Interview: Charlie Tillinghast, President, MSNBC.com

[By Staci D. Kramer] Just got off the phone with Charlie Tillinghast, president of MSNBC.com, who explained the decision to stream the NBC Nightly News on the NBC Universal-Microsoft joint venture news site starting effective Nov. 7 — and the economics. With the move, NBC becomes the first U.S. network to provide its newscast online. MSNBC.com has been offering segments of the Nightly News for some time as part of its ad-supported video but not as an entire show.

The suggestion came from Steve Capus, acting president of NBC News. Tillinghast knew the move would get attention: “It certainly has that turning point element to it, where you know the web has arrived when this happens, it has that kind of a historical impact to it.” He realizes this may not resonate with people early to the web and used to choosing their own news video but thinks it will with those who may have not watched yet and dont want “to hunt around galleries to find thier news.” This gives MSNBC.com its first show that’s “much more like TV, turn it on, sit back and watch.” Tillinghast adds, “This is the first lean-back experience on the web for a major news program รข

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