CADILLAC, MICH.—NewsNet, a new 24/7 pundit- and panel-free news channel, is targeting a late-2018 launch to bring local news from around the country to a national audience without the shouting and commentary viewers are rejecting.
“In recent years, we’ve heard more and more complaints about existing 24/7 national news channels,” said Eric Wotila, president of NewsNet. “At the same time, we’ve received constant compliments about the straight-to-the-facts, no-nonsense and commentary-free local news coverage we provide on MI News 26, our 24/7 local news channel in northern Michigan.”
Encouraged by the favorable response in Michigan, Wotila is optimistic that news viewers around the country will also appreciate this approach.
Wotila launched a Kickstarter campaign to underwrite the launch. Based on the feedback from that campaign, Wotila’s confidence in the demand for a 24/7 news channel devoid of opinion and talk grew.
At the moment, Wotila’s team is expanding studio facilities and recruiting affiliates as the NewsNet launch approaches.
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“The key to NewsNet’s success will be our affiliates and we’re currently reaching out to stations across the country who are interested in bringing quality news programming to their markets by carrying NewsNet on one of their subchannels,” he said.
NewsNet’s new channel offers affiliates breaks for local ads and slots for local news insertions. For stations without their own local news, the network is offering its affiliates the option to sign up for a turnkey local news production service for a fraction of the cost of building out their own news operations.
NewsNet will be at the 2018 NAB Show to meet with potential affiliates. Interested stations also can email affiliates@yournewsnet.com.
