A few years ago local newspapers may have gotten the jump on their broadcast brethren in developing and monetizing their new media intiatives but now the telecasters are closing the gap and even invading turf formerly owned by their print counterparts.

A case in  point can be found in Watertown, New York. WWNY (CBS) and sister station WNYF (FOX) are going right after a newspaper stronghold - the daily obits.

Furthermore these two stations are competing with a strong sponsor in tow - Gray's Flower Shop with area locations in Watertown, Carthage and Clayton.

For this sponsorship Gray's maintains the usual banner/link on the Obit Home Page and each Obit story page but for this campaign the station and sponsor have taken it one step further - each obit is tied to a simple link instructing the user to Click Here to Send Flowers to This Funeral.

This placement provides consumers with an immediate solution for whether or not to send flowers. Grays' placement on these pages helps makes that decision an easy and convenient one for the user.

THE ONLINE SPIN

The WWNY/WNYF Obit Section provides useful, hyperlocal information for web users and an efficient lead generator for the sponsor.

In the process these TV stations are developing pure internet revenue.