NBC’s 24-Hour News Channel to Debut Today

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NBC News is launching its 24-hour News Channel today, transmitting video films of late-breaking news, sports and features from a new base in Charlotte to network affiliates for local use.

Until now, the network had been feeding its affiliates several times a day from New York.

“We were better off getting out of New York and creating our own identity,” said Bob Horner, a former CBS News bureau chief who’s in charge of what he describes as “a video wire service.”

Real estate costs, climate and access to a major airport also played a role.

“Charlotte is a thriving city with a good business climate,” he said. “It’s also blessed with strong local media.”

NBC News Channel will feed raw and edited footage, including foreign, domestic and regional material, to local stations, which can edit the reports for their newscasts.

“Local stations want more variety,” Horner said. “Some smaller companies, like CNN, have been more aggressive in using satellite technology to help individual stations.”