ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 13, 1996 TAG: 9612130078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-10 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: Associated Press
Already the leader in all news all the time, CNN joined Sports Illustrated in launching a 24-hour all-sports news network Thursday night, entering the market in competition with ESPNEWS.
CNN-SI, as it is called, will try to draw on CNN's success as well as the name and talent of Sports Illustrated to exist in a market where, until two months ago, there was only NewSport.
Nick Charles, longtime host of CNN's nightly sports show, was handed the assignment of christening the network with its first words.
``I think I'm going to feel like puking,'' CNN senior vice president Jim Walton joked as the 8 p.m. hour of launch drew near.
The venture represents the first major project by the company created when Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting merged. CNN-SI hopes to create a unique identity with more emphasis placed on storytelling and less on highlights, as well as regularly scheduled live international sports shows from CNN's London bureau.
``This has been, for me personally, a remarkable ride,'' Walton said. ``We've taken two very distinct cultures - the 24-hour TV news environment of CNN and the weekly print environment of Sports Illustrated - and married them.''
NewSport, operated by Prime SportsChannel Network, began in February 1994 and now says it reaches 10 million homes. It was without competition until ESPNEWS launched on Nov.1 to an estimated 1.5 million homes, most by a c-band satellite dish.
At the time of the CNN-SI launch, ESPNEWS still had not updated those figures.
CNN-SI said Thursday that it would start with about 4.5 million homes, all but a half million of those via c-band dish. With a February commitment from Prime Star for another 1.5 million, CNN-SI said it would have at least 6 million potential viewing homes by early 1997.
CNN-SI is not yet offered in Southwest Virginia.
LENGTH: Short : 46 linesby CNB