Global Alert Network Announces Consumer Launch of Automated Hands-Free Hyper-Local Traffic and Weather Mobile Alerts

ORLANDO, Fla., March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Alert Network (GAN) announced that its hands-free mobile application providing hyper-local traffic and weather alerts is now available to consumers nationwide.

Global Alert Network provides free and automatic, hands-free audio alerts and information updates to a user's mobile phone.  The application, which is currently available on Android and BlackBerry devices, initiates automatically and plays the alert without the need for the consumer to interact with his or her mobile phone.  Alerts are geo-targeted to the user's location ensuring timely, accurate information about traffic conditions, weather, or other future services to which the user subscribes.

"Global Alert Network is truly a 'first-of its kind' application that represents the advancements in how news can reach consumers and how advertisers can reach their target audiences. GAN's highly personalized hands-free audio alerts push incredibly relevant, necessary and potentially life saving information in a way that cuts through to the driver without distracting them," said Scott Hughes, President of Global Alert Network.

Global Alert Network is a free application that generates revenues from selling brief, advertisements to run within the alerts.  This effective form of advertising ensures that 100% of ads are heard by the app users – offering great benefit to GAN's advertising partners.  

Hughes continued, "Too many drivers today are preoccupied by their mobile devices, which leads to a devastating number of accidents. According to a study by the National Safety Council, 1.4 million crashes annually are caused by cell phone conversations and 200,000 are blamed on text messaging.  GAN values and promotes driver safety by reducing driver distraction and that was top of mind when designing this application."

Currently GAN's content includes real-time local traffic and weather alerts.  For real-time traffic information, GAN has partnered with Clear Channel Radio's Total Traffic Network. Total Traffic Network delivers real-time traffic data via in-car or portable navigation systems, broadcast media, wireless and Internet-based services. 

For weather, GAN partners with AccuWeather.com, a service with 113 meteorologists on staff dedicated to providing accurate local forecasts to over 125 million Americans every day.

"This service was created to allow drivers access to important information without having to engage with their mobile phones on the road.  We also provide a valuable medium for advertisers because we deliver short, impactful and relevant advertising messages with guaranteed exposure," Hughes continued.

Traffic and weather are just two of the channels on the Global Alert Network platform.  The Company plans to expand its content channels to include community alerts such as Amber alerts, sports and news.

Global Alert Network is free to download and is currently available on Blackberry and Android devices through AppWorld and Android Market.

For more information visit: http://mediakit.mobiletrafficnetwork.com.

About Global Alert Network

Global Alert Network (http://www.globalalertnetwork.com/) is a national mobile platform that provides safe, automatic, hands-free audio alerts to a user's mobile phone.  The app, which is free to download, senses when the user is driving and initiates automatically.  Global Alert Network (GAN) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Traffic Network, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNET), a leading provider of custom traffic and news reports to radio and television stations.

SOURCE Global Alert Network