Larry Kramer Watch: TV and Blogs?



(image via sfgate)

The Corsair vigilantly continues The Larry Kramer Watch (AKA, "benevolent cyberstalking"). Kramer, the President of CBS Digital, has been making bold moves of late that include blogging in the CBS News division. This, even as organizations like NBC considers exiling their news division to the ghetto of (Said with disgust) "Jersey" (Averted Gaze); this, even as organizations like ABC's Nightline is -- allegedly -- being transformed into another arm of the many-tentacled Entertainment division. (Exaggerating cough suggesting feigned detachment)

CBS Digital has also just hired Jonathan Sobel, former General Counsel at Yahoo!, as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development. Total power move. Finally, on the Kramer Watch, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"Larry Kramer, president of the digital-media arm of Viacom's CBS, believes the new options work best when they are closely tied to the thing that gave them a spark in the first place: traditional TV programs. CBS is considering, for instance, giving a computer and video camera to a participant in one of its reality shows so that the person could operate a blog. That would provide product-placement opportunities for a computer manufacturer and video camera maker, both on the Web and on TV, he says.

"CBS also might be able to get an advertiser to sponsor the blog. 'If you use several things in concert you get a much stronger lift,' he says.

"'There are a lot of advertisers looking for creative answers. It reminds me of the early days of the Web,' says Mr. Kramer. 'Everyone wants to do it, and they are not exactly sure how to do it yet.'"