CNN.com Beta = CNN.com light?

I checked out CNN.com Beta this morning and took some screenshots to compare the old versus the new. CNN.com Beta has a much less busy layout that I initially wasn't a huge fan of, but I suppose I never really noticed how busy the CNN.com page actually is until I saw it as a screenshot.

If CNN is ok with its "partners," not getting the same amount of exposure by putting them at the bottom of the page, it's a decent redesign, but that's a lot of white space! I feel like I've gotten used to that cluttered blue text.

The Old.

The New.