CNN Forcing Pipeline Down Our Throats

Look. I love my CNN Pipeline. It’s worth $25 a year just to watch CNN International at 4 in the morning. But I’m sick and tired of watching advertisements for the service during CNN’s so-called news programming.

CNN News Group launched a wide-ranging promotional push for Pipeline on Tuesday, with frequent on-air spots, blanket ads on CNN.com and messages attached to breaking news e-mails. The network’s anchors have become advertisers, too. “It’s changing the way you get your news on the Internet,” Daryn Kagan proclaimed today. (She’s not the only one; I just watch too much “CNN Live Today,” so I notice these things.)

“From satellite feed to the control room, from our servers to your desktop, CNN Pipeline provides you with a new window on the world. So log on to CNN.com/pipeline for more information,” Melissa Long said excitedly on Tuesday’s Live From. CNN.com anchor Veronica De La Cruz has turned into a promoter. I’m all for corporate synergy, but isn’t there some slightly more important news to report?

> Wonkette: “CNN offers hot streaming action”