Out of the Shadows

All during the week I clip stories I think may work for a post, save them into a folder, and then try to find a "theme" or common denominator running through them. Often there is none, and the post is just a hodge-podge of randomly firing synapses.

But today when I looked at my list, the commonality was immediately evident. Five clips from people who started (and one case still is) behind the scenes.

Arwa Damon started with CNN as a producer. Currently assigned to Baghdad, she has been spending a lot of time recently in Indonesia, and on Thursday reported from Jakarta about a major terrorist arrest there:

Peter Bergen, as hopefully everyone knows by now, was the producer for the team that interviewed Osama bin Laden in 1997. He appeared on Election Center Thursday to discuss OBL's current importance:

Cal Perry started with CNN as an assignment editor in Atlanta, then went to Baghdad as a producer, eventually stepping into the Bureau Chief position. He is now based in Beirut but reported Friday from Damascus after he snagged an exclusive by convincing the Syrian army to let him travel with them to the Syrian/Iraqi border. Flying on an old Soviet-era helicopter, using paper maps and rulers to plot the course -- it is a look at kicking it old school:

Nic Robertson began his career as an engineer, famously as the only one CNN had in Baghdad during the first Gulf War. He reported this morning from London regarding the weekend bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul:

Finally, the one that was least expected: Thomas Evans is Michael Ware's Baghdad producer (and formerly a producer on AC360) but last week, with Michael out of the country on break, Tommy finally stepped in front of the camera to file a report. It was only carried on International, but I did manage to nab a copy:

(Oh, and July 5th was Tommy's birthday. Hope he was able to do a little celebrating!)

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The Last Word In Sunday Talk

Sunday's Late Edition celebrated Wolf Blitzer's 10 years as the anchor of that program. During the two hours, clips from Blitzer's past interviews were shown. Blitzer also found himself in the interview chair as Tom Foreman asked him about his time with Late Edition. Here are a few clips from the program:

...but we're also human beings...




So, did Blitzer really made Al Gore say he created the internet?




...I couldn’t dribble...




...What was I thinking? That was nutty. That was dangerous...




...I wish more leaders had been like him...

Blitzer was also interviewed by Howard Kurtz on Reliable Sources. Here's an excerpt from that interview:

Did you know that Blitzer had written two books? The first was published in 1985. Between Washington and Jerusalem: A Reporter's Notebook.

Many journalists have mastered the Washington political scene, while others have gained entree to the highest echelons of Israeli politics. Wolf Blitzer is one of the few to have done both. An American fluent in Hebrew, Blitzer has interviewed and gained the respect of nearly all the major policy-makers in Israel and the United States over the past dozen years. The late Anwar Sadat credited Blitzer with first giving him the idea of making his historic trip to Jerusalem. The U.S.-Israeli relationship is like no other and this book helps explain why. Most importantly, it outlines the limits of the relationship, explaining why neither country can afford an all-out confrontation. There is special emphasis on the way decisions are made in Washington--the role of the foreign policy bureaucracy, Congress, the press, the Jewish community, the Arabs and their supporters, and the official Israeli presence. In addition, chapters cover the special U.S.-Israeli cooperation in military, strategic, and intelligence matters.

The second book was published in 1989. Territory of Lies: The Exclusive Story of Jonathan Jay Pollard : The American Who Spied on His Country for Israel and How He Was Betrayed.

A detailed account of the career and downfall of Jonathan Pollard, convicted Israeli spy. Blitzer, a noted reporter for CNN, shows that Pollard was aided by prominent American Jews in his treason.

Hopefully, we'll get to watch his 20th Anniverary program about this time in 2018.

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A Day at the Beach

I hope everyone in the US is enjoying their holiday weekend, whether "staycationing" or traveling!

We aren't the only ones having problems with gas prices, of course. On Tuesday, Zain Verjee reported about long, long lines to buy gas in Baghdad:

And here's a cool idea: scientists are working on creating something that works like a giant paper towel but absorbs only oil and petrochemicals. If it works, it will be a quicker-picker-upper for oil-spills!

And on Friday, John Roberts flashed back to his MuchMusic days to introduce us to a musician who is blurring the lines in more ways than one: a transexual pop singer in Israel who has also become a huge hit in Lebanon:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

