Article 16: Read Aloud

The Sinclair Digital team is pleased to announce our read aloud feature. This innovative addition allows users to enjoy an audio version of our story page content, seamlessly generated by advanced AI tools. 

By supporting audio for our news articles, we are aligning with the growing trend of audio content consumption, enhancing the user experience, and boosting engagement. Now, allowing our audience to stay informed and entertained on the go, with hands-free access to all their favorite stories.

Caveats:

  • The toggle is set to ON by default, meaning every story will include the read-aloud feature unless you explicitly choose to opt out.
  • The attached audio clip corresponds to the story's first published version. Even if the audio is regenerated, only the original version will remain linked to the story.
  • For gallery packages, it is recommend to disable the read-aloud feature.
  • Previously published stories will have an audio clip attached if they are republished after the read aloud feature is enabled. 

Step 1: Start by creating a new story and entering all the required details, or access an existing story package and head to the "AI" tab. 

The Read Aloud AIssistant remains hidden until a target is set. 

Step 2: After the story text is populated, click on "Preview Audio" to listen to a preview of the generated audio. 

It typically takes about a minute for the audio clip to generate. Previewing the audio is optional; if you choose not to, the audio clip will automatically be attached to the story when the story is published. 

This applies only if the story hasn't been published yet. If updates are made to the story body after the initial audio clip is created, you must click the 'Regenerate Audio File' button to keep the text and audio file in sync. If the story has already been published, it will remain linked to the original audio clip.

Disabling Read Aloud - You can opt out of the read-aloud feature for each story by toggling it to OFF. Otherwise, the default setting is ON for all stories. 

Step 3: Publish the story package. 

Audience Experience - Web and Mobile Web View

Our users can click on the "Listen" option to hear the audio clip, which will start playing from the beginning of the article. 

Although not shown in the screenshots, this feature will also be available on mobile apps.