Turner Broadcasting's Board of Directors Friday approved a
partnership with Time Inc.'s Sports Illustrated to form CNN/SI, a
24-hour sports news channel launching in December. Jim Walton,
Exec Producer of CNN Sports, will head the channel and report to
CNN President Tom Johnson. SI Senior Editor Steve Robinson will
oversee their editorial participation (CNN/SI). The launch cost
was not disclosed, but they "are doing it as inexpensively as
possible," according to Charles Haddad in Atlanta. The channel
will use existing staff of both CNN and SI, while "adding few
additional employees." Now, "the race is on" to get CNN/SI on-
air "before competitors do the same." Haddad attributes the
December start date to reports ESPN is considering its own all-
news channel (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/18). CNN's Walton said the
format "won't be just scores and highlights. ... We'll have no
live events, no syndicated shows. But we'll have immediacy and
perspective." SI President Ted Shaker said while deals with
"Wide World of Sports" and "Monday Night Football" have ended,
some SITV personnel may appear on other networks (Steve Zipay,
NEWSDAY, 2/19). Bill Colson, SI Managing Editor: "We think it
brings two great elements together; those being CNN's unsurpassed
ability to cover breaking news, with what SI does best and that's
lending depth and perspective to those very same kinds of
stories" ("Sports Tonight," CNN, 2/16).
COMPETITION: ESPN will add a "SportsCenter-type" show from
1-6pm on ESPN2, "possibly as early as June," according to ESPN
Producer John Walsh. Josh Sapan, President and CEO of Rainbow
Programming Holding, said its NewSport partners, NBC Cable and
Liberty Sports "welcome any potential competitors." NEWSDAY's
Zipay notes sources say NewSport is "planning an election night
approach to sports news, rather than the traditional desk show"
(NEWSDAY, 2/19).
MEDIA REACTION: Zipay notes CNN/SI's initial impact
"wouldn't be substantial," hitting around 5-10 million homes, but
the "long-term impact could be significant" (NEWSDAY, 2/19). In
Baltimore, Milton Kent writes although ESPN is not "quaking" at
the announcement, CNN/SI "will have some heft and may give ESPN a
nice little run for its money" (Baltimore SUN, 2/19). In Boston,
Jack Craig writes, "Who needs it? ... How much more talent and
journalism can be brought to the medium beyond that already
exhibited on ESPN?" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/18). In Philadelphia, Mike
Bruton notes CNN/SI's potential, adding it "will likely move
through this growing market with all the gentleness of a rodeo
bull with a thorn in his hoof" (PHILA. INQUIRER, 2/20). In New
York, Richard Sandomir writes CNN/SI execs are "betting that
sports fans are data junkies in the same way news viewers are"
(N.Y. TIMES, 2/20). USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke notes the problem
of drawing viewers "to a news channel during the key high-rated
prime time hours when other channels are carrying live events"
(USA TODAY, 2/19).
