WNET Launches New Mobile App For Local News & Culture

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Apr 10, 2012, 09:45 ET

New York Public Media Goes Mobile with New MetroFocus App

NEW YORK, April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WNET, parent company of New York public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21, announced the launch of the MetroFocus iPhone app (www.thirteen.org/MetroFocus/mobile), spotlighting local news, transit and culture in and around New York.

The free MetroFocus app gives mobile users a unique local news and culture experience that puts New York in the palm of their hands. Users can jump-start their morning routine on-the-go with customized weather and transit alerts and browse original articles, videos, photo galleries and podcasts covering local news, politics, arts and culture.

Mobile users can keep boredom at bay while enjoying these additional mobile app features:

Tap, swipe and scroll through quirky and informative feature stories on the challenges and curiosities of life in the nation's biggest metropolis.
Browse actionable tips and tools to help you navigate life in and around New York City.
Interact with the city on foursquare with the first mobile app to utilize the "Save to foursquare" button, which instantly adds locations featured on MetroFocus to your foursquare to-do list.
Stay in the know with our daily roundup of the top "can't-miss" local news headlines from other media outlets.
Get customized local weather with daily, weekly and hour-by-hour weather info in real-time based on your location.
Plan your daily commute by subway, bus, bridge, tunnel or commuter train with real-time updates from the MTA, LIRR and Metro-North.
Like It? Share It! Users can instantly forward any story to family or friends via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, SMS text and more.
Got a tip? In just a few taps, you can instantly share a news tip or a story idea with MetroFocus editors.

"The legacy model of public television is changing and the new MetroFocus mobile app is a prime example of WNET's vision to innovate the way in which we serve our public mission," said WNET President and CEO Neal Shapiro. "As we approach our 50th anniversary, I am thrilled to see WNET's local content expand to a new mobile platform."

"The new MetroFocus app helps deliver context to the location-aware and moment-relevant mobile audiences in and around New York," said Dan Greenberg, General Manager of WNET's Interactive Engagement Group. "With mobile internet usage on the rise and set to surpass PC usage by 2015, the need for public media to go mobile is relevant now more than ever. We're thrilled to launch this exciting free mobile app that will help WNET serve our public mission with New Yorkers on-the-go."

"We're excited to see MetroFocus include the 'Save to foursquare' button in their new mobile app," said Erin Gleason, PR manager of foursquare. "Now, people can easily save all of MetroFocus' great content about restaurants, museums, and other places to their foursquare to-do lists and be reminded of this information when it's most relevant."

The new MetroFocus App is available free of charge to iPhone users and may be downloaded from the iTunes store.

The MetroFocus mobile app marks the next phase of a multiplatform initiative to bring local news and culture coverage with a public media sensibility to the Tri-State region. The website for MetroFocus (www.thirteen.org/MetroFocus) launched on July 11, 2011. A MetroFocus broadcast special, "Tech Campus NYC," debuted on air in late 2011 and a series of broadcast specials will air on WLIW21 and THIRTEEN starting in May 2012.

About MetroFocus
MetroFocus is an online magazine that covers local news, culture and life in and around New York City. MetroFocus is a production of the Interactive Engagement Group in association with WNET New York Public Media, the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, New York's public television stations. Read more about MetroFocus.

About WNET
New York's WNET is America's flagship public media outlet, bringing quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. The parent company of public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Need to Know, Charlie Rose, Tavis Smiley and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Noah Comprende and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJToday and the new online newsmagazine MetroFocus.