‘TV or online, doesn’t matter as long as you are watching us’

Atlanta-based Cable News Network (CNN), part of the $27 billion media conglomerate Time Warner Inc, is one of the world’s best-known news networks. Outside the US, it has 31 bureaux. Ellana Lee, as managing editor of CNN International, Asia Pacific, heads the nine bureaux in the region. A former producer with CNN, Lee was recently in Mumbai and DNA caught up with her to discuss consolidation in the industry, how news channels retain their relevance in the midst of the online juggernaut and how CNN tackles a market like India. Excerpts:

First up, in terms of programming, how much of a news channel is still about news?
Well, I think everything is news. I think the period of thinking news is hardcore news and non-hardcore news is over. Even feature programming is hardcore news. We want to create a vast menu for you. It’s not black or white. We are not turning our back on hardcore news. We are recognising that ours is a global audience and they have multiple interests. That’s why we have a variety of stuff, but we are still committed to big news.

In India, there is increasing stress on local news. More often that not, apart from maybe two big stories, there is not much world news. And the audience can get that from the Indian channels so how do you stay relevant in such a scenario?
One thing is we don’t compete with local news. We are clearly aware of our strengths and where we don’t want to be. We don’t want to compete with your 100 + news channels and 400 + entertainment channels. We clearly know our DNA is international news. When there is big news on the international scene you turn to us because we have got the best resources and scale. Frankly we talk to everyone we need to speak to. That’s our bread and butter. Having said that, India is a unique country because we have a really good relationship with CNN-IBN.

A lot has been said about the evolving role of the internet, social networking sites in particular, in the way information is transmitted among people. The protests in Middle Eastern and North African countries are a case in point. Don’t you think with this, the influence of television could possibly be on the wane?
No, I don’t. It’s no longer about bringing the basic fundamentals to the audience anymore. It doesn’t work like that. In the world of the internet, social networking sites and where Twitter is breaking news as well, we need to do something better. So for us, it’s very critical we evolve with the environment we are living in and extend the CNN ecosystem, as we call it.

Also for us it’s not only about television. We have to be on every device. A lot of my friends’ kids say they don’t watch news on television. They have to get it from their laptop, mobile phone, Blackberry so we need to create an ecosystem with multiple touch points. It does not matter to me if you watch CNN on television or on your iPhone as long as you are watching us.

Rupert Murdoch is trying to buy whatever he does not own of BSkyB in the UK, to which there is intense opposition. Consolidation among media companies has been much discussed in the last couple of decades and has been called unhealthy for the industry just like it’s harmful in, say, steel or energy. How do you view this?
I am not an expert at it so don’t take my word for it. But when I look at a market like India, I have always waited for some consolidation to happen. It’s not a bad thing.

Why do you say that?
I think perhaps the media aspect could be more refined here, the standards of operation, ethics. This is coming from speaking with people in your industry. They tell me there are so many of them here that everyone is chasing ratings. Sot the do’s and do not do’s are not really pronounced. So maybe with some consolidation, a lot of that will be more refined. In more mature markets do you need consolidation? Perhaps not. You need healthy competition.

Because there are only four or five big companies?
Yeah. With the Murdoch situation, I am not really an expert on Europe. It’s very complicated.

How is consolidation in other Asia Pacific countries?
It’s run by a handful of companies. But the social networking sites are competition. You have Twitter, Facebook, they are not being bought by anybody. They are making the big guys stand up and take notice. We have to evolve because of what they bring to the table.

What are your plans for the Indian bureau? How big is it now?
We have about five people in New Delhi and a business correspondent in Mumbai. We would like to grow but we are quite efficient with the staff we have.

Given that you are in the midst of so much news at work, how much of it do you watch at home?
I watch a lot of news at work, but a lot of my news is consumed on my iPad. I watch a lot at work and I read a lot at home. I do most of my reading on the weekends.

Which channel do you prefer? Besides CNN of course.
I watch everyone. I watch BBC, Al Jazeera, some business channels and local channels I can understand.