Reuters working on massive web relaunch

Reuters is working on a complete overhaul of its web operations, reports Joe Pompeo of Capital New York, that is scheduled to launch in the first three months of 2013.

Pompeo writes, “Known internally as ‘Reuters Next,’ the new reuters.com will be a ‘state of the art’ offering with a redesigned front-end and a proprietary content management system built from scratch, said our sources, who described the site as being remodeled into editor-curated, stream-based channels such as world news, politics, business and tech.

“‘I don’t think we’re trying to reinvent the face of technology’ an insider said. ‘I think we need a competent CMS with great editorial curation and judgment that finally provides a good platform to display all the fine journalism Reuters has been doing.’

“Thomson Reuters, a financial data firm like Bloomberg and Dow Jones that also makes money from professional services in the legal, tax and accounting fields, derives only a fraction of its revenue from the journalism it publishes online. But its investment in Reuters Next, as well as the installation of marquee editors like Chrystia Freeland, Jim Impoco and Ken Li on the digital side, shows the company moving away from a long-held ambivalence toward its consumer web strategy.

“A spokesperson for Reuters declined to comment.

“Most of the talent working on Reuters Next, including alumni of The Huffington Post, Abrams Media and The New York Observer, has already been hired.”

Read more here.