By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – News consumers in Buffalo will soon have another option for local news. Time Warner Cable announced plans Thursday to launch a 24-hour local news channel by next March.
At a time when other media outlets are laying off employees or initiating buy-outs, Time Warner Cable is expanding its statewide operation of local news channels to its Buffalo area system. Rochester already has R News. And Albany has Capital News. Time Warner spokeswoman Robin Wolfgang says work is already underway on converting part of its Chicago Street office complex into a state-of-the-art news studio.
Wolfgang said the new channel will have local news, sports and weather whenever viewers want it 24 hours a day. With so much media downsizing, Wolfgang acknowledges there's likely to be much interest in the available positions.
The 24-hour cable news channels are strong competitors to network affiliate news operations in Rochester and Albany. Lee Coppola, the dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University, expects the same will be true in Buffalo.
The news channel will be available to Time Warner customers only.
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