(6 May 2008 5:30 pm)

NEW DELHI: More than 100 newspaper subscribers of the Associated Press – most of them in the United States - have joined the agency in launching a service aimed at making news stories available on Apple's iPhone and other mobile devices.

At present, 107 newspapers are participating in the Mobile News Network, including the San Francisco Chronicle and The Miami Herald, according to a report of the World Association of Newspapers.

The new service was originally announced at the AP's annual meeting on 14 April, and will deliver local news from member newspapers along with national and international news from the AP. News reports will be organised based on postal code, the AP reported.

Companies that help connect advertisers with networks of Web sites will sell much of the ads for the service, and will then share revenues with news providers, according to the AP.

Apple assisted the AP on how to tailor the service for the iPhone, said Jeffrey Litvack, global product development director for the AP. Although Google and Yahoo! also offer news services tailored for mobile, the AP service will make local news stories more easily accessible, he added.

Six newspaper publishers were involved with setting up rules governing the service, including Advance Publications Inc., Hearst Corp., Lee Enterprises Inc., McClatchy Co., MediaNews Group Inc. and Rust Communications Inc. Since the service was set up, Media General Inc. and newspapers held in partnerships in California have also joined, the AP reported.