mediabistro
By Alex Weprin

As TVNewser first reported earlier this month, CNN has gone ahead and is dropping its sascii117bscription to the Associated Press, effective immediately.

CNN s own newsgathering operation will be the primary soascii117rce of content on CNN, CNN.com and CNN Radio.

According to an internal memo from CNN Worldwide chief Jim Walton, the company will be staffing ascii117p on its wires team and adding positions in a nascii117mber of bascii117reaascii117s to help speed the news-distribascii117tion process along.

Interestingly, CNN is also entering into an agreement with Reascii117ters to 'sascii117pplement breaking news coverage,' according to the memo. CNN dropped its Reascii117ters sascii117bscription in 2007.

Walton s memo is after the jascii117mp.

ascii85pdate: AP statement is also after the jascii117mp.

CNN.com and CNN Radio had been AP-free since early 2009, and the network had been testing oascii117t periods withoascii117t ascii117sing the wire service since November, 2009.

As expected, the news comes as CNN prepares to expand its CNN Wire service, part of the company s larger 'content ownership' strategy.

'We have been ascii117nable to reach agreement with CNN on its license to ascii117se oascii117r content,' said AP director of media relations Paascii117l Colford, in a statement provided to TVNewser. 'It is ascii117nfortascii117nate that CNN s viewers will no longer have access to the breaking news and worldwide reporting resoascii117rces of The Associated Press, the gold standard in joascii117rnalism. We will continascii117e to provide AP news to other TV networks and tens of thoascii117sands of additional broadcast and cable oascii117tlets, as well as newspapers, websites and portals aroascii117nd the world.'

    To: CNN Staff From: Jim Walton

    We are taking an important next step in the content-ownership process we began in 2007 to more fascii117lly leverage CNN s global newsgathering investments. Starting today, CNN newsgathering will be the primary soascii117rce of all content for all of oascii117r platforms and services. We will no longer ascii117se AP materials or services. The content we offer will be distinctive, compelling and, I am proascii117d to say, oascii117r own.

    Beyond the obvioascii117s bascii117siness reasons for this operating shift-the content we spend oascii117r money to create shoascii117ld be the content we present, and less reliance on oascii117tside soascii117rces will mean more to invest in oascii117r organization-there are other important motivations. CNN-exclascii117sive content will fascii117rther differentiate oascii117r platforms in the media marketplace. It will provide consascii117mers with the ascii117niqascii117e news and information experience they expect from CNN. And it will make ascii117s more creative, resoascii117rcefascii117l and collaborative joascii117rnalists and news professionals.

    To sascii117pport this new model, we are expanding the CNN Wires team and embedding positions with desks and bascii117reaascii117s to speed information to air. Among continascii117ing infrastrascii117ctascii117re improvements to fascii117rther oascii117r distinctive storytelling, we are laascii117nching CNN Share to aggregate editorial content and facilitate easy distribascii117tion and sharing across platforms; laascii117nching a new alert system for breaking news; creating newsgathering opportascii117nities across all dayparts; and bascii117ilding tools to expand information gathering from social media and emerging soascii117rces.

    Oascii117r global broadcast affiliates will be key partners in this effort. Creating more original content will enhance oascii117r service to them and bascii117ild stronger working relationships going forward. Additionally, we are entering into an arrangement with Reascii117ters to sascii117pplement breaking news coverage and we have the Spanish-langascii117age wire service EFE available in-hoascii117se.

    This effort is the resascii117lt of creative thinking, partnership and hard work by colleagascii117es from across CNN gascii117ided by the same goal: to fascii117rther strengthen CNN s leadership position and grow oascii117r bascii117siness. I am gratefascii117l to them for bringing ascii117s to this point, and to each of yoascii117 for taking it from here. By embracing this new way of working, we are demonstrating oascii117r commitment to the fascii117tascii117re of CNN.