NBC's cash-strapped 'Breaking News' app & social media feeds to shut down this week
NBC is pulling the plug on its Breaking News service that feeds the eponymous iOS app on Dec. 31, and is leaving 9.5 million followers on Twitter in the dark as well.
On Dec. 8, NBC announced plans to cease all operations of the news aggregator that employed 20 people in Chicago, New York, London, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
"We're true believers of news that isn't designed for clicks, but a service that helps people and companies make smarter, safer decisions." said the service's co-founder and General Manager Cory Bergman. "As we discovered, such a model doesn't fit with advertising, and despite a surge of interest in our premium data, the money has run out."
NBC says that the staff will remain at the company until the end of January, if no work is found for them elsewhere within the company.
"Despite its consumer appeal, Breaking News has not been able to generate enough revenue to sustain itself," wrote Nick Ascheim, senior vice president of digital for NBC News in a memo to staff announcing the shutdown. "We have therefore made the hard decision to close its operations so that we can re-invest that funding into NBC News' core digital products."
Ascheim claims that NBC will attempt to incorporate the best of Breaking News' features into other NBC News products. To date, the inclusion does not appear to have happened.
The Breaking News service was founded in 2007, utilizing nascent social media venues to discover, confirm, and spread emergent news situations. It originally relied on tips from over 300 news organizations, and claims to drive around 200,000 clicks a day on links it publishes.
NBC ultimately picked up the service and domain, with completion of the deal in 2010 for an undisclosed sum.
The iOS app was last updated on Dec. 9. Recent review of the app mourn the impending loss of the service, citing its prompt identification of issues of global concern, with no editorializing.
On Dec. 8, NBC announced plans to cease all operations of the news aggregator that employed 20 people in Chicago, New York, London, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
"We're true believers of news that isn't designed for clicks, but a service that helps people and companies make smarter, safer decisions." said the service's co-founder and General Manager Cory Bergman. "As we discovered, such a model doesn't fit with advertising, and despite a surge of interest in our premium data, the money has run out."
NBC says that the staff will remain at the company until the end of January, if no work is found for them elsewhere within the company.
"Despite its consumer appeal, Breaking News has not been able to generate enough revenue to sustain itself," wrote Nick Ascheim, senior vice president of digital for NBC News in a memo to staff announcing the shutdown. "We have therefore made the hard decision to close its operations so that we can re-invest that funding into NBC News' core digital products."
Ascheim claims that NBC will attempt to incorporate the best of Breaking News' features into other NBC News products. To date, the inclusion does not appear to have happened.
The Breaking News service was founded in 2007, utilizing nascent social media venues to discover, confirm, and spread emergent news situations. It originally relied on tips from over 300 news organizations, and claims to drive around 200,000 clicks a day on links it publishes.
NBC ultimately picked up the service and domain, with completion of the deal in 2010 for an undisclosed sum.
The iOS app was last updated on Dec. 9. Recent review of the app mourn the impending loss of the service, citing its prompt identification of issues of global concern, with no editorializing.
Comments
Breaking news was a wonderful source of news. Not political propaganda. I'll miss this app when it closes. Would gladly of paid for it.
Sorry
As the story states, the most recent reviews on the App Store are mourning the loss of the app because it pulled from many sources around the world, and didn't editorialize at all. It didn't just link to NBC after the purchase - how could it, when it was literally a Breaking News app? NBC didn't break every story domestically, let alone world-wide, so relying on NBC wouldn't have made sense.
I will certainly miss it, as it was a consistent source of world-wide news that I otherwise would not have seen.
Quote
to express a personal opinion, especially when you should be giving a report of the facts only
A news site should only give the facts plus a bity of journalistic interpretation unless a piece is clearly shown as an Editorial.
I guess too much 'Editorializing' gets you to ... say Fox News where IMHO truth is often thin on the ground.
With no editorizing then you get a dull place. When everyone these days seems to crave to be entertained perhaps that is why it failed.
Personally, I think that 'editoriaizing' is a stupid word and one that I'd never use in a decade of sundays.
So you never even read it?
People you describe as "readers".
NBC "News" is one of the broadcast originators and leaders of Fake News.
Look at their Fake News stories in the 1900's: the exploding Ford truck, the exploding watermelon story are just two of their "Crown Jewels".
Sadly we live in an era where "unadulterated news with no agenda or biases" and 'legitimate reporting' are considered 'slanted' by those of a certain persuasion.
With the exception of live video, NBC was hardly ever used as source material.