News Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch will temporarily join the board of directors of U.S. news agency the Associated Press, ABC News reported Tuesday.

Murdoch will be replacing Jay Smith, president of Cox Newspapers, who retired after five years on the board. Murdoch will sit on the 18-member board until the next election of directors.

Meanwhile the Associated Press has made public that it will launch a mobile service, which sends news and other information to smart-phones, such as Apple's iPhone, ABC News reported.

The new system, expected to launch this summer, will give AP member media organisations the opportunity to provide local news along with their logos and local advertising to mobile subscribers, according to ABC News.