ABC News debuts iPhone app

By Dan Butcher

January 7, 2009

ABCNews for the iPhone and iPod touch

ABC News Digital has launched a new application for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch.

The application is a one-stop-shop for top news, including text and video reports from ABC News and local video from its stations nationwide. The app also features up-to-the-minute weather and video programming from ABC News broadcast platforms.

"We're� eager to provide Apple iPhone and iPod touch users with an application that offers not only the best of ABC News reporting and video, but also local news video from our owned stations across the country," said David Westin, president of ABC News, New York, in a�statement.

The ABC News application is now available free of charge in the Apple App Store.

The new ABC News application offers personalized, location-based multimedia news, as well as weather, breaking news alerts and civic-controlled emergency alerts in San Francisco.

Weather on the iPhone

ABC-owned TV Stations in New York, NY (WABC-TV), Los Angeles (KABC-TV), Chicago (WLS-TV), Philadelphia (WPVI-TV), San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, CA (KGO-TV), Houston (KTRK-TV), Raleigh-Durham, NC (WTVD-TV), Fresno, CA (KFSN-TV), Flint, MI (WJRT-TV) and Toledo, OH (WTVG-TV)�are providing local video content for the application.

Local news provided by ABC affiliated stations in additional cities will be announced soon.�

The application will include a Top News section with video briefs, a 'Today in Pictures' slideshow and top news text stories.

A menu of ABC News shows

It will also feature ABC News broadcast programs, including video clips from "Good Morning America," "World News with Charles Gibson," "20/20," "Nightline" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

The app will have Local News, with ABC-owned TV stations' video content delivered using location-based technology.

Consumers also have the option to view video from other participating affiliate stations nationwide.

Weather coverage includes current, hourly and daily weather forecasts, radar screens and top national weather news.

ABC Inc. is owned by Walt Disney Co.

ABC News Digital Media Group includes ABCNews.com; ABC News Now; ABC News Mobile; ABC News Productions; ABC News International; and VideoSource, ABC News' library of historic news events dating back to 1963.

ABCNews.com is the 24-hour online news service of ABC News launched in May 1997.

In June, ABC and Bank of America began advertising on Talkster's free international and long-distance Free World Dialing ad-supported calling service (see story).

ABC News Now, a 24-hour digital network that offers a wide range of live and on-demand programming, is currently available to 44 million users across cable, broadband and mobile.

ABC News is available anytime, anywhere on�Web-enabled�mobile devices at http://m.abcnews.com.

The mobile site featured real-time election results, among other content (see story).

"We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new, free ABC New iPhone application," said Jonathan Dube, vice president of ABCNews.com, New York, in a�statement. "Our application enables you to get the best of ABC News whenever and wherever you want.

"And it takes advantage of some of the great features of the iPhone, using location-based technology to give you local news and multimedia capabilities to bring you one of the best mobile video viewing experiences of any news site," he said.

Comments on "ABC News debuts iPhone app"

1. Mark Dunne says:

   January 7, 2009 at 12:08pm

   I like the "some of the great features of the iPhone, using location-based technology to give you local news and multimedia capabilities"
   
   I'm sure they will be pushing local ads to make some money out of this