WebProNews

CBS has launched a local ad network for local TV stations, local bloggers and social media sites in CBS-owned station's markets.

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(Photo Credit: CBS Televison)

CBS will syndicate local news widgets to local blogs and social media sites. The widgets can be embedded in Web pages and will feature local headlines, images, links to videos, and text stories.  The widgets will include banner ads that CBS sells.

The local widgets create a new Web inventory for CBS stations to sell. Sites that partner with CBS receive a portion of the revenue from the ads embedded in the widget.

CBS said the local ad network is launching in Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago. The launch will continue over the next several weeks and include New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Minneapolis-St.Paul, Miami, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Major advertisers include AT&T (partnering with cbs2chicago.com in Chicago and cbs2.com/kcal9.com in Los Angeles), North Texas Honda Dealers (partnering with cbs11tv.com in Dallas) and Liberty Mutual Insurance (partnering with wbztv.com in Boston).

"The CBS Local Ad Network also opens up exciting new avenues for our advertising partners to efficiently extend their reach to valued local audiences while associating themselves with our CBS brands and content," said Jonathan Leess, President and General Manager, CBS Television Stations Digital Media Group.