein argues that despite warnings that professional journalists are becoming extinct, trusted and trained journalists are more valuable than ever. "With so much 'noise' online, and as business models continue to change, I believe there will always be a need for accurate, ethical, and creative storytelling."

Read the entire article at Mediashift HERE and check out Neal's website called http://iphonereporting.com/

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Have an iPhone? Check Out Swipe Radio

1-2-2015

One of the things that makes radio amazing is its simplicity and ease of use. Let's face it, grandma may not be able to figure out how to work the universal remote, but she'll have no problem tuning a radio. Swipe Radio takes the simplicity of swiping on your iPhone and marries it with the ease of use of radio. It's a brilliant app and should be an inspiration to broadcasters and developers alike.

When you first launch the app, SwipeRadio asks to access your location in order to show your local stations. Once that's done, you can then tap to start listening and add the station to your favorites. Once set up, you simply tap the screen to start or stop the station?s live stream, and flip through your favorite stations by swiping your phone?s screen. SwipeRadio may not be feature rich, but it's simplicity in action. The app is available on the AppStore for $2.99. 

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No, The iPhone 6 Doesn't Have FM

9-9-2014

With much fanfare (and a system crash), Apple debuted the new, larger iPhone -- the iPhone 6 -- Tuesday, along with the Apple Watch, the tech behemoth's first venture into the smartwatch market. And, unfortunately but unsurprisingly, the feature-filled iPhone 6 and pricier iPhone 6 Plus do not include an active FM chip.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus include a new chip, fingerprint-based Touch ID, an 8-megapixel camera, and the iOS 8 operating system. They also boast faster wireless and increased battery life.

But even as NextRadio and TagStation gain momentum -- they'll surely be the focus of much attention at the Radio Show this week -- and FM chips are rolled out in more devices, little has been said about any sort of effort to get FM into iPhones. Apple, of course, runs iTunes and Apple Radio, and isn't likely to step up on FM without considerable consumer demand. Whether that will come from the company's still-fiercely loyal post-Steve Jobs fan base remains to be seen.

The Apple Watch, which requires an iPhone and is due early next year, offers Siri commands, messages and texting, a phone, e-mail push alerts, customizable watch faces, and various "Digital Touch" features. (But no radio.)

(9/10/2014 12:20:03 AM)
Too bad it doesn't have FM radio. Only reason I paid $150 for newer iPod was for FM radio. I already own an iPhone, iPad (2), & MacBook Pro. But I like to listen to FM radio in the stadium for Michigan State University Football games. WiFi is very iffy in the stadium, & my data package would not handle Fall broadcasts of 3.5 hrs of football for more than 1 game each month from a local station. Simple request from someone who spends a lot of $ w/Apple. This doesn't even count husband's devices.

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New iPhone Could Move More Ad Revenue To Mobile

9-2-14

There's a lot of ad money moving over to the mobile space with many forecasters predicting that will continue as the technology improves. There's certainly no sign that consumers plan to spend less time with their mobile devices any time soon. Marketers are betting on a better user experience for ads, according to an article in AdWeek, when the new iPhone 6 is released September 9. Leaked images show a larger screen than any current model, 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. AdWeek says the change comes just as mobile ad leaders like Facebook and Twitter are selling more rich media, video, and in-feed promos. Managing partner at MEC Gian LaVecchia agrees. ?Folks gravitate to the larger screen, and some think ?banner ad,? but that?s outdated thinking. We?re seeing programming delivered through mobile feeds. And there?s going to be a new richness to the canvas.?

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Personal Streaming From Your Iphone

by Dan Halyburton

Everyday sees a new app for the iPhone and Android. The apps range from serious to silly. File FlipZu in the seriously cool category with some great potential for talent who want to engage their audience in a very personal way. FlipZu is a free personal audio streaming app that lets you go ?live? with an audio broadcast and tells your social circle to join you for the fun.

Instant one to one broadcasts from any place at anytime. I can think of a ton of creative, one to one uses for FlipZu. I hear an on air staffer filing reports from the lawn at a big concert or broadcasting a funny bit from the drive thru at Jack in the Box. A news staffer (there have to be a couple left) can file and post instant reports from the scene of a breaking story.

When you log into FlipZu using Twitter or Facebook, your broadcast will post as ?LIVE? A link will return your listener to your ?broadcast?. When the show is over, a recording of the broadcast is ready for playback.  The early users of the app appear to be Spanish speakers but Robert Scoble (well known tech evangelist) has found it and is posting with FlipZu. Now the ?social? component can kick in.

Create a unique Twitter account and focus your broadcasts by personality or create a Facebook fan page with a targeted use. I would keep this as voice only for quality reasons (sounds decent) and to keep Sound Exchange away from your door. Now get out there, have some fun and innovate. You have a microphone and transmitter in the palm of your hand. Let me know, how you will FlipZu?

DanHalyburton is EVP McVay Cook and Associates and can be reached at 214-707-7237. Follow Dan @danhalyburton. E-mal Dan at  dan@halyburton.com

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Jelli Upgrade. Adds Live Chat to iPhone App.

The new Jelli 2.0 App is now available in the iTunes store. It includes the new chat feature along with several other features and improvements. The company says the navigation is improved to make it easier for users to access voting, sharing, search, favorites and the station's playlist history. The tuner also has a new landscape making it easier to browse stations by genre and what's currently broadcasting on FM. The company says the new look and feel of the App makes it "look more like Johnny Cash and feel more like a Little Red Corvette."

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