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CBS News launching 24-hour digital news channel

S

ShawnHill1

The Eye has been in the news (no-pun intended) lately with new ventures--first, launching a subscription programming service; secondly, a new subchannel venture (Decades), and an online 24-hour news service called "CBSN". It would be viewed online, as well as on smartphone apps, and over-the-top methods. The online network is scheduled to launch on November 4th.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/artic...cbs-news-readies-24-hour-cbsn-digital-network
 
They may be able to get carriage on the satellite services as well. Everyone else seems to have a 24 hour newser, why not CBS? As long as they don't staff it live 24/7, it shouldn't cost much.
 
I think they almost have to staff it live 24/7 or it's irrelevant. Who's gonna watch a news channel if any news that's actually happening isn't covered 'til hours later? Either staff it live or have some contingency to handle breaking news. (But they could definitely be more selective about what constitutes "breaking news" compared to the existing cable news channels.)
 
newsmark said:
I think they almost have to staff it live 24/7 or it's irrelevant. Who's gonna watch a news channel if any news that's actually happening isn't covered 'til hours later? Either staff it live or have some contingency to handle breaking news. (But they could definitely be more selective about what constitutes "breaking news" compared to the existing cable news channels.)
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The Live staffing could simply consist of a skeleton crew that coordinates airing content from free-lance stringers, CBS local affiliates, and foreign networks. Face it, if something really big breaks in Europe or Asia between midnight and 6:00 AM in the US, they'd simply air content from foreign sources anyway.
 
They could replay content produced for their broadcast and website already. That's kind of what I envision for much of the day. I think they will produce some unique content, but it will likely be freelance and stringers for the most part as Avid Listener suggests. I look for 'Up to the Minute' and 'CBS Morning News' to cover much of the overnight hours (not to be confused with 'CBS This Morning')
 
Avid Listener said:
The Live staffing could simply consist of a skeleton crew that coordinates airing content from free-lance stringers, CBS local affiliates, and foreign networks. Face it, if something really big breaks in Europe or Asia between midnight and 6:00 AM in the US, they'd simply air content from foreign sources anyway.
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CBS has a LA, London bureau and I think Tokyo. Plus they already have a 24 hour news room in NY. I don't see how they can't spin that into a 24/7 network. The only issue is saturation. Is CBS too late to the party to grab the cable news airwaves.
 
Don CT said:
The only issue is saturation. Is CBS too late to the party to grab the cable news airwaves.
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Those of us who have dish Network - that's 14-15 million homes, and I'm in one of thsm - don't presently get CNN due to a contractual impasse. CBS might have something they're looking for, especially if it carries big blocks of "original reporting." We have two broadcast networks (you know which ones) filling the dial with their news channels. Why not a third? That is, if they can spend a lot of their time actually reporting it.
 
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It's not like there are different stories on each of the major TV news networks. There is a finite number of viewers who want to see news 24/7, or who want to be able to tune in for a quick dose of news whenever they want to. The more players in the market, the less viewership each one gets. Anyone with multiple sets or the ability to open separate windows for multiple channels will tell you that in the course of a half hour, you'll get pretty much the exact same news on all of the 24/7 news channels.

You can't blame any company for wanting to get a piece of that pie, but anyone who thinks the pie will get bigger is fooling themselves. The pie doesn't get bigger, the individual pieces of pie just get smaller.
 
If CNN disbands as a news network, and with the CBS/Turner cross deals working. Could a new CBS News network steal talent from CNN? They already have Anderson doing 60 Minutes.
 
Could they? Certainly.

Why would they? Not being a smart aleck, but CNN has very little of what I would consider talent at present.

Robin Meade on HNN is about the best they have, and she is good.
 
Here in NYC, CBS launched a 24-hour local news service called CBS NY+ on subchannel 2.2. After 2 years the channel never gained any traction nor any cable carriage. I don't believe they ever even had any live anchors. This channel will likely get replaced by Decades next year.
 
Another all-news audio service as well?

I wonder if there's going an audio simulcast just like CNN Headline News did when it was first launched in 1982?
 
The World Wide Web site Re/code has an article about "CBSN" being set to begin broadcasting tomorrow.
 
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ansky212 said:
Here in NYC, CBS launched a 24-hour local news service called CBS NY+ on subchannel 2.2.
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I didn't understand why CBS didn't heavily promote its radio network (hourly updates) in the markets where they own the news radio stations (and perhaps affiliates) instead of creating CBSN. They usually own the CBS TV station in the markets with the news radio stations too. Hopefully CBSN will transition from digital to diginet. Judging from the poor production values from the online stream, the content is not a finished product yet.

But when it launches as a diginet, it will give CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News a run for their money with it being available on CBS affiliates x.2 subchannels. The network would be tapping into cord-cutters, a growing demographic. Being a first mover in all-news TV might work to CBS' advantage. They only have broadcast TV and radio resources to work with since splitting their cable assets with Viacom a few years ago, with the lone exception of the CBS Sports Channel. (I thought that CBSN might replace the sports channel in a format change in the near future, but the availability is slim.)

Putting it on CBS O&O's is a great start. Too bad they chose Decades instead. But they can still put it on the O&O's x.3 subchannel.
 
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