Whether you‘re a news junkie, business executive always on the go, or prefer listening to what’s going on in the world around you, just about anyone can benefit from the spoils of digital media – thanks to the onset of the Information Age.
One Fishers-based company, ListenN LLC, is providing a service that makes staying abreast of the current news easy and convenient by streaming news articles in audio format.
And now available online, for the first time – ListenN will be delivering high quality professionally recorded voiced over articles to the Indianapolis Recorder website.
“I feel this is a good way to blend the different needs of our audience,” said Shannon Williams, president and general manager of the Recorder.
“This is just an addition to our website,” Williams said, adding that the format of the website will be the same; readers will just have the luxury of listening to some articles.
ListenN was officially formed in February of this year, two years after Tim McAlpin, president of the small start up, had a moment of epiphany during a turbulent flight while on a business trip.
McAlpin said he didn’t have much of an interest in media until he reached his 30s, and felt it was his duty to be aware of what was going on in the world, not only to benefit his own needs, but also to be a better father.
“Typically I read the news as I am traveling, but because I suffer from motion sickness, I couldn’t partake in reading from my tablet for the risk of spending the entire flight over blue toilet bowl water,” McAlpin said.
“My wheels began to spin thinking of all the use cases this would benefit – walking, running, biking, your commute to and from work, etc., all while catching up on the news.”
McAlpin said he sat next to a gentleman on the plane that had his iPad out reading the news and he kept glancing at him with envy.
“I landed in Washington, D.C., and my first call was to Jason, he being my biggest media friend,” McAlpin said.
When Jason Robison, vice president of ListenN, heard McAlpin’s idea, he said he was skeptical at first, but it didn’t take long before he changed his mind.
“There are lots of advantages and design features digital media has that many people like,” said David Pisoni chancellor’s professor of psychology and cognitive science at Indiana University, Bloomington.
“Depending on what you’re emerged in, everybody wants to be connected,” said the professor, referring to the various kinds of media.
According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center – The State of the News Media 2012 – many Americans now get their news through at least one digital, web-based device. The study suggests that this is a good sign for journalism.
“What we’re seeing is a revolution on how people acquire information,” said Pisoni. “People become very wedded to their technology.”
The younger audience is not the only tech-savvy generation interested in what ListenN has to offer, however.
In a recent survey of 125 people, ListenN found that 85 percent of its respondents over the age of 55 said they would use their service.
David Ferguson, associate vice president for Emerging Media Initiatives and executive director of the Center for Media Design at Ball State University, agrees that society is moving toward a mobile environment that offers promising new options for news, production and consumption.
“The audience behavior is increasingly moving toward an expectation of ‘always on,’” Ferguson said.
To hear the digital version of this story, and other Recorder stories, visit indianapolisrecorder.com.
You can also connect with us on Twitter @indyrecorder and Facebook at Facebook.com/indianapolisRecorder.
