NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� CBS News says it is retooling its streaming service to better incorporate programs and personalities from the television network.
The CBS service is debuting a new evening newscast and prime-time lineup on Monday, from a newly-constructed Manhattan-based studio, part of what promises to be an aggressive year of building for news-based products.
The hourlong evening newscast, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern, will feature a rotating cast of anchors and originate from New York, Washington and Los Angeles. The streaming service will continue to air a rerun of Norah O'Donnell's 鈥淐BS Evening News鈥� later in the evening.
For two hours beginning at 8 p.m., the service will choose from a number of programs that key off of TV, different ones each evening. They include 鈥淧erson-to-Person,鈥� an O'Donnell-hosted interview series, and documentaries under the 鈥淐BS Reports鈥� banner. There will also be shows based on uplifting news segments hosted by Tony Dokoupil, on-the-road features by Steve Hartman and 鈥淓ye on America鈥� reports anchored by Michelle Miller.
鈥淗ere Comes the Sun鈥� spotlights reporting from 鈥淐BS Sunday Morning,鈥� while the service will also air television episodes of 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� and 鈥�48 Hours."
The service, available through the CBS News app, on Paramount+, has operated since 2014 but mostly as a 鈥渨heel鈥� of straight, sometimes repeated, newscasts.
CBS is also emphasizing the integration of streaming products made for its local news stations, with a 13th, out of Miami, beginning operation Monday.
鈥淭he biggest thing we've done is integrate the network, the digital and the local,鈥� said Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations. 鈥淭his is not about three separate products for three separate audiences.鈥�
The gradual transformation of CNN, Fox News and MSNBC primarily into political talk networks, frequently opinionated, gives the streaming service an open path, Khemlani said.
鈥淲e believe in balanced, unbiased reports,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e believe in original reporting and exquisite storytelling. Those are the values of CBS News.鈥�
Khemlani denied the timing of CBS' facelift had anything to do with rivals. CNN, for example, has been on a hiring spree in preparation for the CNN+ streaming service to debut in a few months.
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This story corrects that Miami will be CBS' 13th local streaming service, not the 14th.
David Bauder, The Associated Press
