On Monday, CBS Television Stations announced the launch of what I think will be a great step in the direction of web based mainstream and citizen generated news. They are launching the CBS Local Ad Network in which local stations will syndicate new content to local bloggers and social media sites. This news will be delivered via news widgets that will link to video and text news of the local stations.
IN exchange for hosting the widgets, the bloggers will receive a share of the local ad dollars that are sold by the station.
How is it a win-win-win-win situation?
The will extend the CBS news media brand both on a national and local level by integrating news content with local blogger with a following. While it takes some of the focus off the broadcast model, it could potentially easily be made up via web usage. The network will seem innovative while the local affiliate could develop deeper ties to the local community. Bloggers and social networkds could increase their visibility and bring in more traffic. Advertisers will get greater exposure.
I like the idea.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
It too think it’s a good experiment. The monetary risks aren’t much. It gives CBS a chance to be in weblogger readers’ minds when they think of hard news. Webloggers benefit not only from the shared ad revenue but also providing useful content.
Since it’s not that costly to try (only need to build a widget for RSS feeds they should already be generating) more news agencies will try this.
Sean
Thanks for commenting. The only problem I see if controversial bloggers employ the widget and then start delivering controversial commentaries.
But that’s a risk worth taking.
Jonathan, it will have to be at the level of hate speech or pornography. With experience media consumers are learning that the content’s source is more important than what website they’re seeing or reading it on.
Yeah, you’re right. And some of the commentaries that are in responses on media sites now can seemingly be quite offensive, but that can’t nor it shouldn’t stop the train rollin’.