Company That Delivers News via Audio Partners with Major Newspapers

Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. topical / ˈtɑp·ɪ·kəl / (adj) – referring to things that are related to the present time
    Example:

    Today’s radio show focused on topical issues about the environment.


  2. overwhelmed / oʊvɚˈwɛlmd / (adj) – being strongly affected by something
    Example:

    The singer is overwhelmed by his fans’ support at his concert.


  3. torrent / torənt / (n) – a huge amount of something that is produced suddenly
    Example:

    The journalist asked the politician a torrent of questions.


  4. keep abreast of (something) / kiːp əˈbrɛst əv / (idiom) – to stay informed about something
    Example:

    The app developer always keeps abreast of the latest news on technology.


  5. tied up / taɪd ʌp / (adj) – busy
    Example:

    The doctor is tied up with meetings, so he cannot attend to his patients.


Article

Read the text below.

A company that presents articles in audio format has recently partnered with major news outlets The New York Times and The Economist.


News Over Audio (Noa), an Irish startup that was launched in 2015, already has news outlets like The Financial Times, Bloomberg, and Business Insider on its client list. These news outlets provide Noa with topical articles, which are narrated and converted into audio format by Noa staff. The audio news is then released on the Noa app.


With the addition of the two news outlets, co-founders Gareth Hickey and Shane Ennis hope to provide their customers with wider news coverage to listen to.


The Noa app is designed for people who are regularly commuting and those who often feel overwhelmed with the torrent of written news they encounter. These people often struggle to keep abreast of the latest news. Hickey and Ennis believe that the Noa app makes it easier for people to stay informed because users can simply listen to the news while tied up with other tasks.


The app features about 20 audio news every day. For as low as $9, people can enjoy unlimited listening, but they will have to pay more if they want to remove the app’s default advertisements.


Currently, Noa is the largest source of audio news in the world, but Hickey and Ennis are planning for further expansion. Aside from partnering with the two international news outlets, the company also updated its app to make it more user-friendly.


The updates included an audio queue and an article feed, which allow users to personalize their experience according to their preferred topics and publishers.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Would an app like Noa be useful to you? Why or why not?
• If you could add another publisher in the Noa app, what would it be? Explain.

Discussion B

• Why is it important to be updated on the latest news?
• What do you think is the best source of news (e.g. print, TV, radio, social media)? Why?