LAUNCH OF CHICAGO-BASED MOBILE APP REINVENTS RADIO NEWS FOR SMARTPHONE ERA
H2 Radio App Launching December 2013 Revolutionizes Personalized Internet Audio-Based News
Download the H2 Radio App Press Release [PDF]
CHICAGO – With a goal nothing short of overhauling the traditional radio news model for an era of Pandora, Spotify, Flipboard and Zite, a Chicago-based startup has assembled a team led by cutting-edge technologists and veteran journalists to reinvent news delivery for the mobile age.
From brand-new studios in the shadow of Willis Tower, HearHere Radio is planning to launch the H2 Radio app, giving listeners unprecedented control over what kinds of news they hear and when they hear it, and customized for wherever a listener happens to be.
“H2 Radio is everything on-the-go news enthusiasts love, and none of the stuff you hate. It’s news on your schedule: The latest traffic, weather and breaking news reports are waiting for you whenever and wherever you turn on the app,” said John MacLeod, founder and CEO of HearHere Radio, the early stage startup behind H2 Radio. “It’s ‘the top of the hour’ whenever you launch H2 Radio.”
H2 Radio will launch on the iPhone as a free app in December 2013 for Chicago and national listeners. The startup anticipates the app will expand to other markets and platforms including Android and automotive in 2014.
APP PUTS LISTENERS IN CONTROL OF THEIR NEWS
Unlike traditional radio, H2 Radio will offer news content that is topic-based, not station or channel based, so you get to decide what you want to hear when.
H2 Radio is your own Internet news radio station and puts your news at your fingertips. You get to:
- Select what categories of news you want.
- Search to find the stories that are relevant.
- Skip stories you don’t like.
- Pause or rewind – especially useful with traffic reports!
- Hear news when it’s convenient for you – at home, work, in the car or at the gym. It goes with you everywhere.
“News enthusiasts will no longer have to spend significant time monitoring a multitude of news sources. The H2 Radio app is a ‘simply engaging experience’ that delivers up-to-the-minute, personalized news,” said MacLeod.
TECHNOLOGY EMPOWERS PROGRAMMING FLEXIBILITY
What’s more, H2 Radio stories are free from the time requirements and restrictions of traditional radio news allowing for in-depth coverage of news – as much or as little as you want to hear about a story – with a diverse and deep content experience that brings in perspectives from a number of sources.
“Over the last few decades, radio stations have gradually trimmed news or eliminated it altogether. Even those with full news departments live under oppressive time limits. H2 Radio gives news a chance to ‘breathe.’ This is radio news freed of the tyranny of the clock: Stories can run as long – or as short – as needed,” said Charlie Meyerson, Head of News at HearHere Radio.
H2 RADIO IS THE FUTURE OF AUDIO NEWS
“H2 Radio is news for today’s time-compressed, mobile lifestyle with the added benefit of audio delivery so you get news on-the-go and can be part of the news conversation via a simple, easy to use experience,” MacLeod said. “The H2 Radio interactive, mobile news experience is what’s next for audio news.”Â
About HearHere Radio
HearHere Radio is an Angel-stage venture providing Internet radio services funded by its founder, friends and strategic investors and led by a team experienced in pioneering “what’s next”. HearHere Radio’s core product is “H2 Radio,” an Internet radio news application and platform delivering personalized local, national and world news. The H2 Radio app will launch on the iPhone in December 2013. For more information please visit www.h2radio.com.
