Gracie Allen Award Winners

Congratulations to Jessica Yellin for her Gracie Award win. According to TV Newser Yellin won for Outstanding Hard News Feature. Other CNN winners include CNN Presents "Black In America" for Outstanding Documentary and Larry King Live for Outstanding Talk Show - News for their interview with Katherine Callaway Hall. A gala for the awards will be held in LA on May 25.

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CNN Heads to Chile

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck central Chile early Saturday morning. CNN has mobilized teams to head to South America and bring us the latest news. Here's the rundown:

CNN/U.S.
Karl Penhaul, correspondent
John Zarella, Miami correspondent
Soledad O'Brien, anchor and special correspondent
Ted Rowlands, general assignment correspondent
Ed Lavandera, correspondent
Elizabeth Cohen, sr. medical correspondent
Gary Tuchman, correspondent

CNN International
Sara Sidner, international correspondent
Hala Gorani, CNNI anchor and reporter

CNN en Espanol
Daniel Viotto, anchor

CNN Chile is Chile's leading 24-hour news network. A joint-venture between CNN and Liberty Global's VTR, CNN Chile launched in December 2008. In addition to a fully staffed local news production center based in Santiago, CNN Chile has complete access to CNN Worldwide’s newsgathering resources including the support of 4,000 journalists based around the globe.




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Ratings For The Week of February 15th

Rating calculations are weekly averages based on nightly ratings provided by TVNewser with data by Nielsen Media Research. Numbers reflect Live and same day (DVR) data.

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Wolf Blitzer Honored

DiGamma Kappa, a professional broadcasting society for students, has tapped the CNN broadcaster for this year's Distinguished Achievement Award in Broadcasting. Previous winners include Ed Bradley, Bob Costas, Linda Ellerbee and Barbara Walters. Blitzer will receive his award and speak briefly to students and professionals March 15 at a banquet at Hilton Garden Inn.
"It is an honor to join the impressive list of journalists who have received the DiGamma Kappa award," Blitzer said in an e-mail. "The best part of my job anchoring 'The Situation Room' at CNN is learning something new every day - and I look forward to visiting a campus that is renowned for teaching, inspiring and creating the next generation of broadcasters."
Blitzer has won honors that include the Ernie Pyle Journalism Award for excellence in military reporting, an Emmy for his coverage of the 1995 Oklahoma City federal building bombing and the American Journalism Review's "Best in the Business" award. He also has shared in winning a Peabody Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Edward R. Murrow Award for CNN's coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.



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What's Happening......

Former Fox Business anchor Alexis Glick of Money for Breakfast and The Opening Bell, as well as the channel's former Vice President of Business News may just be headed to CNN. She's rumored to be the replacement for Gerri Willis, watch for an announcement soon.*




Jeffrey Toobin was in court last Wednesday, this time it was Manhattan Family Court, where he and Casey Greenfield, daughter of former CNN'er Jeff Greenfield, tried to reach an agreement over child support. Greenfield alleges that Toobin is the father of her son born last year. We first brought this story to your attention here at ATC almost a year ago, and it's sad that there still seems to be no resolution for the child's sake. *



We knew that Ed Henry was taking some well deserved R & R this week in Nevada and now we hear congratulations are in order. Henry popped the question to CNN weekend producer Shirley Hung while on a romantic snowmobile ride at Lake Tahoe on Sunday. The newly engaged couple took in Don Rickles Saturday's show at The Orleans in Las Vegas where Rickles cracked "He (Henry) gets better seats at an Obama news conference than at my show''. Last night the happy couple were spotted in a booth at the Imperial Palace in Vegas. *

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Gerri Willis To Leave CNN

According to TVNewser Gerri Willis is leaving CNN. Her last day will be Friday. Here's the article from TVNewser:

First on TVNewser: Gerri Willis, personal finance editor for CNN Business News, is departing CNN after seven years at the network, TVNewser has learned. CNN tells us, "Gerri is leaving to explore other opportunities. After 7 years at CNN, she felt it was time for a change. We wish her all the best."

