Tuning in to business viewers.(television program from publishers of Economist)(Brief Article)

The Economist is meeting the challenges of the new-media environment with the launch of a TV version but how can it protect its brand and convert advertisers

Globalisation, new media and the rise of the personal investor are having a profound effect on the provision and consumption of business news.

As European consumers take financial management into their own hands, they are demanding immediate information and cogent advice about the economic data that affects their lives -- whether it be a slump on the Nasdaq or rising oil prices within Opec. By its nature, this money-conscious group creates an attractive audience for advertisers.

The latest media owner to address this consumer demand is The Economist -- which unveiled a TV version of its brand called EVision in June this year.

EVision is a 30-minute magazine that includes five or six segments analysing key geopolitical and economic issues. Produced monthly for airlines, the plan is to make it weekly and to distribute it to international broadcasters as EVision from The Economist by 2001.

Tony Wales, the director of EVision, admits that negotiating the transition to TV is tricky. "The key is to retain the firm analysis, strong opinion and characteristic wit of the magazine while creating something appropriate for TV," he says.

EVision has no hope of competing with 24-hour news channels such as CNBC or CNN -- but that is not the goal, Wales says. "The aim is to provide a forward-thinking, quality programme that extends The Economist tradition of identifying issues that have not yet made the news agenda."