CBS Mobile Bows iPhone App for Local Stations

MULTIPLE CITIES: CBS Mobile has rolled out a standalone iPhone news app for 13 local markets. The free application for iPhones and iPod Touch delivers local news, slide shows, on-demand video and Twitter updates from anchors.

“The CBS Television Stations applications are a logical extension of our CBS News app; they give us the chance to engage users at a grassroots level and expose them to the news that matters to them the most,” said Rob Gelick, senior vice president and general manager of CBS Mobile. The division partnered with Treemo Labs to create the application and Transpera to power pre-roll video and ad capabilities.

KVOR-TV in Sacramento, Calif., is using it to delivery news, sports, features, on-demand video, geo-targeted weather updates, breaking news and tweets. Stations with access to the app include WCBS-TV in New York; KCBS/KCAL-TV in Los Angeles; WBBM-TV in Chicago; KYW-TV in Philadelphia; WBZ-TV in Boston; KPIX-TV in San Francisco; KTVT-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth; WFOR-TV in Miami; KCNC-TV in Denver; WCCO-TV in Minneapolis; KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh and WJZ-TV in Baltimore.

Broadcaster smartphone apps are a growing phenomenon. WBNS-TV, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio, launched its own iPhone app in December. LIN TV launched a mobile news service app for its 27 TV stations last August. The LIN app targets BlackBerry devices; another is in development for iPhones. ABC News launched its iPhone app for network O&Os last January.

December 10, 2009: “WBNS-TV Launches iPhone App
The Dispatch-owned station said iPhone subscribers can down load the free 10TV app on iTunes and access 10TV News and the station’s Web site for real-time traffic and weather updates.