• by Wayne Friedman , March 18, 2008

CBS Television Stations has another way to extend its TV properties in the digital world. The net is offering a partnership whereby local news content will be syndicated to local bloggers and social media Web sites.

With the launch of CBS Local Ad Network, the CBS Television Stations will syndicate local news widgets that will deliver real-time news fees on the local partner sites 24 hours a day.

Each widget will contain a banner advertisement. Major advertisers have already signed on. AT&T is partnering with WBBM Chicago, KCBS Los Angeles, KCAL Los Angeles. North Texas Honda Dealers has inked a deal with KTVT Dallas, and Liberty Mutual Insurance has signed with WBZ Boston.

CBS said its stations now supply marketers with "the ability to broadly and efficiently reach a local audience, while remaining attached to CBS station brand and content."

Local news Web sites will get a piece of the advertising revenue. CBS stations will sell all the ad time. The CBS Local Ad Network has hired SyndiGo, a new division of Seevast Corp., which provides advertising networks and network enabling services.

The CBS Local Ad Network has already been launched in CBS-owned stations in Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago. Over the next several weeks, markets in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Miami, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Baltimore will be added.