Willis has appeared on a variety of programs across the CNN, CNNI, and HLN family, including CNN's "American Morning," since she began with the network in March of 2003, when she came over from her post atSmart Money magazine.

In January of 2009, she began anchoring her own weekend program on CNN titled, "Your Bottom Line."

Her last day will be next Friday.

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New Fareed Zakaria Article In The Washington Post

The Washington Post has added a new article by Fareed Zakaria titled "Why Iran's Dictators Can Be Deterred.". Here's an excerpt. Click here for the full article.

Sarah Palin has a suggestion for how Barack Obama can save his presidency. "Say he decided to declare war on Iran," she said on Fox News this month. "I think people would perhaps shift their thinking a little bit and decide, well, maybe he's tougher than we think he is today." Such talk is in the air again. Palin was picking up the idea from Daniel Pipes, a neoconservative Middle East expert who suggested a strike would reverse Obama's political fortunes. (Actually, Palin attributed the idea to Patrick Buchanan, but she obviously entirely misreadBuchanan's column, which opposed Pipes's suggestion. It's getting tiresome to keep pointing out her serial gaffes, but Palin does appear to be running for president.)

The International Atomic Energy Agency warned last week of its "concerns" that the Iranian regime was moving to acquire a nuclear-weapons capability, not just nuclear energy. But this does not change the powerful calculus against a military strike, which would most likely delay the Iranian program by only a few years. And then there are the political consequences. The regime would gain support as ordinary Iranians rally around the flag. The opposition would be forced to support a government under attack from abroad. The regime would foment and fund violence from Afghanistan to Iraq and across the Persian Gulf. The price of oil would skyrocket -- which, ironically, would help Tehran pay for all these operations.

It is important to recognize the magnitude of what people like Palin are advocating. The United States is being asked to launch a military invasion of a state that poses no imminent threat to America, without sanction from any international body and with few governments willing to publicly endorse such an action. Al-Qaeda and its ilk would present it as the third American invasion of a Muslim nation in a decade, proof positive that the United States is engaged in a war of civilizations. Moderate Arab states and Muslim governments everywhere would be on the defensive. And as Washington has surely come to realize, wars unleash forces that cannot be predicted or controlled.

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Christiane Amanpour To Speak At Harvard

Christiane Amanpour will speak at Harvard University on May 26th at 2pm as a part of 2010 Senior Class Day. Here's the article from the Harvard Gazette:

Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent with CNN and anchor of the daily interview program “Amanpour,” has been selected as the 2010 Senior Class Day speaker. She will address Harvard College graduates and their guests on May 26 at 2 p.m. in Tercentenary Theatre in Harvard Yard.

“Christiane has reported from every major crisis of our generation,” said Nworah Ayogu ’10, first marshal of the Class of 2010. “Based on her life experience and perspective, we are extremely excited for her speech. The Class of 2010 is honored to have one of the greatest journalists of our time as our Class Day speaker.”

Senior Class Day is a student-focused, somewhat informal celebration that takes place the day before Commencement. In addition to a featured speaker selected by the Senior Class Committee, the exercises include award presentations and undergraduate orations.

In her work as an internationally renowned journalist, Amanpour has covered stories on the Gulf War, the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. She has reported on crises in the Palestinian territories, Pakistan, Somalia, and Rwanda.

Throughout her career — which has spanned a quarter century — Amanpour has interviewed many world leaders, including Iranian presidents Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and the presidents of Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria. She was the first international correspondent to interview British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf after 9/11.

In recognition of her coverage of the Bosnian war, the city of Sarajevo named Amanpour an honorary citizen in 1998.

Amanpour has received nine news and documentary Emmys, four George Foster Peabody Awards, three Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, the Courage in Journalism Award, an Edward R. Murrow award, and an inaugural Television Academy Honor. She has received honorary degrees from the American University of Paris, Georgetown University, New York University, Smith College, Emory University, and the University of Michigan.

Amanpour started her career at CNN in 1983. She graduated from theUniversity of Rhode Island with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She lives in New York City.

For more information on Harvard’s 359th Commencement, including its schedule.

