CNN To Open Gulf Coast Bureau

CNN is the latest network to announce a long-term commitment to Hurricane Katrina-related stories. It will open a Gulf Coast bureau, the network announced Friday.

The cable network’s move follows NBC’s announcement Thursday that it would open a New Orleans bureau.

The new bureau will called “CNN Gulf Coast.” Specific details on staff size and an official opening date for the new domestic bureau were not available.

CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein said his network will be involved in Katrina stories that “will unfold for years to come as the coast recovers and rebuilds.”

Office space in downtown New Orleans will be used to house equipment, correspondents, photojournalists and a production crew, the network said. A studio will be outfitted for live reports. In addition, CNN Newsource, the network’s syndicated news service, plans to base one of its correspondents in the bureau.

CNN currently operates 36 bureaus – 10 within in the United States and 26 elsewhere around the world.