PRESS RELEASE
11th June 2008 - For Immediate Release
GRIMSBY TELEGRAPH INTRODUCES KATE, THE VIRTUAL
NEWSREADER
A virtual newsreader is the newest recruit to the web-site of the Grimsby
Telegraph. Developed by Virtual Character consultants, Daden Limited,
the talking avatar reports current news stories for newspaper's online
edition.
Called "Kate", the assistant is based on "chatbot" technology created by
Daden Limited. Kate takes advantage of latest web-delivered text-to speech
and animated avatar technology to report on the most recent
headlines and breaking news at Grimsby Telegraph's web site.
Grimsby Telegraph editor Michelle Lalor said: "We pride ourselves at
being at the heart of the community and delivering news to you in
innovative ways. Technology in the media industry has moved on in leaps
and bounds, and now the internet is a major part of what we do.
"We have been running video reports every day now - and sometimes up
to three or four videos a day - for more than a year, and breaking news
24-hours-a-day has been the norm for at least two years.
"We have done so much to it, we were left scratching our heads a little
about what more we could do - and then the idea of the newsbot was
born.
"They are a great example of how differently news can be reported - it's
all about novelty and fun. Of course, Kate is only virtual, but we wanted to
give her a personality to make her what she effectively is - a new member
of the reporting team. "We hope you like her as much as we do!"
Journalists at the Grimsby Telegraph upload Kate with the latest news
through a simple web interface designed by Daden. This lets them
preview the next news bulletin before putting it live - enabling them to
check pronunciation and phrasing.
David Burden, Daden's Managing Director said "Grimsby Telegraph are
proactive in their use of technology and were clear with what they wanted
to achieve. As a virtual newsreader Kate provides another way for people
to interact with their online edition"
The technology behind Kate could also be used to dynamically capture
the news from RSS feeds, engage in dialogue about the news stories
being read or even drive a 3D newsreader in a virtual world such as
Second Life.
- end -
Notes for Editors
DADEN LIMITED
Daden is a virtual worlds and virtual character consultancy working on the web,
in Second Life and other virtual worlds. Our aim is to help clients engage with
their audience using some of the most interesting technologies around today.
We offer 4 main services:
- Inform - help you understand virtual worlds and virtual characters
- Involve - build your presence
- Integrate - connect virtual worlds to/from web services & real world
devices
- Interact - create virtual characters and chatbots for virtual worlds or
websites
Daden's clients include the University of Coventry, Birmingham City University
(and 2 other UK universities), Birmingham City Council, Hanover Housing,
several marketing agencies and consultancies, consumer brands such as
Vauxhall, and B2B brands such as CIBA.
Daden are based in Birmingham, UK, and are also virtual tenants at the Serious
Games Institute in Coventry.
GRIMSBY TELEGRAPH
The Grimsby Telegraph is a regional newspaper with a combined strong digital
emphasis. The newspaper won Community Newspapers of the Year 2008 from
the Newspaper Society for a series of campaigns which were run jointly in paper
and on the website www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk which has broken records for the
last four months running for the number of visitors.
PHOTOS:
Photos are available for download from the Media/Image Library at http://www.daden.co.uk/pages/press_images.html
LINKS:
- Kate Carver newsbot can seen in situ at www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk
- Daden's own website chatbot, Abi can be found at http://www.daden.co.uk/chatbots.html
CONTACT DETAILS:
All media enquiries should be addressed to:
Daden Limited
Soulla Stylianou
RL Client Director
103 Oxford Rd
Moseley
Birmingham
B13 9SG
Tel: 0121 698 8520
Mobile: 07814 14516
Email: soulla.stylianou@daden.co.uk
Grimsby Telegraph
Michelle Hurst
Deputy Editor
Tel: (01472) 372070
Email: michelle.hurst@gsmg.co.uk
www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk