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We Were Warned:Cyber Shockwave

CNN will air a two-hour production, We Were Warned: Cyber Shockwave, based upon exclusive television access to a national security cyber “war game” scenario. The simulated event was developed by The Bipartisan Policy Center and will debut Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21 at 8pm, 11pm and 2am ET on CNN. The scenario was created by Fmr. CIA Director, General Michael Hayden (ret.) as well as the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission, Fmr. Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN) and Fmr. Gov. Thomas Kean (R-NJ).CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve reported from the live event for CNN on Tuesday, Feb. 16. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer moderated a Q&A with the participants before a live audience that will air as part of the television special.Fmr. Homeland Security Advisor & CNN contributor Fran Townsend with Fmr. Director of Central Intelligence John McLaughlin

Additional participants who served various roles for the scenario are: Fmr. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Fmr. Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, Fmr. White House Homeland Security Advisor and CNN contributor Fran Townsend, Fmr. Director of Central Intelligence John McLaughlin, Fmr. U.S. Senator Bennett Johnston, Jr. (D-LA), Fmr. National Economic Council Director Stephen Friedman, Fmr. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, Fmr. White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, Fmr. National Security Agency General Counsel Stewart Baker, and Gen. Charles Wald, USAF (Ret.), former Deputy Commander of the United States European Command.

The unrehearsed event simulated a real-time White House Situation Room response to a massive cyber attack. Participants received simulated intelligence and news reports that required their rapid, informed advice for a U.S. president.

We Were Warned: Cyber Shockwave is a CNN Production special event executive produced by Bud Bultman. The simulated exercise was produced by Chris Wayne & Associates, Minassian Media and Future View, Inc., for the Bipartisan Policy Center. The scenario was filmed before a live audience at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. Scott Matthews is director of programming for CNN Productions, including the award-winning documentary series CNN Presents and the CNN Special Investigations Unit. David Bohrman is the executive-in-charge of the special production. *

*text from CNN press release, photo credit http://www.greggibson.com/

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Ratings For The Week of February 8th

Rating calculations are weekly averages based on nightly ratings provided by TVNewser with data by Nielsen Media Research. Numbers reflect Live and same day (DVR) data.

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Christiane Amanpour in The New York Times

The New York Times posted an quick interview with Christiane Amanpour including 34 questions about her life and work. Click here for the article and more pictures. Here's an excerpt:

Christiane Amanpour
Age: 52
Occupation: Journalist
Current Project: "Amanpour," a weekly program on CNN that investigates international news stories.

1. Most Amiable Dictator: Slobodan Milosevic. He would slap you on the back, offer you a drink. He tried to be charming. But many of them do. You have to be on your guard.

2. Worst of War-Zone Living: Frivolously trying to keep clean and keep a sense of personal dignity amid massive deprivation.

3. Pleasure in War Reporting: A lot of people say that what gets war correspondents off is the danger; I get more joy in having beaten those who would destroy. Also, feeling part of a small community of people who are going through what we are going through and doing something worthwhile.

4. Fan Mail: People send me beautiful things from around the world. I’m looking right now at a little mother-of-pearl-engraved penholder. It says, “CNN Christiane Amanpour.” It must have come from Iran, because it has a symbol of Zoroastrianism on it.

5. Morning Routine: I don’t sleep well, but I finally get out of bed at 7 a.m. In one hour I get my son and myself up and ready. I listen to NPR, and I keep turning it on and off, depending on what is appropriate for my son. I walk out the door at 8 a.m.

6. Packing for Work: I take the bare necessities. I have developed my own everyday uniform, which makes it easier for me to get up and get to work. In Bosnia, I wore the same parka. It was olive green with a fake-fur hood, and I became known for it.

7. Always on Her: Gold bracelets, bangles from Iran and other parts of the Middle East.

8. Talent She Covets: I wish I was really funny and much quicker.

9. Favorite Place in the Apartment: The dining room, because it has a great view and it gets a huge amount of sun.

10. Hobby: Horse riding. One of my early mentors was my riding teacher in Iran. He was a former Iranian Army colonel. I learned to ride competitively. I raced in Iran. It gave me the physical stamina and courage I need to do my work.

11. Favorite Riding Item: My hard hat. My husband kitted me out for riding a few years ago. For a while, I didn’t have the right gear. Now I do. It’s great.

12. Favorite Item in the Apartment: A massive painting that I got in Iran, a few years ago, by Farideh Lashai, a friend who is also Iran’s pre-eminent abstract-expressionist painter. It gives me joy every time I walk in my door.

13. Old Item She Can’t Throw Out: My current laptop, which is a 2005 Sony Vaio. I am slow to change technologically.

14. How She Tells Her Son She’s Going to War: I didn’t tell him when he was little. I just said, “Mommy is going to work.” It gets more difficult as he gets older. He’s 9 now, but I never let him watch television news, so he isn’t aware of all the implications.

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Jeffrey Toobin Honored By The Green Bag

CNN's Senior Legal Analyst, Jeffrey Toobin has been honored by The Green Bag in their Almanac of Useful & Entertaining Tidbits for Lawyers for the Year to Come & Reader of Exemplary Legal Writings from the Year Just Passed. Toobin's article, Are Obama’s judges really liberals?, from the September 21, 2009 edition of The New Yorker was one of the winners in the News & Editorial category.

Excerpts from the almanac is available on the The Green Bag's website. (They also occasionally give away bobbleheads of Supreme Court Justices.)

This is not Toobin's first win or nomination: in 2009, his February 4, 2008 article in the New Yorker, Death in Georgia, was selected as a winner in the short articles category. Below is listing of his other nominations:

Past New Yorker articles nominated:

• 2006: Breyer’s Big Idea, October 31, 2005
• 2006: Girls Behaving Badly, May 30, 2005
• 2006: Swing Shift, September 12, 2005
• 2007: An Unsolved Killing: What does the firing of a U.S. Attorney have to do with a murder case?, August 6, 2007
• 2007: Killing Habeas Corpus: Arlen Specter’s about-face, December 4, 2006

Book nominated:

• 2007: The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

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CNN's New Sunday Morning Sr. Exec. Producer

Tom Bettag joins CNN Worldwide as senior executive producer of State of the Union with Candy Crowley and Reliable Sources, it was announced today by David Bohrman, SVP of Programming and Washington bureau chief. Bettag will oversee the Sunday public affairs programming lineup, effective immediately.
“Adding such a renowned producer as Tom to CNN’s lineup further reflects the network’s commitment to serious journalism,” said Bohrman. “Candy now will be a member of a very exclusive team of greats—such as Ted Koppel and Dan Rather—who have had the opportunity to work with Tom.”
“For years, Candy has been one of my favorite reporters. She’s not only tough and fair, but also brings a breath of fresh air to Sunday morning talk. I look forward to joining Candy and the team,” added Bettag. “And I’m thrilled to be part of, what I consider, to be the preeminent news organization in the country.”
Since launching one year ago, State of the Union has cemented its reputation as the place to hear the voices of everyday Americans, informed experts and A-list politicians. Candy Crowley took over the anchor chair earlier this month and will continue to work with her stellar team to craft a show that is relevant, interesting and informative.
In Bettag’s more than four decades in journalism, he has served as executive producer of CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, of ABC’s Nightline with Ted Koppel and of Koppel on Discovery on the Discovery Channel. Throughout his career he has earned six duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton Awards, three Overseas Press Club Awards and 30 Emmy Awards. In 2004, Bettag was honored with Quinnipiac University’s Fred Friendly Award, which recognizes those who have shown courage and forthrightness in preserving the rights of the First Amendment.
Bettag earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism. *

*text from Turner Press Release

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Miles O'Brien investigates Continental 3407

One year ago today, Continental Airlines flight 3407 suddenly nosedived into a house while on approach to the Buffalo airport, killing all on board and one person on the ground. Former CNN anchor and science/tech guru Miles O'Brien investigated the causes of the crash for Frontline, and the full episode can be viewed online at the PBS website. While pilot error is cited as the official cause, there are disturbing political and bureaucratic issues that fostered the situation and put all of us -- in the air or sitting at home -- in danger.

