Hot dog! Give this meth head the anchor chair!
Posted on 05/04/2010 1:01:57 PM PDT by abb
CBS News and CNN are in advanced negotiations about signing a news-gathering partnership, according to executives familiar with the discussions. The talks revolve around how the two news divisions can combine operations in a bid to cut costs and expand audiences on both sides. While such conversations have occurred over the last decade, the current news-business climate — plummeting CNN ratings, ever-shrinking evening-news audiences, major layoffs at ABC — make a deal more logical than ever before. The talks are still fluid, which means that executives would speak only on condition of anonymity, but CNN and CBS began negotiations some time ago. "It's been going on for a couple of months," one person with knowledge of the matter said. "They’re in deep talks."
The discussions resume years of on-and-off flirtation between CBS News and CNN. In the past, talks have broken down over issues like how marquee talent at each network would be shared across the combined entity or which channel would retain control of editorial decisions. "There were huge structural issues, like who would be on the air," one executive explained. CBS and Time Warner remain on friendly terms, and the talks are happening soon after CBS Sports and Time Warner signed a $10.8 billion deal to broadcast the NCAA basketball championship for the next fourteen years.
For CBS CEO Les Moonves, a deal with CNN makes sense at this difficult moment for network news. Late last month, ABC News completed a brutal round of layoffs that gutted its news division by 25 percent. CBS, like ABC, lacks a cable channel that could help shelter the costs of staffing a news division. Rival NBC has been increasingly steering its highly paid network talent, from Andrea Mitchell to Tom Brokaw, to its MSNBC cable outlet. Both CBS and ABC have long thought CNN might make an attractive partner. At one point several years ago, ABC News and CNN got into advanced talks that even involved Time Warner’s board of directors, one executive with knowledge of those talks said. But again, a final deal fell apart.
This time around, television executives speculate that the economics make too much sense. CBS News has previously expressed interest in recruiting CNN star Anderson Cooper, who already appears as a contributor to 60 Minutes. And next May, Katie Couric’s reported $15 million annual contract with CBS is up for renewal. A combined CBS-CNN might offer more possibilities to negotiate Couric’s new deal while giving her additional opportunities to showcase her interviews. CNN’s ratings struggles against Fox News and MSNBC would conceivably benefit from an injection of CBS News star power, if terms about sharing talent could be reached. One scenario is that if Couric vacates the evening news, she could serve as a replacement for Larry King while continuing to file reports for 60 Minutes. At CBS News, said one senior news executive, 60 Minutes would be exempt from any CNN partnership.
Both CBS and Time Warner declined to comment on the talks about the CBS News–CNN partnership.
ping
Mhmmm, they must have an entirely different definition of "star power". How Katie Couric's last place news cast is going to help another last place newscast, completely escapes me.
Hot dog! Give this meth head the anchor chair!
The reams of stupidity in the article boggle the mind...like “they have to combine in order to resign Couric..” what crapola..who the heck else is gonna pay her..they shoudl offer her a one year deal for $ 1 mill, and make her do the 5am national weather updates..and Cooper...CBS supposedly wants him??? when his CNN ratings are lower than whale s**t..that’s insane
Yesterday CBS announced Moonves's 2009 compensation: 43 million bucks.
Why bother fomring a “news gathering partnership”
All they need is a fax machine from the White House
As I recall, these two were married once as well ... this will work out just about as well.
Twice the bias with half the staff.
He covers pressing news of the royals like nobody's business, Marty. (be all you can be............)
This reminds me of the old saying “putting two drunks together to dance, hoping each will keep the other standing.”
http://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2010/05/04/17867/star_tribune_ceo_mike_klingensmith_talks_new_paywall_digital_re-do
Star Tribune CEO Mike Klingensmith talks new paywall, digital re-do
http://www.observer.com/2010/media/media-executives-2009-compensation
2009: Bad Year for Media Biz (But Not Media Executives)
http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/goodnight-gutenberg/2010/04/27/committee-save-businessweek?page=full
The Committee to Save BusinessWeek
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704342604575222470942086324.html
Sprightly Old Media Are Still Elderly
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703866704575224232417931818.html
Google to Launch Digital Books by Early Summer
http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/05/moderating-declines-parsing-the-naas-spin-on-newspaper-circ-data/
Moderating declines: Parsing the NAA’s spin on newspaper circ data
deathwatch is right.
Sounds like CBS would give up their newscast to CNN.
I guess not paying Couric $15 million a year could save them some cash.
I’m a little bummed that my prediction several years ago of the demise of evening network newscasts hasn’t panned out just yet. I do think it is coming, there’s no question. And the the melding of television and the web is moving along, but also slower than I had thought.
That’s the way I would see it happening: CBS News would cease to exist and CNN would be contracted to fill the slots.....
hh
Except no one would miss CNN or SeeBS if one died. :D
CBS is going to end up filling dead air with CNN content.
That is what is going to end up happening.
NBC will do the same with MSNBC.
I still think its coming. When I can turn on TV and choose the Conservative Network, Free Republic TV or whatever, then it has arrived.
Tweedle Dum and Tweeddle Dee!
New Media Math: SeeBS News + Chicken Noodle News = ...
CBS should partner with FOX and become a conservative news outlet. Their ratings would soar.
They are seperate entities, who knew?
A genetic impossibility. They would rather go out of business that admit wrong.
How much "news-gathering" does it take to read and then rewrite the daily Democrat talking points?
After Obama destroyed CNN at the correspondents dinner, they need to do something. That clip of Rick Sanchez was absolutely brutal, unfair, and I loved it. Who would have thougth Obama would have capped CNN in the knee like that?
A CNN Anchor Is Charged With Drug Possession (Meth)
From Wiki:
I remember him from way back on CNN Internationale. I used to travel overseas quite frequently back then, and would see him often. He had the best job on the planet: traveling first-class around the world, staying in 5-star hotels, eating in 5-star restaurants, and reporting back what he experienced with a bit of "wry, hyperactive humor."
He fell incredibly hard. When you don't have God in your life, you really have nothing. That was (and is) his problem, and the problem of many.
......make a deal more logical than ever before.....
Desperation sets in.
There is the death equation to be of concern
Loser + loser = loser
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.