SATURDAY: Dr. Sanjay Gupta was building a playground in Metairie, Louisiana; Arwa Damon was in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she filed a report on families having to give their children to orphanages because they could not afford to feed them.
SUNDAY: Christiane Amanpour was in London, reporting on food aid being sent to North Korea; Candy Crowley hosted Late Edition; Fareed Zakaria took GPS to London.
MONDAY: Peter Bergen was on American Morning to discuss the attacks in Peshawar; Mike Watkiss reported on the Medivac helicopter collision in Flagstaff, Arizona; TJ Holmes was in Fayetteville, North Carolina to report on the pregnant Fort Bragg marine found dead in a motel room; Dana Bash was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with the McCain campaign; John Roberts hosted The Situation Room.
TUESDAY: Morgan Neill was in London for the premiere of "Mama Mia"; Chris Lawrence was in Los Angeles and reported on the new California ban on hand-held cell phones while driving; Susan Roesgen was in Rock Falls, Illinois to report on the capture of a spree killer; John Roberts hosted The Situation Room; Soledad O'Brien hosted Election Center.
WEDNESDAY: Michael Ware was in New York and discussed the SoFA (Status of Forces Agreement) talks on American Morning; Drew Griffin and Ed Lavendera were in San Antonio, Texas to await the arrival of the freed American hostages from Columbia. John Roberts hosted The Situation Room; Soledad O'Brien hosted Election Center.
THURSDAY: John Zarella reported from Miami about how the price of gas is affecting the pleasure boating business; Susan Candiotti and Harris Whitbeck were in Bogota, Columbia to cover the story of the released hostages. Suzanne Malveaux hosted The Situation Room; Erica Hill hosted Election Center; John King hosted Larry King Live.
FRIDAY: Frederik Pleitgen was in Tikrit, Iraq to spend the 4th with troops; Cal Perry was in Damascus, Syria after traveling to the Syrian/Iraqi border with Syrian troops; Fredericka Whitfield and Soledad O'Brien were in New Orleans to cover the Essence Festival. Suzanne Malveaux hosted The Situation Room.
That's it for me today -- stay safe and enjoy your weekend!
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A Decade of Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer

Happy Friday! And for those of you in the US, I hope you have had a wonderful Independence Day! Let's start with two CNN programming notes:

CNN will be showing the HBO documentary The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt on Saturday, July 5th at 8PM ET.

On Sunday, July 6th, Wolf Blitzer will celebrate his 10th anniversary of Late Edition. Betsy Rothstein recently posted an article about Blitzer on The Hill:

If there is one certainty about life in Washington, it is that CNN’s Wolf Blitzer won’t shave off the beard that has been his trademark for the past three decades.

“It’s been there for 30 years and it’s going to stay,” Blitzer told ITK last week.

This Sunday, Blitzer celebrates the 10-year anniversary of “Late Edition.” He began hosting the show one week before the Monica Lewinksy scandal broke. “It wasn’t exactly pleasant to cover it,” he said. “I worked nonstop.” The show will air a special two-hour retrospective. The only guest will be Blitzer, who will be interviewed by CNN correspondent Tom Foreman.

He said he has no plans to move networks. “I feel CNN is my home,” he said, dismissing any notion of seeking the job of the late NBC “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert.

Blitzer, who turned 60 this year, felt Russert’s death immensely. He said the two men were friends and attended basketball and baseball games together. “The shock — it was just so sad,” he said.

He said Russert’s death has been a wakeup call. “For everybody, life is short,” he said. “[You] work hard, but make sure you take care of yourself and understand the priorities.”

One of which, he was told, is his beard. In 1996 he was at the GOP presidential convention in San Diego and noticed that his beard was starting to turn gray. “It had been strawberry-reddish,” he said. He broached the subject with then-CNN President Tom Johnson and said he was contemplating shaving it off. “He looked at me and he said, ‘Are you crazy? I’m thinking of taking out an insurance policy on it.’ ”

That was enough; the beard stayed.

Another interview was posted on the Orlando Sentinel by the TV Guy, Hal Boedeker:

Question: What has been your most memorable show?

Answer: When I was in Cape Town and I had a chance to interview Nelson Mandela. Apartheid had been destroyed peacefully. There was an amazing transition to democracy. He had been elected fairly. He was such a towering figure.

Q.: What's the advantage of being — according to the CNN slogan — "the last word in Sunday talk"?

A.: We're the only Sunday show simulcast around the world at a time when people are awake on all of the planet. We have two hours. We're not only the last word, we're the longest word in Sunday talk. The advantage is world leaders watch it. World leaders don't see the other talk shows.

Q.: What are three interviews that you remember?

A.: Mandela definitely. An interview with Al Gore. He didn't say he invented the Internet. He said he took the initiative. It came back to haunt him. It got distorted by his political opponents. I interviewed George W. Bush when he was a presidential candidate. He was talking about Saddam Hussein. He was pretty blunt. You could see a grudge.

Q.: You work every weekday. Why is the Sunday job important to you?

A.: It's a different kind of show. We can get into it in depth. "The Situation Room" is fast-paced. People want quick hits. We can spend 20 to 40 minutes on an interview on "Late Edition." I enjoy doing it. I've always felt if I weren't doing it on Sunday morning, I'd be watching the other shows. Why not just do it myself?

Q.: How do you keep that pace?

A.: I exercise. I stay in shape. I try to pace myself. When I was a little boy growing up in Buffalo, I was a news junkie. I pinch myself about how lucky have I been to cover these major stories and be paid for it.

Q.: How did you approach the retrospective?

A.: We've gone through 10 years of tapes. We've taken what we think are highlights. Tom Foreman interviews me. That's the only new interview for the retrospective. I think I'm a pretty good interviewee.

Q.: How long have you been at CNN?

A.: Eighteen years. The great thing about CNN, we've got a really great team. When I say this is "the best political team in television," it has the added advantage of being true.

Q.: Why do you say that phrase so often?

