BBG Mobile Apps Recognized for Innovation
WASHINGTON – Mobile apps developed by Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) , Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and BBG’s Office of Digital and Design Innovation (ODDI) were finalists for the 20th Global Mobile Awards at this week’s Mobile World Congress Ceremony in Barcelona, Spain.
The Radio Sawa app, built by MBN’s digital division and ODDI, was a finalist in the category of “Best Mobile Music App.” The multi-purpose app provides listeners with easy access to seven of Radio Sawa’s distinct streams that have the latest Western and Arabic music, as well as Arabic-language news. The app also has on-demand podcasts and continuous audio playing, making Radio Sawa available to anyone at any time.
“We are very proud of the Radio Sawa app and were honored to have been recognized by the Global Mobile awards,” stated MBN President Brian Conniff. “The app encourages user participation through the network’s popular Sawa Chat feature, as well as making Radio Sawa available to cities and countries where there are no Radio Sawa transmitters.”
The RFE/RL-developed PangeaGO, a mobile tool that supports online journalism, was nominated in the category of “Best Mobile Media and Publishing Application,” as was the VOA News app, powered by the Pangea CMS and built by ODDI for VOA. The apps were chosen, along with the Televisia Deportes App, South Park App, and category winner Start a Conversation app from News Republic, from among more than 800 entries from such industry leaders as BBC Media Action and Facebook.
“We are gratified that the work of our designers and developers has received such high praise from our peers in the mobile industry,” said Pangea Digital head Aladin Telalagic, “and are driven to seek even more innovative ways to empower journalists with tools that let them report the news in dangerous environments as safely and easily as possible.”
PangeaGO, which was developed by RFE/RL’s IT specialists, enables thousands of its journalists and others working for U.S. International Media to publish news in the field in 61 different languages across 200 countries worldwide directly. The application supports images, articles, and live streaming, and was cited for its simplicity and reliability.
The ground-breaking VOA News app offers original journalism in more languages than any other media organization in the world (44 total) and has previously been honored this year as a finalist for the 2014 Meffy Awards for “Best Mobile Service” and the Appy Awards for “Best Multicultural App.”
The Global Mobile Awards, sponsored by the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), recognize organizations that have demonstrated innovation, excellence and achievement across the mobile world. They are judged by more than 300 independent experts, journalist, academics and mobile operator representatives.