Cable news prepared for war: MSNBC and Fox take different tacks as they get ready to battle CNN.(Cover Story)

Broadcasting & Cable, June, 1996 by Brown, Rich

MSNBC and Fox take different tacks as they get ready to battle CNN With MSNBC, the NBC/Microsoft news venture, just three weeks away from its debut, and Fox now shooting for a fall launch of its own competing cable news service, the television industry is bracing for a news battle royale.

At deadline last week, Fox and Tele-Communications Inc. were continuing discussions that could lead to the MSO's committing more than half of its 13 million-subscriber base to the Fox service at launch. But while the drama builds, so do the questions. What will it take to launch a successful foray into what has been exclusive CNN territory for 16 years? A seasoned news division with household names like Brokaw and Couric? Or the iron will of a Rupert Murdoch, who is just...

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