The CNN Newspaper Summit to promote the channel's upcoming wire service was an overall success, the representatives of 30 newspapers in attendance said, but failed to provide specifics or formal plans for future subscribers, according to Paid Content.

The idea of the three-day conference was to "canvass" editors to help design and customize the service. Among the demands by editors were more photo options, and access to national, international and breaking news.

Several editors who have complained about the cost of the current leading news wire, the Associated Press, were left with no details about how CNN would match AP's membership rates.

The amount of stories provided by the wire service left some editors concerned, Paid Content reports, with one attendee reporting that fewer than 30 national, international and business stories would be available per day.

CNN said that more details about "service packages" would be available in 2009. The wire service has received criticism about its effectiveness in comparison to the AP, which has acknowledged a "potential threat" from CNN's service.

During the conference, however, attendees noted a "downplay" of the competition by CNN. The New York Times speculated that the network realizes that it "can't promise anything near the AP's comprehensive news coverage," and so doesn't want to displace the "established" wire service.

The summit got "high marks" by editors for reaching out to newspapers. The attendees noted that the AP had not sought newspapers' input in designing its service, and appreciated CNN's attention.

Source: Paid Content and Editor and Publisher