(insert 50% sarcastic, 50% genuine clap here) So CBS announced that they're going to be launching a 24 hour broadband news channel online....bypassing cable (so no CBS News - fair and balanced) and rather catering to the exploding shift from nightly news on the network's terms to always-on on-demand consumption.
Maybe it's due to the fact that network news is in the TOILET (ya think?)...but smartly (here's the credit part) they're leveraging the reality that their brand means something (even in a post Rather Reality) to consumers.
Personally, I'm glad they've showed up to play and in so doing, will stop being bitch slapped by the CAB (Cable) and quite frankly the Web. This is one of those times where if can't beat 'em, join 'em....
Now here are the cautions/concerns:
1) Will they just dump/transplant their content online with a similar advertising proposition i.e. same shit, different (time of) day...or will the evolve the offering...say to incorporate search
2) Will they put dedicated and specialized resources on this or just overwork their terrestrial folk who may not "get it"
3) Will their tree falling make a sound? Meaning will anyone care and/or show up? CBS and their network brothers and sisters are way behind the major online portals in terms of recurring and substantial traffic (gulp, reach) Put different, will they invest substantially in migrating/growing/attracting the kind of traffic they need (beyond the pathetic, "I'm going to mention the website address at the end of my broadcast only because they forced me to" attempts by current newsreaders?
Either way....it's a smart move, albeit an inevitable one.
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