The roots of Live News Chat go back to the beginning of online live streaming
Some occurrences in life are simply fated to happen. When they do beautiful things, they are born out of kismet. That type of fate factors into the history of LNC, as a friendship would give rise to a place where expats can not just stay connected with the news but can discuss it in real-time as well.
The site was born out of LiveOne’s passion for the news and the desire to stay connected with current events following his move to the Caribbean in 2008. He desired in earnest to watch the news so that he could stay up to date with what was going on in his native home and the rest of the world. It was a time when one of the most popular presidents in US history, and the first African American, Barack Obama, was about to ascend to the highest office and people were excited and connecting, some for the first time, with politics.
Not wanting to miss a moment of the unfolding history he searched for a way to get the news and of course discuss it with peers. That’s when he came across Justin.tv. The format of the network at the time suited his needs perfectly.
The thinking behind Justin.tv was to allow anyone to broadcast video online. The format was similar to YouTube, but had a chat and live content before Youtube did. The users were encouraged to broadcast a wide variety of user-generated live video content. While browsing that site he came across RockinRooster who was a top news broadcaster on Justin.tv. Justin.tv was later bought by Amazon and now exists as Twitch.tv, a huge platform for broadcasting online gaming. Due to this change in direction with Justin.tv the duo knew it was time to launch a cutting-edge platform of their own.
The duo would strike up a long lasting working friendship. LiveOne, already familiar with internet concepts including programming and online marketing, quickly learned from RockinRooster about the technical part of online live streaming and the benefits of using the right platform to connect with people.
Following their first face to face greeting in London and their ensuing friendship, the first iteration of LNC called “Rentadrone” was created. That would give way to Live News Chat which became the first online live news streaming service. It was made available primarily for news lovers and expats but became widely used by anyone who is a “cord-cutter”. Since its inception, the site has generated millions of visitors and the chat room continues to be vibrant and full of knowledgeable people from all over the world interested in news and current events.
It wasn’t all rose-colored glasses though and LNC did take some fighting for but the friendship that developed between the pair mentioned above is a testament to what can be accomplished with some dedication and tenacity.
LiveOne even remembers going to London to meet RockinRooster in a bid to convince him that their endeavor was worth fighting for. The memory that stands out for him might not be what you think. He remembers almost getting hit by a bus because he was looking the wrong way when he first saw Rooster waiting at the London Tube! However, the most significant thing to him about that journey was that RockinRooster was just 18-years-old and not yet ready to face the harsh world. After some reasoning, he saw a business was possible and the site’s millions of fans thank them for it.
RockinRooster now lives in Europe and LiveOne has made a life in the Caribbean. They continue to work together to stay true to that dream of creating an awesome space for news junkies, stock traders, and political wannabe pundits to not just stay in the know with current events but to be able to discuss it freely and develop new friendships.