In its bid to establish itself as a meaningful online company, CBS Interactive has downplayed its traditional strength in local vis a vis TV stations, radio stations and outdoor. The company’s just announced acquisition of CNET for $1.8 billion doesn’t necessarily change things. But company officials acknowledge that CNET’s local brands – Urban Baby, a moms site, and Chow, a foodie site – are leverageable assets.
CNET “gives us a platform to add things to…. what we can do with integration (of) the local things Urban Baby and Chow, where we have a great deal of local presence on the CBS side,” noted CEO Leslie Moonves, in an interview with Paid Content.
