CBS News today unveiled the next generation of CBSNews.com (www.cbsnews.com), a dramatic redesign of its web site that lets readers dig deeper into the stories that impact the world with 24-hour access to news, videos and photos. The new CBSNews.com offers a completely new look and feel, more original and exclusive content from CBS News, columnists and content partners, enhanced destinations for each of its award-winning news programs, and access to live coverage of breaking news and special events.
The CBSNews.com redesign is sponsored by advertisers including Sprint, BluePhone and GateWay. Sponsors will have the opportunity to reach the high-profile CBSNews.com audience through integrated advertising units including branded resource centers and immersive video environments.
The redesign builds on CBSNews.com's recent success bringing original content and breaking news to CBS News' audiences, adding depth to on-air news broadcasts. This includes the highly successful Webcasts during Election and Campaign '08 hosted by Katie Couric, Anchor and Managing Editor of the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC. Couric is widely acknowledged for her blogging, her candid FlipCam videos and her active presence on social media web sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The redesign offers fans and followers new opportunities to interact with Couric and her Web content.
"The new design and platform looks to capitalize on the legacy and strengths of the CBS News' brands, while leveraging the web's ability to help us dramatically expand our coverage, showcase our strength in video, and drive greater engagement with our audience," said Joe Gillespie, Executive Vice President, CBS Interactive Technology & News. "The goal was to build and design a site that clearly identifies the most important breaking news and highlights each of CBS News programs' unique tones and personalities, all in a framework that is easy to navigate and always in the moment."
"CBS News has always been a leader in innovating electronic journalism. This redesign makes exclusive new content available and makes all our content more accessible than ever," said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. "Working together with CBS News broadcast television and radio, CBSNews.com will be a 24-hour pipeline for CBS News' content to reach millions of people, anywhere, anytime."
"We are excited to be a part of this momentous occasion. CBSNews.com, with its engaged and informed audience, offers a terrific platform for us to introduce the BluePhone service and our 24/7 Hotline to Personal Tech Experts to the marketplace," said Allen Nieman, Vice President of Marketing, BluePhone.
The CBSNews.com home page now features a visual carousel of the day's top stories, with the latest, most significant and most popular headlines prominently featured. From the home page, users can easily access the site's original content, including:
* Breaking News: Featuring news stories from CBSNews.com's editorial staff led by Editor-in-chief Dan Farber, the site also includes stories from CBS News producers and editors, CBS Radio, as well as content partners like Politico, CBS MoneyWatch, Washington Post and WebMD.
* Original Web Series:
o Beginning this week, WASHINGTON UNPLUGGED (www.cbsnews.com/washingtonunplugged) moved from a weekly to a daily format. Hosted by Bob Schieffer, CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent and Moderator of FACE THE NATION, WASHINGTON UNPLUGGED is a hard-hitting, topical, political forum with exclusive newsmaker interviews and roundtable discussions every day at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Launched in February as a 15-minute weekly series, loyal fans have made this a hugely popular online political destination.
o Debuting this summer, THE TOMORROW SHOW, hosted by CBS News Contributor Mo Rocca, will be a fun, interactive discussion about what the future has in store, and the possibilities on the horizon - from the probable to the possible to the strange and inventive. Launching in early August, Mo Rocca and his guests will discuss technology, food, pop culture, the environment and more. Guests will include the super smart - and sometimes bizarre - minds of the people who think about this stuff - scientists, authors, bloggers, futurists and the audience.
o Also coming this summer is IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH, hosted by CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. The live weekly show will cover a variety of topical subjects in medicine, highlighting Dr. Ashton's specialization in women's health. Featuring experts and a variety of guests, the show will explore general health issues focusing on how they relate to women, including discussions on everything from exercise at every age to stress-fighting foods.
* Blogs: Launched today, 48 HOURS CRIMESIDER (www.crimesider.com) is a provocative new blog from visionary executive producer Susan Zirinsky, which builds on the enormous popularity of 48 HOURS MYSTERY, the highest-rated true-crime program on television. CRIMESIDER will be the premium online destination for true-crime fans delivering original, exclusive content covering the most riveting crime stories of the day with rapidly updated news, images, audio and video streaming. CRIMESIDER users will also be able to enter the highly interactive conversation with comments, webcams and social networking elements.
In addition, CBSNews.com users will find a variety of issue-oriented blogs offering the latest buzz on the topics that interest them most. CBSNews.com's expanding roster of blogs includes: Political Hotsheet, WorldWatch, EconWatch, CourtWatch and RightsWatch.
The redesign also includes a new look and feel for each of the CBS News programs that reflects the unique feel of the show, including CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC, 60 MINUTES, FACE THE NATION, THE EARLY SHOW, 48 HOURS MYSTERY and SUNDAY MORNING. For example, the 60 MINUTES site (www.60minutes.com) will highlight the show's exclusive and historic segments such as interviews with Captain Sully and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. In addition, through CBSNews.com's "Live Feed," users will continue to have access to CBS News' live coverage of breaking news and events. The Live Feed will also be distributed to CBS Owned & Operated stations, affiliates and via UStream.
As part of the new CBSNews.com, BlackBerry users can also take CBSNews.com with them wherever they go through a new mobile application. Through the application, users will have full access to the latest breaking news and developing stories from CBS News and CBSNews.com - making CBSNews.com truly available anytime, anywhere. The application is available at: http://blackberry.cbsnews.com from your BlackBerry. CBSNews.com will also launch an iPhone app this summer for iPhone and iPod Touch users.
About CBS News
CBS News is the news and information arm of CBS Corporation, dedicated to providing the best in journalism under standards it pioneered at the dawn of radio and television and continues to set in today's digital age. Headquartered in New York, CBS News includes bureaus across the globe and influential, critically acclaimed programs providing newsmaking features and interviews, investigative reports, analysis and breaking news 24 hours a day, seven days a week, utilizing a multi-platform model for news distribution across television (CBS Television Network), radio (CBS Radio Network), the Internet (CBSNews.com) and hand-held devices (CBS Mobile). CBS News' multiple-award-winning programs include its flagship daily news program THE CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC, #1 news magazine 60 MINUTES, fastest growing network morning program THE EARLY SHOW, top-rated true-crime magazine show 48 HOURS MYSTERY, newsmaking Washington public-affairs show FACE THE NATION and #1 Sunday morning program SUNDAY MORNING. Other CBS News originals range from CBS Radio's WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP, broadcasting's longest running program, to CBSNews.com's innovative new webcasts and blogs, available at www.cbsnews.com.
About CBS Interactive
CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corporation, is the best online content network for information and entertainment. With more than 200 million people visiting its properties each month, it is the 8th largest Web property globally and the 5th largest Web property in the U.S. in terms of unique video viewers. Its portfolio of leading brands, which include CNET, CBS.com, CBSSports.com, GameSpot, TV.com, BNET and Last.fm, span popular categories like technology, entertainment, sports, news and business.