ABC Unveils New O&O Websites

By Andrew Gauthier 

Broadcasting & Cable


The ABC-owned station group relaunched its 10 station websites last week in an effort to make content easier for users to find. The previous iteration, which was unveiled almost two years ago, featured a prominent box in the middle of the home page featuring Flash video, text and slide shows. At the time, ABC executives said the template was designed to make the sites look more like television.

ABC Owned Station Group Executive V.P. of Digital Media Bill Burton said some users had trouble telling what to click on for video and what to click on for text. “There was some lingering confusion,” he says. “We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to access the content they want.”

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The new sites feature a smaller video player and a neater content layout, along with a “Programming Note” banner at the top touting a local story to be seen on air. Unlike the previous websites, the redesigned O&O sites feature an ABC News tab offering a batch of national headlines.

The sites also feature headlines from corporate sibling ESPN, which is in the process of launching local sports sites. More…

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