• New York Times, Friday, October 12, 2007 12:32 PM

While the likes of CBS and NBC repurpose their nightly news programs online, ABC News is trying hard to adapt its Web programming to reach younger audiences. Its daily Webcast, simply called "World News," has an MTV bent to it--delivering news in a "raw" and more "personal" format, says The New York Times. At fifteen minutes in length, it's cut for the ADD generation, too--a perfect fit for iPod and cell phone viewing.

Now 20 months old, "World News" has evolved from basic daily news to something more interactive, with first-person viewer essays and video blogs. It also covers many of the same stories as ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson," but in a different way. There's also plenty of technology and pop culture coverage to keep younger viewers interested.

So, is the experimental approach paying off? Well, no--ABC has yet to sell any ads on its "World News" Webcast. For the time being, the company says its focus is on editorial experimentation, not advertising dollars. Meanwhile, advertisers could be forgiven for not knowing which online news program to place their ad dollars in. Webcast news programs are still mostly an add-on buy (hence the repurposing of CBS and NBC), and since usage is nowhere near that of TV, it's unclear whether ABC's investment in the "World News" Webcast will pay off.

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