Source: BBC Preparing ABC Alliance Pitch
Source: British Broadcasting Corp. Is Preparing to Pitch a Plan to ABC for a Trans-Atlantic Alliance
The Associated Press
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LONDON Jan. 6 —
The British Broadcasting Corp. is preparing to pitch a plan to the ABC television network for a trans-Atlantic alliance, as merger talks between ABC News and its U.S. rival CNN appear to have stalled, a BBC source said Monday.
"If talks were to completely break down between CNN and ABC, we'd be interested in talking with them," the BBC source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
However, ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider played down prospects for a deal.
"While we're always looking for ways to improve coverage and be more efficient, there are no dramatic plans with the BBC on the horizon," Schneider said from New York.
The BBC and ABC already have an agreement, in place since 1993, to share video footage and other news material. The British broadcaster is believed to want to broaden and deepen these ties and create an alliance that would stop short of a full-blown merger.
The BBC has not approached ABC's parent, Walt Disney Co., Schneider said. The Financial Times reported the British company is reluctant to intervene until ABC and CNN break off their talks.
ABC and CNN have been in discussions for several months about a possible merger. ________ Parsons, chief executive of AOL Time Warner Inc. the owner of CNN cable news network, said last month that talks aimed at a merger with ABC have "hit a pause" due to the potential deal's complexity.
The BBC is concerned that a merger between the American networks could displace its existing arrangement with ABC, the Financial Times said.
Under its deal with ABC, the BBC gets access to a North American news gathering system that it would be hard-pressed to replicate on its own.
The British company also has commercial arrangements with two other U.S. broadcasters. It provides BBC World news programs to the Public Broadcasting Service TV network, and it co-produces programs with National Public Radio in Boston and other U.S. cities.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: British Broadcasting Corp. Is Preparing to Pitch a Plan to ABC for a Trans-Atlantic Alliance
The Associated Press
Print This Page
Email This Page
See Most Sent
• Snowbound Paraplegic Survives on Lollipops
• Will California Drag the Rest of the Nation Down?
• Film Critic Roger Ebert Takes on the Net
LONDON Jan. 6 —
The British Broadcasting Corp. is preparing to pitch a plan to the ABC television network for a trans-Atlantic alliance, as merger talks between ABC News and its U.S. rival CNN appear to have stalled, a BBC source said Monday.
"If talks were to completely break down between CNN and ABC, we'd be interested in talking with them," the BBC source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
However, ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider played down prospects for a deal.
"While we're always looking for ways to improve coverage and be more efficient, there are no dramatic plans with the BBC on the horizon," Schneider said from New York.
The BBC and ABC already have an agreement, in place since 1993, to share video footage and other news material. The British broadcaster is believed to want to broaden and deepen these ties and create an alliance that would stop short of a full-blown merger.
The BBC has not approached ABC's parent, Walt Disney Co., Schneider said. The Financial Times reported the British company is reluctant to intervene until ABC and CNN break off their talks.
ABC and CNN have been in discussions for several months about a possible merger. ________ Parsons, chief executive of AOL Time Warner Inc. the owner of CNN cable news network, said last month that talks aimed at a merger with ABC have "hit a pause" due to the potential deal's complexity.
The BBC is concerned that a merger between the American networks could displace its existing arrangement with ABC, the Financial Times said.
Under its deal with ABC, the BBC gets access to a North American news gathering system that it would be hard-pressed to replicate on its own.
The British company also has commercial arrangements with two other U.S. broadcasters. It provides BBC World news programs to the Public Broadcasting Service TV network, and it co-produces programs with National Public Radio in Boston and other U.S. cities.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
