CBS News made significant operational changes on Tuesday that clarified how it would approach streaming and newsgathering under the full control of Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures.
On the streaming front, beginning Monday, April 22, CBS News Streaming Network will be renamed to CBS News 24/7. Under this name, it will feature new programming and double the amount of live hours to cover breaking news.
This is the streamer’s second name change in less than three years. It will celebrate its tenth anniversary in November.
As part of the changes coming to CBS News 24/7, a new flagship show will launch in June that bears the same name as the streaming channel. CBS News 24/7 will be a live, whip-around newscast featuring real-time headlines and weather enhanced by AR/VR technology.
Other new shows planned include The Daily Report with John Dickerson and an extended one-hour America Decides beginning April 22. In addition, there will be a new overnight news show, CBS News Roundup, which debuts later in the spring, and CBS News Confirmed arrives in the summer, identifying and reporting on misinformation.
Additional programming initiatives coming to CBS News 24/7 include Saturday marathons of CBS Saturday Morning and 48 Hours. Plus, Sunday marathons will showcase CBS Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes, while the CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell continues to stream every weeknight at 10:00 p.m. ET.
“CBS News 24/7 is a decidedly ambitious evolution of our streaming efforts,” said McMahon. “Data backs up our bet on a fresh, timely and distinctive approach to breaking news and live coverage. Our audiences crave it, and we’re in the best position to deliver it.”
On the newsgathering front, CBS News is embedding multi-skilled reporters in new news hubs located in the South and Midwest. According to the news division, this expansion is meant to reflect its audience and respond to population shifts across the country.
These hubs will be in cities including Phoenix, Ariz.; San Antonio and Houston, Texas; Las Vegas, Nev.; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans, La.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Tampa, Fla.
Terri Stewart, CBS News svp of domestic newsgathering, will oversee these hubs.
“One of CBS News’ core values is to be on the ground where the story is happening. It is part of our DNA and drives our newsgathering decisions daily. It is the best way to deliver journalism with impact,” said Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, president, CBS News. “Having reporters who live and work in these communities allows them to develop sources and build trust. Our journalists will be charged with finding the stories that genuinely reflect the issues on viewers’ minds and engage the country.”
In an interview with CNN’s Oliver Darcy in the Reliable Sources newsletter, McMahon expounded on the addition of the news hubs, saying, “These news hubs will help us overall respond to stories faster during breaking news simply because we will have people there. Our national movement of community journalism is in response to population shifts across the country, and it’s an extension of what we did at CBS Stations to turn neighborhoods into newsrooms.”
It’s been a busy week for CBS News as it has been strengthening its operational backbone by adding two new executives. Former ABC News executive Wendy Fisher was named vice president of weather strategy, and former CNN senior producer and reporter Melissa Mahtani was named executive producer of CBS News Confirmed.