New Mardi Gras App Tracks Parades in Real Time

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Rob Hudak, (504) 558-7778, robh@z-comm.com
Chris Gautreau, (225) 448-0757, chrisg@z-comm.com

NEW MARDI GRAS APP
TRACKS PARADES IN REAL TIME

NEW ORLEANS – Track the progress of Mardi Gras parades in real time this Carnival season with Experience Mardi Gras, a new app downloadable to Apple® or Droid® mobile devices free of charge.

Developed by WWL-TV and Zehnder Communications, Experience Mardi Gras offers PARADE TRACKER, which maps the real-time progress of one major New Orleans parade each day, beginning with the Krewe of Muses on March 3 and ending with the legendary Krewe of Zulu on Fat Tuesday, March 8. Additional parades will be tracked each year.

Other Experience Mardi Gras features include:
· Complete New Orleans parade schedules and start times.
· All New Orleans parade routes plotted on Google Maps®.
· Parade video and interviews from WWL-TV.
· Video with Mardi Gras legends like Al “Carnival Time” Johnson.
· Up-to-the-minute listings of live music and other Mardi Gras events.

“We designed this app to be the ultimate tool for Mardi Gras,” said David Robison, director of digital media for WWL. “Whether you’re a die-hard local, out-of-towner, traveling by yourself or with a group, this app keeps all the details updated and in one place.”

Experience Mardi Gras can be downloaded from the iPhone® and Droid® online app stores free of charge through generous sponsorships from Zatarain’s® and Tabasco®. In addition, Blain Kern’s Mardi Gras World provided access to floats for the PARADE TRACKER feature.

WWL-TV is part of Belo Corp. (BLC), one of the nation’s largest pure-play, publicly-traded television companies, that owns and operates 20 television stations (nine in the top 25 markets) and their associated Web sites. Belo stations, which include affiliations with ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW and MyNetwork TV, reach more than 14 percent of U.S. television households in 15 highly-attractive markets. Belo stations rank first or second in nearly all of their local markets. Additional information is available at www.belo.com or by contacting David Robison, Director of Digital Media, WWL-TV at 504-529-6382.

Zehnder Communications is a fully integrated advertising agency providing a wide range of services, including strategic marketing, public relations, media placement, creative services, social media, interactive design and programming. With offices in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Nashville, the agency has been serving the greater Southeast region for 15 years.

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