• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 8, 2011

Belo, the station group with properties such as the ABC station in Dallas and NBC affiliate in Charlotte, has cut a deal allowing it to add inventory from Yahoo sites to its own digital offerings in 15 markets.

Belo, which says it has seven of the 50 most-visited sites among those linked with TV stations, has an existing agreement to provide video content to Yahoo.

Peter L. Diaz, the president of media operations, stated: "In many of our markets, we will now be able to reach up to 95% of Internet viewers."

Belo plans to launch the program starting in Dallas, Seattle, Portland, New Orleans, Spokane and Boise this summer. Over the next year, its other nine markets will begin using the joint inventory.

The type of arrangement is not new. Gannett and Media General, for example, have their sales forces at newspapers and TV stations pitching Yahoo inventory in local markets. The Gannett deal involves a revenue split, and others are likely to follow this course. Yahoo has been aggressive in striking partnerships with newspapers.

Belo sites include KHOU.com in Houston, which streams newscasts live and is offering a free Texas football app, tapping into the state's passion for the sport. At Dallas's WFAA, interns created newscasts, which are available on its Web site. In Charlotte, the station's Internet presence has a "Hurricane Central."

In the second quarter, Belo said its interactive operations posted a year-over-year double-digit revenue gain.