CBS To Showcase Several Programs On Outdoor Stage Around Super Bowl Coverage

CBS today announced plans to “bring along lots of its shows and stage them in an outdoor square” in New Orleans during the net's coverage of Super Bowl XLVII, according to Michael Hiestand of USA TODAY. Networks carrying Super Bowls over the years have “gradually lengthened their pregame show and brought their other shows on-site.” But CBS' plans for its “temporary on-air hub in New Orleans' Jackson Square in the French Quarter will take on-air TV tonnage to a new level -- almost rivaling how TV networks use the Olympics to cross-promote various shows.” Five sets will be used for the net's "various shows." In addition to its evening and morning news shows and Sunday morning's “Face the Nation” being on-site in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, CBS also will "bring comedian Craig Ferguson's late-night show” and the network's daytime program “The Talk.” The net also will “use the staging area to hype various new sports ventures, including at least 50 hours of shows on its revamped CBS Sports Network cable channel” (USA TODAY, 12/6).