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Ed Henry Interviewed by Mediaite

CNN's Ed Henry was recently interviewed by Mediaite as part of their Inside the White House Press Corp series. Henry talks about his time covering the White House, media bias, Twitter, his favorite TV shows, and the Apple iPad.

Source: Inside the White House Press Corps: CNN’s Ed Henry

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Anderson Cooper In Los Angeles

Next week CNN's Anderson Cooper has two public appearances scheduled in Los Angles. The first is on Sunday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. He and Larry King will be featured guests at the Sheila Kar Foundation's Heartfelt Valentine's Day afternoon. Tickets are $500 and can be purchased by following the link.

On Friday, February 19th Anderson Cooper will deliver a Reagan Forum at 6:00 p.m. This event will be held at the Reagan Library and tickets are still available to the general public, at a cost of $45. To learn more follow this link.

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Candy Crowley Talks to NPR's Michel Martin

Prior to her debut as the anchor for State of the Union, Candy Crowley spoke with NPR's Michel Martin.

... MARTIN: So let's get back to you. As we could figure out, you're only the second woman to solo host one of these platform programs. Leslie Stahl with "Face the Nation" I think was the first. So do you think and, of course, there are other women who filled in from time to time or co-hosted. But it's been years since a woman has had that platform to herself. Do you think that you add - being a woman adds a different flavor, if you will?

Ms. CROWLEY: Okay. I think it's sort of at the core of it and that is let's shed light on these things, let's hold public officials accountable for their actions. Let's try to make a little news here, let's push things forward. Let's look in the last week and see what's going on. I think that's a core journalistic value. In that sense, I don't see John King, the previous host, and I disagreeing on what we - what the mission of the show is.

But two people have different styles, different interview styles perhaps. Different ways they want to put things, different guests they want to bring to the floor. I'm particularly sensitive. And I think John used to - so this is not, you know, particularly, this has nothing to do with his show and everything to do with the fact that, yes, I'm different in part of why I'm different than what's been on is my gender. And I hope that in the end, what people judge me for is the journalism and I think that is. But I - you know, you bring something a little different to the table. And I have to say, when I sat down with the president of the network, Jon Klein, he said to me, I don't want you to I don't want Candy Crowley to do "John King Show." I want Candy Crowley to do "Candy Crowley Show."

Listen to the full interview:

Source: CNN's Candy Crowley Extends Mastery Of Political Reporting To Sundays

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TJ Holmes In The Loop

TheLoop21.com has posted an Q&A with CNN's TJ Holmes:

11. What was your most important/difficult career decision?

Might sound crazy, but that might have been my decision to come to CNN three years ago. I’ve always kind of viewed myself as a small town boy who wanted to just settle in somewhere and just have an impact on a small community like the little communities I grew up in, so in deciding where I was going to go when I was leaving California where I was working at NBC in the Bay Area when I was looking at my next move and I really was debating about going to a couple of smaller places. I had options in smaller towns to be a local news anchor where you can get out and touch people every day.

At CNN, you have a wider reach but sometimes you feel like there’s a disconnect between you and your audience because you can’t just run into them at the grocery store or at Blockbuster. It may seem silly to some people or crazy like “How in the world could you consider giving up the opportunity at CNN for some smaller place,” but it’s something I did a lot of soul searching on. Glad I made the move I made but it was a a tough call. Much tougher than many people realize.

... to read the full interview (including Holmes' political aspirations): In the Loop with T.J. Holmes

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Ratings for the Week of February 1st

Rating calculations are weekly averages based on nightly ratings provided by TVNewser with data by Nielsen Media Research. Numbers reflect Live and same day (DVR) data.

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Angelina Jolie in Haiti

A couple of CNNers got photos taken with Angelina Jolie today in Haiti and shared them on Twitter. First is Anderson Cooper's cameraman Neil Hallsworth:

And this is Sanjay Gupta's producer Danielle Dellorto:

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Soledad O'Brien Keynote Speaker at The University of the Pacific

CNN's Soledad O'Brien spoke at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California on February 3, 2010. The Recordnet.com covered the speech:

Soledad O'Brien made those points, mixing humor, her own childhood, experiences from around the globe as a TV journalist and insight into the human condition Wednesday night in delivering University of the Pacific's Black History Month keynote address. She pointed repeatedly to the unselfish leadership style of King.

"Leadership is about making the greater good more important than individual recognition," the 43-year-old O'Brien said. "For King, there was no 'us' and 'them.' It was just 'us.' "

...

O'Brien's appearance in Stockton followed a reporting assignment from earthquake-devastated Haiti, a place she will return to later this month.

"Haiti is living history," she said, pointing to the island nation's troubled past as well as its current crisis. "I've been surprised by the Haitians. I've been forced to think differently. I've been surprised by the lack of violence. I've never felt unsafe."

Source: 'What can we do to serve others?'

Photo credit: Inkyhack

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Larry King Live Schedule Update February 10. 2010

A few programming notes for Larry King Live:

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Vice President Joe Biden on money, jobs, and what the current economy means for you! Plus Senator John Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry in their first interview together on her battle with breast cancer.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Larry King will interview NY Governor David Paterson LIVE.

Larry King Live airs on CNN at 9PM ET.

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CNN's Trial Separation From The AP

According to an article posted to the Washington Examiner's website last night, CNN is going AP-less this week to see how not using the Associated Press' wire service will impact their reporting ability.

As part of the test, the network will evaluate the need for an AP subscription, and will look to staff for feedback on how a lack of AP wires affects workflow. CNN already offers an external wire service to other news outlets.

The network is known for its breaking news coverage, which has some from the inside fearing it won't be able to keep up.

"A lot of us are worried this could hamper our newsgathering abilities, but it's too soon to know for sure," a staffer in the D.C. bureau told Yeas & Nays.

Source: CNN quits the AP (for a week)

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Michelle Obama on Larry King Live

Larry King Live will air an interview with The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. Here's a clip from the interview:

The interview will air on CNN on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 9PM ET.

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Jeffrey Toobin Speaking at UTA

The University of Texas at Arlington's Maverick Speaker Series' final speaker of the season will be CNN's Jeffrey Toobin on March 24, 2010 at 7:30 pm at the Lone Star Auditorium (Maverick Activities Center). He will be discussing current issues facing the courts.

Free tickets are availble from the University of Texas at Arlington's website:
http://www.uta.edu/maverickspeakers/2009-10/jeffrey-toobin.php.

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Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes Discusses CNN's Ratings

MarketWatch's Jon Friedman recently interviewed Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes (Time Warner is CNN's parent company). Bewkes was asked about CNN's ratings issues:

Bewkes' strategy hinges on taking the world-class Time Warner brands -- which include People, Real Simple, Time and Sports Illustrated among its magazines; HBO, a thriving movie division and CNN, to name a few -- and making them easily available on every possible distribution system.

Bewkes believes strongly in the "TV everywhere" and "e-reader" programs for TV and magazines, respectively.

Some media bloggers love to dump on CNN. When it started, CNN, which didn't always reek of sophistication, was mocked as the Chicken Noodle Network. In the 1990s, right-wing critics lambasted it as the Clinton News Network.

They point out that the Fox News Channel boasts many more viewers. When I interviewed NBC News chief Steve Capus recently, he was thrilled that MSNBC had made such progress, too. (Fox, like MarketWatch, is owned by News Corp.

Bewkes insisted that CNN "has more viewers" who "watch for shorter periods of time" than its foes. Read more about the ratings.

He was referring to all of the media platforms that CNN can be seen on. Still, CNN's foes would counter that advertisers aren't necessarily measuring the other forums when they buy spots on cable news broadcasts.

I pressed Bewkes on CNN's mission to present both sides of an issue. Yes, it's commendable for journalists to be open-minded, but -- again playing devil's advocate -- wouldn't CNN attract even more viewers if it amped up its broadcasts reports, like Fox and MSNBC often do?

"They're picking a side," Bewkes said of his rivals. "We have bigger ambitions than (leaning) left or right. We want to cover the news completely."

Plus, he suspects, "if we did too much partisan (broadcasting), we'd lose our high demographics." CNN believes it has a higher quality of viewers because it doesn't veer to the left or the right.

