Thirteen CBS owned-and-operated stations introduced their own stand-alone iPhone news apps today. The apps, created by Treemo Labs, go beyond text headlines to include video, slide shows and tweets from local talent. The company says the apps also have geo-targeted weather, although it doesn’t say how micro-local that forecast is. Full press release after the jump.
PRESS RELEASE
CBS Mobile AND CBS Television Stations Announce Stand-Alone LoCal News Apps FOR THE iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH
Free CBS-Owned TV Station Apps Feature Latest Local News Headlines, Breaking National and Global News, Video and Twitter Updates
SAN FRANCISCO, January 13 – CBS Mobile and CBS Television Stations today announced that stand-alone news apps for CBS-owned television stations in 13 markets are now available from the App Store. The free apps for iPhone and iPod touch users deliver the latest local news headlines and stories, full length on-demand video, slide shows and Twitter updates from news anchors and reporters at local CBS Television Stations. In addition to the dedicated local content, the apps connect users with breaking CBS News stories and on-demand video from across the nation and around the globe.
“We are extremely proud of our television stations’ best-in-class local news content and are pleased to work with CBS Mobile to significantly expand the distribution of our product through these wonderful new applications,” said Peter Dunn, President, CBS Television Stations. “Given the continuing explosion in iPhone and iPod touch use, we look forward to providing valuable local news and information to even more people in more places through these apps.”
“The CBS Television Stations applications are a logical extension of our CBS News app; they give us the chance to engage users at a grass roots 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. “These apps are also a great way for us to extend the CBS brand and provide users with a new and convenient way to discover and experience the depth of our local news coverage.”
Features of the stand-alone apps include:
· Latest Local News Headlines and Stories from CBS-Owned TV Stations in 13 Markets: Branded apps feature local news, sports and features for CBS-owned stations across the nation, including WCBS-New York, KCBS/KCAL-Los Angeles, WBBM-Chicago, KYW-Philadelphia, WBZ-Boston, KPIX-San Francisco, KTVT-Dallas/Fort Worth, WCCO-Minneapolis/St. Paul, WFOR-Miami, KCNC-Denver, KOVR-Sacramento, KDKA-Pittsburgh and WJZ-Baltimore.
· Full News Video Integration: View on-demand video news coverage from your favorite local market reporters, and from CBS News.
· Local Geo-Targeted Weather: Real time and extended weather forecasts targeted automatically by each user’s location. Users can also check weather conditions in other cities.
· National and Global Breaking News from CBS News: The latest breaking news and on-demand video throughout the day from CBS News reporters across the globe.
· Twitter Feeds: Insights and breaking news from anchors and reporters in local markets. Users can also navigate by topic through the unique “News Trends” section – a collection of the top stories from feeds across Twitter.
CBS Mobile partnered with Treemo Labs (http://www.treemolabs.com) to develop the application, and Transpera to power the pre-roll video and ad capabilities in the application.
The CBS Television Stations apps are now available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. Users can search for their favorite local station app based on the branding for the CBS-owned television station in their area.