Excerpts:
What has been the driver for the increased focus on Asia by CNN.com?

I think CNN realises that to go forward you have to develop techniques to be known beyond just breaking news. Perhaps, to regionalise. They are doing this by establishing European presence in London with about 30 journalists. In Hong Kong I think it is more important that we have a regional presence. There is not much information (archived data) for us to drill upon as there is in Europe. Hong Kong was chosen for the dotcom operation because we already have a television presence there. We have about 85 people in Hong Kong and its is a major production centre now.

To what extent to do you plan to provide localised content and do you plan to make changes in your style to suit local taste?CNN's editorial style will stay pretty much the same. We intend to keep being accurate. We like to think it will be first (to get the news). In terms of regional content, we have hired journalists all around the region. We also have a network of bureaus including one in Delhi. India is one of our major markets, and we will be looking seriously how we can improve the coverage by CNN.

What kind of sharing of resources will take place with the existing CNN infrastructure?
The television content would be made available to the dotcom. We are trying to use the material at the same time its being broadcast on television. I will give you an example. About a week ago, we had a demonstration by the Falun Gong against the Chinese authorities. We had a television crew down there. They filmed the early morning proceedings. The producer went to the studio and sent the material to Atlanta, USA (CNN head quarters) and at the same time gave us stills from the footage. The one reporter on the scene gave information to the television and the Website in a slightly different manner. It works quite well.

What would be the revenue potential of this venture. Would it profitable on a stand-alone basis?
Obviously, revenues. There are always the business managers, friends of mine. But I am unfortunately not one of them (laughs). I believe in the product and so does the senior management. They would not go into this venture without being entirely confident it is going to be successful.

What do you think about the Net as a news delivery medium?
Its tremendous. I think it is the most effective way of reaching an audience right throughout the day. You don't have to sit in front of a television to watch it. You can watch on the television in morning if you like. Then, you can carry it around on the telephone. Then you can go your desk and start your PC and have it in a little corner or as a ticker. I think it is a very flexible medium.

Does a leadership status in the traditional media translate into a leadership on the net?
I think brand names count a lot. CNN has an extremely powerful brand value. When you think of CNN, what do you think of? Breaking news, you don't think of anything else. I think people think of speed and credibility. This applies across all media.