Washington Post, Newsweek launch aggregated election content application

By Giselle Abramovich

May 30, 2008

Get the dirt as the candidates throw

NewsGator Technologies Inc., Washington Post and Newsweek unveiled Campaign Tracker, a free application for Microsoft Windows Mobile phones that gives users up-to-date election news.

The application will aggregate political content from these brands' media properties, extending their reach and letting readers access the most recent and popular news on any given candidate on their mobile phones. Microsoft is sponsoring the application on phones that have Windows Mobile operating systems.

“The Washington Post and Newsweek put together an application that gets users news on the elections to benefit their readers,” said Walker Fenton, general manager of syndication services at NewsGator’s Software-as-a-Service group, Denver, CO. “Readers benefit from access to full information, content and stories and it's just another way to get content out to users. “

Campaign Tracker will also use NewsGator's Editor's Desk for full editorial control, enabling the Washington Post and Newsweek to create an RSS feed for mobile readers.

Campaign Tracker was developed in conjunction with Microsoft through Mobile2Market and runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile phones.

Since the mobile application is not built on a Web site, readers can access the latest candidate news wherever they are, even when they're out of wireless range or on an airplane.

NewsGator's mobile reader is part of the NewsGator Software-as-a-Service, which encompasses the company's syndication and data services offerings and enables media companies, content publishers and advertisers to engage audiences through the use of social media and Web 2.0 technology.

Developing ways to distribute content off-site is a top priority for many publications this year as The New York Times, USA Today, Time and many of Hearst’s magazines have already gone mobile or enhanced mobile operations to let users get the content they want on the go.

The difference with Campaign Tracker is that users need not be in wireless range to view the content.

“The news around the elections is hot and additional coverage on it is a way to get readers,” Mr. Fenton said. “Currently, there are no advertisers. 

“As any mobile phone user will tell you it is not easy to get up-to-date news on your phone and to have an application that gives you that type of content just makes it easy," he said. "The application is downloadable and it’s free.”