Apple’s iPod announcements on Wednesday constitute a huge gift to local broadcasters, according to TVNewsday on Thursday.

Even though the new iPod announcements are good for the individual consumer’s holiday shopping list, local broadcasters should put these new iPods into perspective and note that every one of them supports hand-held video except the shuffle. In fact, they’re a significant gift to broadcasters because:

1. Hand held video is getting less expensive.

2. Apple provides portable video right now while the cellular world is still wrangling about video standards and delivery.

3. Video is easy to download and everyone knows how to do it. There are 110 million iPods out there. [Also: 600 million copies of iTunes.]

So broadcasters should be alert to this vehicle as a way to distribute video. Namely: upload headlines as video podcasts or to YouTube, make sponsored versions available on their website for download in H.264 format, and showcase the news team’s personalities and special interests and exploit movie previews.

"If Apple can forge a content partnership with Starbucks, you can be equally creative. Many regional coffee chains, even McDonalds franchises, now attract customers with free WiFi connections. Make your station a content partner and offer news headlines through local retailers," Arthur Greenwald advised.

Many local broadcasters have not even begun to exploit the power of handheld video. TVNewsday suggested they better get on the bandwagon fast and start creating revenue streams with Apple’s video technology already in the hands of consumers.