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CNN's Wire Service Details Coming In December; "We Have The Base"

This story was written by Rafat Ali.


We missed this late last month during our conferences, but worth pointing out still: CNN is preparing to reveal more details of its much-discussed news wire service with editors of various newspapers this December in a three-day editors confab, reported E&P. Last year in summer, CNN ended its 27-year relationship with *Reuters* saying it would plough the money saved from the contract - said to be $3.5 million - back into its own newsgathering and then syndicate that as a wire service to other outlets. With the turmoil around AP, its rate changes, and some newspapers canceling the AP subscription, the new service from CNN comes at a rather delicate time for all news outlets.

In a letter to newspaper editors, which E&P got, CNN says that CNN Wire will "provide stories of interest to your newspaper and online readersbreaking news, national, international, business, politics, consumer, medical, and more...With a worldwide staff of 3,800 people, 22 international bureaus, soon to be 15 domestic bureaus (including Seattle), 900 North American TV broadcast affiliates, a Web site, and a radio network, we are able to maintain a strong flow of up-to-the-minute stories. We now believe we have the base to offer this service to other news organizations." Remains to be seen how long CNN can shore up its news gathering operations as Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) figures out its own priorities amidst a prolonged economic downturn


By Rafat Ali

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