Bewkes feel strongly that CNN "is a very good business." He won't tinker with its format "if it means taking a partisan point of view -- one-third of the U.S. voters are independents. They don't want to see narrow-minded stuff."

Bewkes, himself, is clearly a master politician.

... to read the full article: Time Warner's Bewkes: perform or hit the road

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CNN's Online Ratings for 2009

Earlier this week, CNN put out a press release focusing on their success in 2009 online:

CNN Sets New Standard Online in 2009, Leads Competition

Maintains number 1 position in key metrics in the U.S. - the most developed online news market

No. 1 in News & Info

2009 was a watershed year for CNN Digital. As part of the unveiling of the new CNN.com, CNN harnessed the full power of CNN’s reporting to web users in a stunning, visually charged online experience and continued to hold the No. 1 position among ALL News and Information sites in several key metrics.

- No. 1 in Time Spent Watching Video: averaging 304.5 million minutes a month, beating No. 2 MSNBC Digital by 10.6 million minutes and No. 3 Yahoo! News by 140.8 million minutes.

- No. 1 in Total Usage Minutes: averaging 1.3 billion total usage minutes per month, 22% ahead of No. 2 Wikipedia.

- No. 1 in Share: 9% average monthly, beating No. 2 Wikipedia by 2 points.

- No. 1 in Page Views: averaging 1.7 billion a month, beating the nearest competitor, Wikipedia by more than 50%.

Internet Records

On Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2009, CNN.com set a record for largest live video event in Internet history when it served 1.3 million concurrent streams. Altogether, CNN.com served 27 million live streams served globally on that day, making it the largest day in CNN.com history. (Source: CNN Internal Video Server data) CNN Digital was also the No. 1 news and information site in total minutes with 97 million and unique visitors with 11 million on Jan. 20, 2009. (Source: Nielsen Online Custom Daily for 1/20/09)

On July 7, the day of Michael Jackson’s memorial service, CNN.com served 10.5 million live video streams globally and an additional 9 million on-demand video streams, making it the second largest day for video usage in CNN.com’s history. On that day, CNN Digital was also the Internet’s No. 1 news and information property with 62 million total minutes and 7.3 million unique visitors, according to Nielsen. (Source: Nielsen Online Custom Daily for 07/07/09)

User-Generated Content

In addition to CNN’s overall traffic success online, 2009 proved to be the best year ever for CNN iReport, the network’s user-generated news community. In total, CNN.com received more than 203,000 iReport submissions in 2009, a 21% increase compared to 2008. (Source: iReport Server Log Data)

CNN Digital has the most engaged and participative user base of any online news property. According to Nielsen Online, CNN Digital’s iReport is the No. 1 citizen journalism site online. (Nielsen Online Custom, September ’09)

In 2009, the three assignments that generated the most iReport submissions were:

- Inauguration of Pres. Barack Obama (Jan. 2009): more than 7,700 iReport submissions, with 13 approved for use on CNN;
- Iran election protests (June 2009): more than 10,400 iReports, with 303 approved for use on CNN;

- Michael Jackson’s death (July 2009): more than 4,300 iReports, with 200 approved for use on CNN. (Source: iReport.com server data)

Source: CNN Press Release

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Candy Crowley Interview Sec. Clinton on SOTU

This Sunday will mark the first State of the Union anchored by its new anchor, Candy Crowley. Crowley's first interview will be with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Here is a preview:

The Denver Post's TV Critic spoke with Crowley on Monday about the move to Sunday mornings. Here's an excerpt of Joanne Ostrow's article:

Crowley becomes the only woman anchoring a Sunday political talk show, and the first since Cokie Roberts and Sam Donaldson stopped co-anchoring ABC's "This Week" in 2002.

"I told the staff Sunday that I think a lot of what people miss about pure politics is, there's a lot of fun in it," she said by phone from Washington, D.C. "Sometimes it gets too serious. We foget to step back and say 'this is ridiculous.' Some of its nonsensical. I hope to bring all that to the table."

She may also contribute a weekly piece about "something that catches my fancy."

