• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 11, 2007

As local stations look for new revenue streams and to avoid the mistake of falling behind in the mobile space as they did online, ABC's O&Os are launching ad-supported news clips on mobile devices.

All 10 owned-and-operated stations--which include the top-five DMAs as well as the Fresno, Calif. and Flint, Mich. markets--offer the streams.

Local stations have searched in recent years to ramp up their Web sites, but have found competition with early-mover local newspapers difficult. But the emerging mobile arena should prove different, partly because stations are determined not to repeat their mistakes and partly because their trove of video arguably gives them a leg up on newspapers and other local content providers. (The stations already offered text-based mobile news and information.)

William Burton, executive vice president-digital media for the ABC O&Os, said the mobile video "offers a win-win opportunity for both viewers on the go and advertisers who want to remain connected to them ... (and) is designed to successfully meet the growing demand for news video on video-enabled mobile devices in our markets."

Network operators like NBC Universal, which recently sold stations, and News Corp., which has some on the block, are looking to reduce their exposure in the station business, since ad dollars are not growing near their historical levels. ABC apparently is committed to holding on to its three mid-size outlets in markets 55 (Fresno), 66 (Flint) and 77 (Toledo).