ABC Owned Stations Aim to Wake-Up Viewers

The ABC Owned Television Stations Group has begun rolling out new iPhone and iPod touch alarm clock apps that also offer news, weather, live radar, traffic reports and other features. The first launch of the product occurred today with the launch in Houston of KTRK-TV's "ABC13 Houston Alarm Clock."

The station group expects the app, which offers a variety of alarm tones as well as custom wake-up tracks from their favorite anchors, to be available in all eight of its markets by mid-June.

"This all-in-one Alarm Clock app represents the ABC Owned Television Stations Group's commitment to provide our communities with the most up-to-date news, weather and traffic information when they wake up and throughout the day," noted Carla Carpenter, senior VP of digital media at the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. "The Alarm Clock app is ideal for the growing numbers who turn to the small screens of an iPhone or an iPod touch first thing in the morning for news and information. This makes the trusted content gathered by our top-rated stations even more accessible to the people we serve."

The ABC-owned TV station alarm clock apps were designed and developed by the ABC Owned Television Stations Group's Digital unit in conjunction with the Disney/ABC Television Digital group led by Albert Cheng, executive VP and chief product officer of Digital Media.

The other locally customized iPhone and iPod touch apps being launched in upcoming weeks include the ABC7 New York Alarm Clock, ABC7 Los Angeles Alarm Clock, ABC7Chicago Alarm Clock, 6abc Philadelphia Alarm Clock, ABC7 News San Francisco Alarm Clock, ABC11 Raleigh-Durham Alarm Clock and the ABC30 Fresno Alarm Clock.