Crowley is somewhat surprised to be told she is often very funny on the air, in a droll way.

"I'm not a pa-dum-bum" person," she said. "I come from Michigan and Missouri, so I have a dry prairie wit. I guess more people get it than I thought."

In general, she said, "I don't know how how you can cover politics and not have a sense of humor." That's because politics is "a combination Shakespearian drama of life and death, theater of the absurd, and a little guerilla street theater."

She says she is not focused on the ratings, but on making her show "user-friendly," and claims to be free of bias toward either political party.

"I can honestly tell you, as I have covered politics for the last couple of decades, I have become less sure of the answers to absolutely everything. Everything is less clear the more you know about it."

To read the full article: Crowley takes over as CNN "State of the Union" anchor

State of the Union with Candy Crowley airs on Sunday morning at 9am - 10am ET and NOON - 1pm ET.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

i-List on CNN International

CNN has announced a new series that air on CNN International:

CNN’s new monthly series i-List takes you to countries that are changing the way we live and look at the world around us.

The i-List will highlight innovation and influence in industry, business, technology, culture and more. It showcases a nation’s people and places – those having an impact inside and outside their borders.

From 8th February, CNN International turns its cameras on France in i-List: France, a special week of prime time programming and reports from the country that will uncover some of the economic, social, cultural and political developments currently shaping France and positioning the nation for the future. Throughout 2010, i-List is set to come from a number of Asian countries.

Mike McCarthy, CNN International’s Vice President of coverage and feature programming commented: “With i-List, we wanted to give our viewers and users insightful and intelligent programming about countries that are changing the way we think and how we live in an Interconnected world.

“It will highlight the inventive people, innovative businesses and inspirational cultural trends in nations that directly impact the way we live and do business in the future.

“We are delighted to launch our showpiece series in France. It’s a country that fascinates and intrigues our audience and we are looking forward to a week of compelling programming”.

CNN will anchor two of its signature European prime time shows from France. Hala Gorani will be in Paris with ‘I-Desk’ and Fionnuala Sweeney in Lyon with ‘World One’. As well there will be a series of specially commissioned reports by correspondents Jim Bittermann and Atika Schubert.

CNN’s Paris-based Senior Correspondent Jim Bittermann – recently awarded the Legion of Honour for his 30 years of distinguished reporting on France – examines how France is leveraging long established ties with China and India through the entrepreneurial spirit of business leaders such as the legendary Pierre Cardin, former French Prime Minister and Senator Pierre Rafferin and inspirational Club Med chairman Henri Giscard d’Estaing.

Atika Shubert begins our week at the Lyon Library which has joined up with Google Books to post 500,000 ancient manuscripts online. French officials fear that the scanning project by Google will put the country's national literary treasures in the control of corporate hands. Lyon's Library Director shows CNN the rare document he believes need to be scanned by Google.

Atika Shubert then travels to Marseilles – the nation’s third largest city, a standard bearer for cultural integration and set to be Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2013. Two Islamic leaders give viewers an insight into the “Muslim Marseilles” in a report that highlights how immigration and integration in the city can set an example, not just for other French cities, but for cities beyond its borders.

The high energy rappers Fonky Family offer an intriguing insight into what the accolade “Capital of Culture” could mean for the future of this historical port city in 2013 and a day spent with the superstars of the Olympic Marseilles explains what makes this Mediterranean city so special for football fans around France.

The special week of coverage will culminate with a 30 minute debate hosted by CNN’s Hala Gorani with a panel of French personalities including Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon.

Online users will be able to visit the i-List microsite, www.cnn.com/ilist for video packages and more.

Program schedule (subject to change) :

Airtimes: Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore and Taipei (minus 1 hr for Bangkok & Jakarta)

Feb 9 – 12 : Fionnuala Sweeney anchors ‘World One’ live at 0430 from Lyon (Feb 9, 10) and Paris (Feb 11, 12)

Feb 9 – 13: Hala Gorani anchors “I-Desk” live at 0200 from Paris

Feb 9 – 12:Reports and live interviews across Europe prime time programming, from 0000 to 0500

Source: CNN Press release

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.