NBC News has cut a deal with The Advocate for its NBC News Channel affiliate service that will allow the two sides to trade stories and reporting, according to Sharon Houston, an NBC executive producer overseeing the partnership.

The arrangement apparently makes The Advocate the first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender news source to partner with NBC News.

“There is always good information back and forth,” Houston told me today about the partnership. “I am sure they will have good sources that we will take advantage of. I see it as assisting a client that is building a strong audience.”

The formal arrangement has NBC supplying content to The Advocate. But Houston said it will work both ways: “We look for stories that will be of interest to them and we are happy to have them as a partner.”