AudioNow launches New Beta with the US National Weather Service; Local weather forecasts now on any mobile phone

Washington D.C. , September 20, 2011: The National Weather Service (NWS) just announced that updated weather forecasts are now available free of charge on any mobile device in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas. Callers will be automatically directed to the NWS local forecast for the area closest to their originating number. The service will be available as a public service by AudioNow, the leader in cross-platform mobile broadcasting serving the broadcast industry throughout North America. This is part of a pilot program being run in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area with the idea to expand this important service to the entire country based on feedback from users.

The numbers to call are:
Manassas, VA area 703.652.1210
Fredericksburg, VA area 540.322.4035
Washington, DC area 202.349.0185
Baltimore, MD area 410.500.4450

“With leading mobile providers announcing the imminent termination of weather forecast by phone service in the area, AudioNow saw an opportunity to step in and offer this important public service at no cost in tough economic times,” says Jennifer Friesen, AudioNow’s Director of Public Affairs. “This is a strategic partnership that will bring weather to the interested public in an easy way. Everyone has access to a phone, but not everyone is necessarily connected to the Internet or watches TV all the time.”

“The NWS is always pleased when innovative companies find new ways to make our information useful on any platform. Building public-private partnerships allows the NWS to leverage available resources to benefit the listening public,” noted Mark Paese, COO of the National Weather Service. “We believe this pilot program will help folks who may feel more comfortable calling a number to listen to the local weather broadcast, including those with visual impairments that make other forms of access to weather information more difficult to use.”

AudioNowTM is the leading provider of mobile phone radio distribution in North America. It uses proprietary, patent-pending “single-stream” technology that allows any fixed or mobile phone to access live and pre-recorded audio programming without any downloads across all mobile platforms while lowering bandwidth costs for broadcasters. Visit www.audionow.com to learn more and register.

Official NWS release follows.

Contact Information:

At AudioNow:
Jennifer Friesen
Director of Public Affairs
Jennifer.Friesen@AudioNow.com

NWS logo

Free phone service to call our NOAA Weather Radio Broadcast!

National Weather Service (NWS) received notification that AudioNow has developed a service that allows any mobile or fixed line caller to access the latest NWS forecast. AudioNow uses “HD” voice technology that allows any phone to access the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast without any downloads.

The AudioNow service is now available in selected areas to evaluate use for eventual nation-wide distribution. The service in this area can be accessed through the numbers identified below. This service can add on to your current weather/emergency notification and monitoring plans.

AudioNow’s approach is to provide this service at no cost, and eventually roll this out nationally. If you are in local or state government, please ensure the widest level of distribution in your locality and posting on local/county and city websites as appropriate.

Here are the phone numbers:

Washington, DC area
202-349-0185

Manassas, VA area
703-652-1210

Baltimore, MD
410-500-4450

Fredericksburg, VA area
540-322-4035

Again, this service is free.

Please provide any comments/feedback you feel will help us evaluate the AudioNow service during this trial roll-out. Any additional information from AudioNow or NWS will be provided if there are any significant changes to this service. Additional updates and information on weather alerts and dissemination can be found on our website at http://alerts.weather.gov and off our main page at http://weather.gov.

– NOAA / National Weather Service

Washington D.C. , September 20, 2011: The National Weather Service (NWS) just announced that updated weather forecasts are now available free of charge on any mobile device in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas. Callers will be automatically directed to the NWS local forecast for the area closest to their originating number. The service will be available as a public service by AudioNow, the leader in cross-platform mobile broadcasting serving the broadcast industry throughout North America. This is part of a pilot program being run in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area with the idea to expand this important service to the entire country based on feedback from users.

The numbers to call are:
Manassas, VA area 703.652.1210
Fredericksburg, VA area 540.322.4035
Washington, DC area 202.349.0185
Baltimore, MD area 410.500.4450

“With leading mobile providers announcing the imminent termination of weather forecast by phone service in the area, AudioNow saw an opportunity to step in and offer this important public service at no cost in tough economic times,” says Jennifer Friesen, AudioNow’s Director of Public Affairs. “This is a strategic partnership that will bring weather to the interested public in an easy way. Everyone has access to a phone, but not everyone is necessarily connected to the Internet or watches TV all the time.”

“The NWS is always pleased when innovative companies find new ways to make our information useful on any platform. Building public-private partnerships allows the NWS to leverage available resources to benefit the listening public,” noted Mark Paese, COO of the National Weather Service. “We believe this pilot program will help folks who may feel more comfortable calling a number to listen to the local weather broadcast, including those with visual impairments that make other forms of access to weather information more difficult to use.”

