Mobile news from the AP
Posted on April 19, 2008
Filed Under: Work
Tagged: ap, iphone, media, mobile, news
Am I missing something here? Does the newly announced Mobile News Network from the AP actually add any value to my mobile experience?
The AP is going mobile. The nonprofit news cooperative, which recently beefed up its entertainment news staff, announced the formation of the Mobile News Network, which will deliver news to smart phones including Apple’s iPhone.
The AP’s CEO, Tom Curley, went on to state in Monday’s announcement that “the Mobile News Network will provide a national platform for smart-phone users to access local content from brands they trust.”
Note to Tom and the rest of the AP staff: I already get international, national, and local news from you on my iPhone (http://news.google.com/m). What’s more, I’m able to customize the results, meaning I don’t have to read the trash churned out by your “recently beefed up its entertainment news staff”.
If companies are going to come out with new product announcements, they darned well ought to be able to explain what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and what value it provides to the customer. Perhaps the AP needs to hire someone with some PR skills.
Local media using Twitter
Posted on April 08, 2008
Filed Under: Richmond, Work
Tagged: interactive media division, local, media, media general, news, twitter
I just talked to a co-worker, Ryan Squire, the Managing Editor at NBC-4 WCMH-TV, our NBC station in Columbus, OH. Ryan and his crew recently fired up a Twitter account for the station.
Ryan understands the value of Twitter as a communications tool for the station but he and the staff are taking it one step further by maintaining personal accounts which let you look in on the inner working of the newsroom.
Recent staff tweets include:
LaurenDiedrich: Is working on a super secret sweeps piece!
NBCSquire: Working with the desk to cover several afternoon shoots, including a cat stuck in a tree for 5 days!
Jason_WCMH: Getting details regarding a Washington County deputy that has been shot in the face with a .22 caliber rifle. Suspect is on the loose.
They’ve also received some praise on the270, a central Ohio resource site.
Channel 4 twitters! Much like the Dispatch does.
But what’s so much cooler, is that so does some of WCMH’s employees. I follow them, and it seems like I’m ease dropping a bit as to what’s on tap for the evening news. But that’s a good thing. Because they’re *building a relationship* with me (whether they know it or not). When they say they’re sending the feed of some report for editing, I want to watch it. Thus, I’m going to watch Channel 4’s newscast over the others.
Cheers to Channel 4! Now I’m off to see if the other stations are a cool as them.
Nice work Ryan!
I wonder if we’ll see any other outlets adopt Twitter soon.
Would you follow them?