News Corp. Chair Rupert Murdoch announced he will launch a
24-hour, all-news channel later this year which will be headed by
former CNBC President Roger Ailes. The channel will be available
from satellite broadcast services owned by Murdoch's News Corp.
At a news conference, Murdoch "was short on programming details
and vague about reaching viewers," according to NEWSDAY. The New
York-based network will have an online presence to give viewers
more info -- with the online services possibly connected to a
"struggling online venture" that News Corp. has been readying for
months (Elizabeth Sanger, NEWSDAY, 1/31). With "no name and no
formal plan for distribution, the promised channel inspired
widespread doubts about its long term survival," according to the
N.Y. TIMES. The channel will not have "an existing network news
division to supply the framework" (Bill Carter, N.Y. TIMES,
1/31). Murdoch said he could launch the channel for less than
$100M a year, "considered unrealistically low" (Charles Haddad,
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 1/31).
APPLE OF ALLEN'S EYE? Microsoft co-Founder (and Blazers
Owner) Paul Allen is "taking a hard look at whether to invest in
CNN's growing interactive community," according to the ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION. CNN would use Allen's backing to "greatly expand
CNN interactive, an already rapidly growing -- though
unprofitable new business." The division publishes Web pages for
CNN, CNNfn and an "All Politics" page with Time (Charles Haddad,
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 1/31).