AudioNowTM is the leading provider of mobile phone radio distribution in North America. It uses proprietary, patent-pending “single-stream” technology that allows any fixed or mobile phone to access live and pre-recorded audio programming without any downloads across all mobile platforms while lowering bandwidth costs for broadcasters. Visit www.audionow.com to learn more and register.

Official NWS release follows.

Contact Information:

At AudioNow:
Jennifer Friesen
Director of Public Affairs
Jennifer.Friesen@AudioNow.com

NWS logo

Free phone service to call our NOAA Weather Radio Broadcast!

National Weather Service (NWS) received notification that AudioNow has developed a service that allows any mobile or fixed line caller to access the latest NWS forecast. AudioNow uses “HD” voice technology that allows any phone to access the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast without any downloads.

The AudioNow service is now available in selected areas to evaluate use for eventual nation-wide distribution. The service in this area can be accessed through the numbers identified below. This service can add on to your current weather/emergency notification and monitoring plans.

AudioNow’s approach is to provide this service at no cost, and eventually roll this out nationally. If you are in local or state government, please ensure the widest level of distribution in your locality and posting on local/county and city websites as appropriate.

Here are the phone numbers:

Washington, DC area
202-349-0185

Manassas, VA area
703-652-1210

Baltimore, MD
410-500-4450

Fredericksburg, VA area
540-322-4035

Again, this service is free.

Please provide any comments/feedback you feel will help us evaluate the AudioNow service during this trial roll-out. Any additional information from AudioNow or NWS will be provided if there are any significant changes to this service. Additional updates and information on weather alerts and dissemination can be found on our website at http://alerts.weather.gov and off our main page at http://weather.gov.

– NOAA / National Weather Service

Washington D.C. , September 20, 2011: The National Weather Service (NWS) just announced that updated weather forecasts are now available free of charge on any mobile device in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas. Callers will be automatically directed to the NWS local forecast for the area closest to their originating number. The service will be available as a public service by AudioNow, the leader in cross-platform mobile broadcasting serving the broadcast industry throughout North America. This is part of a pilot program being run in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area with the idea to expand this important service to the entire country based on feedback from users.

The numbers to call are:
Manassas, VA area 703.652.1210
Fredericksburg, VA area 540.322.4035
Washington, DC area 202.349.0185
Baltimore, MD area 410.500.4450

“With leading mobile providers announcing the imminent termination of weather forecast by phone service in the area, AudioNow saw an opportunity to step in and offer this important public service at no cost in tough economic times,” says Jennifer Friesen, AudioNow’s Director of Public Affairs. “This is a strategic partnership that will bring weather to the interested public in an easy way. Everyone has access to a phone, but not everyone is necessarily connected to the Internet or watches TV all the time.”

“The NWS is always pleased when innovative companies find new ways to make our information useful on any platform. Building public-private partnerships allows the NWS to leverage available resources to benefit the listening public,” noted Mark Paese, COO of the National Weather Service. “We believe this pilot program will help folks who may feel more comfortable calling a number to listen to the local weather broadcast, including those with visual impairments that make other forms of access to weather information more difficult to use.”

AudioNowTM is the leading provider of mobile phone radio distribution in North America. It uses proprietary, patent-pending “single-stream” technology that allows any fixed or mobile phone to access live and pre-recorded audio programming without any downloads across all mobile platforms while lowering bandwidth costs for broadcasters. Visit www.audionow.com to learn more and register.

Official NWS release follows.

Contact Information:

At AudioNow:
Jennifer Friesen
Director of Public Affairs
Jennifer.Friesen@AudioNow.com

NWS logo

Free phone service to call our NOAA Weather Radio Broadcast!

National Weather Service (NWS) received notification that AudioNow has developed a service that allows any mobile or fixed line caller to access the latest NWS forecast. AudioNow uses “HD” voice technology that allows any phone to access the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast without any downloads.

The AudioNow service is now available in selected areas to evaluate use for eventual nation-wide distribution. The service in this area can be accessed through the numbers identified below. This service can add on to your current weather/emergency notification and monitoring plans.

AudioNow’s approach is to provide this service at no cost, and eventually roll this out nationally. If you are in local or state government, please ensure the widest level of distribution in your locality and posting on local/county and city websites as appropriate.

Here are the phone numbers:

Washington, DC area
202-349-0185

Manassas, VA area
703-652-1210

Baltimore, MD
410-500-4450

Fredericksburg, VA area
540-322-4035

Again, this service is free.

Please provide any comments/feedback you feel will help us evaluate the AudioNow service during this trial roll-out. Any additional information from AudioNow or NWS will be provided if there are any significant changes to this service. Additional updates and information on weather alerts and dissemination can be found on our website at http://alerts.weather.gov and off our main page at http://weather.gov.

– NOAA / National Weather Service