Newscycle has deployed two apps for the San Francisco Examiner a week after the contract being signed.

The apps for Black Press properties the San Francisco Examiner and SF Weekly include iOS and Android versions.

Online Manager Curtis Hanson says he was amazed the new mobile apps were fully functional so fast, with users already downloading content: "Most people receive information on mobile phones from a variety of sources, and having a good mobile app creates loyalty."

Founded in 1863, the Examiner is the highest-circulated newspaper in California's San Francisco and San Mateo counties. A further phase slated for December will see a customised "push notifications" feature implemented. Readers can configure preferences and even receive alerts when their devices are locked or the application closed.

At the Examiner and SF Weekly, notifications include weather news, local real estate information, traffic updates and sports content. Newscycle research suggests push notifications can boost reader engagement by as much as 88 per cent.

Hanson says mobile apps open new revenue sources for the San Francisco Media Company: "Based on millions of consumer views and time spent in the application that other Black Press properties have experienced - details that draw advertisers - we expect to achieve the same high advertising revenue goals," he says.

Advertising remnant space and ad backfill features will help meet mobile revenue objectives.

A Newscycle mobile study this year found nearly 27 per cent of all app opens originate from a push notification, a nine per cent increase from 2015 and a 16 per cent increase from 2014. From an ROI perspective, this translates into a 6X growth in mobile app subscription and advertising revenues due to longer session times and higher average CPMs.

For news publishers, data on app revenue shows that a loyal app offering is monetisable because users are more active and their time in-app is much longer. Readers will return to a news app as long as the content remains relevant, and advertisers will pay higher premiums to reach this engaged audience.