Variety’s Michael Learmonth takes a look at the launch of CNBC.com and what it will mean for the cable channel’s journalists, as well as its strategy.
Learmonth wrote, “Until last summer its Web activities had been undertaken in partnership with MSN. That deal expired in July, and the net hired a staff of 55 to launch the new site, designed to take on Dow Jones’ Marketwatch, Yahoo! Finance, Bloomberg and Reuters.
“‘I look at it as a Bloomberg Box for everyday people,’ said CNBC business news senior veep Jonathan Wald.
“CNBC has a relatively small audience of wealthy viewers, many of whom keep it on in the office. But net execs believe there are many more viewers who don’t have TVs at work and could be reached through the desktop.
“Launch sponsors are a host of CNBC TV sponsors including Ameritrade, Fidelity Investments, Etrade and Scottrade.
“In a departure, CNBC on-air personalities and correspondents will be asked to write stories and file blog dispatches in addition to their video reports.”
Read more here.
Meanwhile, a Reuters story on the launch focused on the search function of the site. It stated, “Searching on any given topic will consolidate CNBC’s myriad stories, blogs, videos and other financial information on one page.
“‘Every aspect of the site is visibly tagged and searchable so our viewers can customize the business universe to their particular needs,’ Meredith Stark, vice president of cnbc.com said, during a demonstration of the site.
“Viewers who want the entire CNBC broadcast will now be able to subscribe at an introductory rate of $9.95 per month for CNBC Plus, which makes its U.S., Asia and European broadcasts and other video clips available for searching.”
Read more here.
