Automating poor processes doesn't help. After that, they'll need to design templates for all their products and distribution channels. Designers can start with existing page layouts and draw boxes around like chunks of content that will be acquired through the most appropriate methods. Those boxes become placeholders that will be filled in during the publishing process from the database. I would assume an effective content management system or software package would have implications beyond the news content portion of a website.
News is one component.
Other chunks of content will include navigation boxes, advertising boxes, alert boxes, application boxes, pretty much anything can be placed within a section of a rendered page. The cost of good content management remains pretty high. Don't forget to add the cost of hardware which can easily double the cost. Also, we'll assume that they already have infrastructure in place on the e-publishing side of the fence. In most cases, the existing staff can handle a move to a content management system.