Mobile app 'frees news from the clock'

Charlie Meyerson

Charlie Meyerson

From the old dog/new tricks file today comes Charlie Meyerson, the veteran Chicago radio newsman, digital editor and consultant.

Meyerson is one of the forces behind HearHere Radio, a Chicago-based startup that's about to launch a mobile app offering customized audio news content.

Billed as an Internet news radio station, H2 Radio will debut next month as a free app on the iPhone, with plans to expand to other platforms, including Android and automotive, in 2014. Its content will originate from studios at 300 West Adams in the Loop.

"Over the last few decades, radio stations have gradually trimmed news or eliminated it altogether,” Meyerson said in a statement. “Even those with full news departments live under oppressive time limits. H2 Radio gives news a chance to 'breathe.' This is radio news freed of the tyranny of the clock: Stories can run as long — or as short — as needed.”

As head of news at HearHere Radio, Meyerson brings three decades of experience in Chicago journalism, including roles as news director of WGN AM 720 and WNUA FM 95.5, senior web producer and Daywatch columnist of ChicagoTribune.com, and Chicago bureau chief of the former FM News 101.1.

The new service will provide traffic, weather and breaking news reports, according to John MacLeod, founder and CEO of HearHere Radio. "News enthusiasts will no longer have to spend significant time monitoring a multitude of news sources,” McLeod said in a statement. “The H2 Radio app is a 'simply engaging experience' that delivers up-to-the-minute, personalized news.”