ABC News and New York Times Announce Alliance

Posted on January 21, 2000

ABC News and The New York Times have announced plans to form a limited editorial partnership for the coverage of news events over several technological platforms, including broadcast and the Internet. David Westin, the president of ABC News, and Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., the publisher of The New York Times newspaper and chairman of The New York Times Company, made the announcement.

Beginning on January 24 and continuing through the November election, The New York Times and ABC News will co-produce a daily 15-minute webcast that will appear each day, Monday through Friday, at 1:30 p.m., ET, simultaneously on both ABCNews.com and NYTimes.com. The live webcast will offer political coverage, and will bridge the gap in the news cycle between each morning's New York Times and Good Morning America and each evening's World News Tonight.

The webcast, "Political Points," will feature reporters from both news organizations discussing political news stories and will use video and audio from the field. "Political Points" will include interviews with candidates and campaign insiders, coverage of the latest news and speeches and statements by the candidates. It will also offer users campaign audio, video and text; interactive participation; and links to political sites and news coverage on both organization's sites.

The editorial direction of the webcast will be shared by the New York Times webcast editor, Janet Battaile, and the ABC News webcast producer Howard Rosenberg. The webcast will be produced in the ABC News Washington bureau with satellite facilities in The New York Times Washington bureau, The New York Times and ABC News headquarters in New York, and in the field with Times and ABC News reporters and coverage teams.

In the broadcast arena, ABC News and The New York Times will work together to develop and produce segments on technology and health for 20/20 and Good Morning America. Editorial control over these pieces will be shared by the two news organizations. Journalists from The New York Times will also appear on ABC News broadcasts to discuss politics and other timely issues.

Mr. Westin said, "This announcement marks a large step forward for ABC News. We are delighted to be working with The New York Times, both for its breadth of reporting and its high editorial standards. Together, we can continue to provide all of our audiences with thoughtful and thorough news and information, in all media."

Mr. Sulzberger said, "We are delighted to partner with ABC News on both the TV and website. This is another step in the Times's strategy to provide updated news throughout the day and extend The New York Times brand to quality audiences."