CBS Expanding Original Web Video for New Personal Finance Site

SAN FRANCISCO --   Launched last month, online personal finance destination CBSMoneyWatch.com is fast increasing its video in by creating original programming and integrating more financial-related content from the CBS News and its affiliate stations, network executives say. 

CBS is currently building a set and studio for MoneyWatch at its 28th  Street offices in New York and site’s Jill Schlesinger, editor-at-large, will start producing daily segments, said Stephen Howard-Sarin, VP CBS Interactive Business Network, during an interview with Beet.TV at the CBS Interactive headquarters in San Francisco on Tuesday.

The video-centric site, which features a prominent video player on the landing page, produces at least three original videos each week and adds about four to five videos to the site each day from the network’s existing financial and business coverage from news programs like “The Early Show” and “The CBS Evening News.”

“CBS was doing this for local stations. We could tap into that,” Howard-Sarin said. “We are part of a giant TV network that produces video.”

CBS launched the personal finance property in April as a hub for business programming for the media company. Many of the site’s experts are or will be contributors to the network, stations and radio outlets.

Eric Schurenberg, former managing editor of Money magazine, is the editor in chief of the site and frequent on air personality.

The launch of the new multimedia business network comes during a time of tremendous economic upheaval as the country adjusts to the worst economic climate in decades. Because of that, business and financial reporting is one of the few areas in the news business that growing, according to information provided by the Radio and Television News Directors Association at its recent conference in Las Vegas.

MoneyWatch.com is being heavily cross promoted by CBS Interactive and CBS TV. 

Peter Kafka at MediaMemo wrote about plans for the new site earlier this year and here's the take by Staci Kramer at paidContent.

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Disclaimer from Andy:  CBS Interactive is a client of Plesser Holland public relations.