CBS affiliate adopts widgets and blog networks
Posted by Pat Kitano at 3/4/2008 11:20 PM 
Categories: Hyperlocal Content, Blog networks, Social Media
Categories: Hyperlocal Content, Blog networks, Social Media
Kevin Boer passed me this email about plans for the local CBS affiliate TV station to create a network of local sites (essentially a blog network) for their online readership:
Hello Kevin,
I want to introduce the CBS 5 San Francisco/Bay Area network, a network of local sites that cover San Francisco/Bay Area news, sports, lifestyle, politics, arts and culture and invite you to apply for membership. WBZTV.com has partnered with Pulse 360 to help build this network.
The main benefits of becoming a member include:
- Content – CBS 5 is offering content
widgets for you to place on your site in either video or story
format. The content comes directly from WBZ-TV and can compliment
your original content to provide an even richer experience for your
readers. To see examples of the widgets, please click here: https://pvn.pulse360.com/pvn
/verticals/cbs-san-francisco/ - Click the "See More Examples" link to see the different widget sizes and format.
- Revenue – Each widget carries a companion banner advertisement. You get paid a CPM for all impressions you generate. You can also place Pulse 360's Sponsored Links on your pages and generate revenue each time a user clicks on an ad.
- Traffic – Members of the CBS 5 San Francisco/Bay Area network will have direct links from WBZTV.com that drive traffic to your site.
The trend is mainstream media linking to bloggers for local content. It's the democratization of journalism (and notice how disintermediated journalists are becoming). Blog/ad networks also mutual monetary incentive: blogger gets greater media exposure via links from media site and a few CPM dollars, the publisher gets blogger to add content widget to drive traffic back to their site.
Note that all local mainstream media can play this simple game - TV, radio, newspapers can develop these widget based ad networks. Mainstream media has finally figured out they have to leverage their long standing brand name to transition their audience to the new media, and don't look back. Their inertia was excruciating to watch over the last few years, but once they decide to move into Web 2.0, they all move quickly in unison. This CBS blog network is one more indication that the sea change (tidal wave?) is happening. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there are 24 TV stations, 76 radio stations, about 80 newspapers... all potentially ready to open up to bloggers.
For real estate bloggers. participating in mainstream media networks will drive consumer traffic that will elevate their online presence. I tell real estate agents about this looming opportunity - get a blog up, participate in local media networks, and you'll have a marketing machine. And blink...
Thanks for sharing. The obvious benefit to the media outlets is to be a central source for people to visit with the ability to see other views and more detailed perspectives.
I can't speak for the Bay area media outlets, but there is certainly a need for this in Las Vegas.
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Pat,
I received the same email today, good to know. Thanks for the update.
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Of course the Dallas CBS affiliate would find your Plano blog - you're the only real estate blogger we know in DFW!
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Placeblogger.com
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Pat,
I sent this e-mail to you months ago. I put the widget on my site --and took it off three months later. No benefit to me or my readers.
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