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In 1964, Johnny Cash sang, “Good news travels slow.” It would be 30-some-odd years before the Internet would reveal the breadth of its abilities and impact. Nowadays, news – good or bad – travels at the speed of a click and is absorbed at the rate of one’s own attention span. 

Our next TechRaking conference examines how fast and far we’ve come, specifically looking at the advancements digital audio has made online. On Nov. 16, The Center for Investigative Reporting is teaming up with SoundCloud, a leading audio platform, and devoting the day to delving deep into the theme of “Hearing the News.”

SoundCloud and other audio-streaming platforms are revolutionizing your listening experience – creating products that are both easily accessible and navigable for mass consumption. Music, podcasts and other audio projects have seen a recent boom in popularity – able to reach and garner audiences from around the world now more than ever.

On the flip side (which, in this case, is analog), radio broadcasts have played a major role in how the public gathers information. Full disclosure: We just launched the pilot episode of “Reveal” – an investigative reporting show we produced with Public Radio Exchange (PRX) that has aired on more than 100 stations nationwide.


 
So how do we harness the power of digital audio for news? And how can news organizations use online sound platforms, or audio in general, to better tell their stories and enhance their multimedia packages? What is “smart audio” and how do we create it? What makes audio engaging anyway?

Join us Nov. 16 as we, along with SoundCloud, explore news and try to answer these questions.

Radio industry executives, audio experts and artists will convene with journalists to look at how digital audio platforms can be used to reach and engage the news-consuming public. In addition to participating in discussions with featured speakers, conference participants will be divided into teams and challenged to develop pitches for audio innovations that can help relay the news in radically new ways. The winning team will be able to jump-start its idea with CIR.

This conference will be hosted by SoundCloud at its San Francisco office.

If you’re interested in attending, please send your contact information to events@cironline.org or request an invite.

Have questions or suggestions? Tweet at me @juliachanb or follow @cironline and use #TechRaking4 for more information.

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Julia B. Chan worked at The Center for Investigative Reporting until June, 2017. Julia B. Chan is a producer and the digital editor for Reveal's national public radio program. She’s the voice of Reveal online and manages the production and curation of digital story assets that are sent to more than 200 stations across the country. Previously, Chan helped The Center for Investigative Reporting launch YouTube’s first investigative news channel, The I Files, and led engagement strategies – online and off – for multimedia projects. She oversaw communications, worked to better connect CIR’s work with a bigger audience and developed creative content and collaborations to garner conversation and impact.

Before joining CIR, Chan worked as a Web editor and reporter at the San Francisco Examiner. She managed the newspaper’s digital strategy and orchestrated its first foray into social media and online engagement. A rare San Francisco native, she studied broadcasting at San Francisco State University, focusing on audio production and recording. Chan is based in Reveal's Emeryville, California, office.