CNN to begin advertising on 'CNN Student News'

ATLANTA - When Ted Turner began ``CNN Newsroom&#39;&#39; for students in public schools nationwide, he didn&#39;t do it to make a profit. <br> <br> But Turner no longer oversees CNN, and the program now called ``CNN Student News&#39;&#39; will soon air paid sponsorships. <br> <br> The sponsorships are part of a renewed push by CNN parent AOL Time Warner to profit from money-losing operations that are part of the corporation&#39;s Turner Learning unit. <br> <br> ``CNN Student News&#39;&#39; is broadcast at 4:30 a.m. for teachers in 18,000 schools to tape and use later for classroom instruction. It is aimed at middle and high school students. <br> <br> Turner officials always believed that making students familiar with CNN would broaden the network&#39;s audience in the future. Now, a central goal will be to convince children to watch CNN when they grow up. <br> <br> ``We want to be brand builder for the network,&#39;&#39; Turner Learning spokesman Mitch Leff said. <br> <br> The future of Turner Learning itself has been in doubt. AOL Time Warner, like other media companies, has been under budget pressures. <br> <br> The sponsorships for ``CNN Student News&#39;&#39; will not be regular commercials. They will be limited to the sponsor&#39;s name, logo and mention of each one&#39;s educational initiative or product, Leff said. <br> <br> ``We are being very careful about this because credibility is very important,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Leff said sponsors will not influence news content and their money will be used to fund improvements in the program. No sponsors have signed up yet. <br> <br> Kathryn Montgomery, president of the non-profit Center for Media Education, said she is concerned that the sponsorships might lead to full-fledged commericals. <br> <br> ``If they can do this, they will go further,&#39;&#39; Montgomery said. ``The issue here is the sanctity of the classrooms, and where we draw the lines in terms of commercialism.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Ann Flynn, director of education technology for the National School Boards Association, said the sponsorships will be a minor corporate presence compared with the commercial logos on students&#39; clothing. For that reason, they should not be much of an issue, she said.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/1/199956