A.: I didn't make up the phrase. Fox says "fair and balanced." We say we're "the best political team." Nobody has ordered me to say it. There's no quota. It's not a sponsored slogan. My dad used to say to me, "If you don’t promote yourself, no one will promote you."

The two hour program will air on Sunday, July 6th at 11AM ET.

Two clips to wrap things up tonight. The first is from Monday's The Situation Room. John Roberts filled in for Wolf Blitzer. The clip has a few highlights from the segments including with Jack Cafferty. Cafferty ends up giving a tease for Jeanne Moos' story about kissing the other cheek.

In today's CNN NewsRoom, Don Lemon mentioned Avery's beverages latest sodas: Barak O'berry and Hohn Mccreme. This straw poll actually requires a straw.

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Specials, Books and Clips

For all our readers who get CNNInternational. After negotiating 10 months for a visa to gain access to the war ravaged Darfur region of Sudan, CNN’s senior international correspondent Nic Robertson presents a half-hour special documentary "Darfur: Out of Control" which will be airing Sat. July 5: 0600, 1400, 1900 Sun. July 6: 0600 (All times GMT). To see more information about the special, you can check out the Darfur - Out of Control page on cnn.com

For all the Morning Express with Robin Meade fans, you probably noticed that Robin has not been on this week Well Robin posted a blog post on the new Morning Express blog about her "working vacation".

Hello from my “working” vacation
Posted: 11:15 AM ET

Hi guys…

Many thanks to our fellow blogging viewers. YES! I do read all of your comments!
I’m not exactly on vaca this week…I’m actually working on my book, due out next year. A publishing company came to me and asked if I’d do it.
What subjects would interest you for this non-fiction/motivational/inspirational/how-to/autobiographical book? I already have a working plan, but would love to hear from you too.
So, keep posting your comments!

Alrighty…back to the working “vacation.” Miss ya!


Looking forward to seeing the end result of Robin's upcoming book.



What post would be complete without some fun clips on Thursday.

On Thursday June 26th during a segment of Anderson Cooper 360, Anderson Cooper asks David Gergen if he had a new side job.

During Friday June 27th Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer, Abbi Tatton and Jack Cafferty discuss so anti-Obama websites including PUMA.

For all the Poppy Harlow fans out there, Don Lemon and Kyra Phillips got the facts on Poppy during the afternoon edition of NewsRoom on Monday June 30.

On Tuesday July 1st, CNN pulled the ever running Pedegg ad from it's airwaves. Going into commercial Kyra Phillips, Don Lemon and Chad Myers had a quick preview of the story coming up after the break during NewsRoom . A few ewwws were certainly involved.

During Tuesday July 1st, Election Center Soledad O'Brien and Ali Velshi do a demonstration with falling Domino's to get the point across.

At the end of Wednesday July 2nd American Morning, John Robert forgot he would be back later in the day to host Situation Room. Kiran Chetry was happy to remind John that being on air for 6 live hours can do that to you. John considered a quick nap to which Tony Harris seemingly agreed.

To all our American readers, have a fun and safe Independence Day. Happy 4th of July to all!!!


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Dr. Gupta, Do You Have A Clone?

I'm really impressed with the work ethic of Dr. Sanjay Gupta, but I'm also convinced he has a clone. In mid June he was in Africa filming segments for the next Planet in Peril 2. These two previews of his work aired the week of June 14th, on CNN's American Morning.

I don't think there was even time to unpack his suitcase before Sanjay headed to NOLA, where he and a group of CNN volunteers helped to build a playground in Pontiff Park in Metairie, Lousiana on June 28th. The playground had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Gupta also taped an episode of 'House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta' from the build site, interviewing local community leaders who came out to help.


In July and August, the Fit Nation mobile tour will visit cities across the United States, including Dallas, Seattle, Minneapolis, Minn., and Columbus, Ohio.


The next event Dr. Gupta participated in was the National PTA convention held in San Diego, California the last week in June. Sanjay gave a keynote speech and did an interview with Dr. Maya Angelou, who also was a keynote speaker.

photo credit Harley Bonham

When did Sanjay fit in this? Dr. Gupta's 'The Survival Project, One Child At A Time' will air this Sunday, July 6, at 8 p.m. on CNN. The special was filmed at the Alliance Theater inside Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. Guests include UNICEF ambassador Lucy Liu and Good Charlotte musician Joel Madden who will speak about their experiences with UNICEF.


And there is more......CNN must not be keeping Sanjay busy enough because he popped up on CBS Evening News on Tuesday night with a special report on pain and how it affects babies that he filmed in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In addition to his grueling CNN schedule he has an active practice in Atlanta and also writes frequently for Time Magazine.

I'm exhausted just trying to keep you up to speed with Dr. Gupta. But by now I assume I've convinced you that he must have a clone?

Until next week~Phebe

Happy Birthday to Rick Sanchez and Bill Schneider! And a special thanks to BA for help with the embed and research.


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Ratings At A Glance

Ratings for the week JUNE 23, 2008 - JUNE 27, 2008

	8PM^Adults 25-54 FOX 469,600 CNN 207,600 MSNBC 375,200
	9PM^Adults 25-54 FOX 401,400 CNN 292,600 MSNBC 202,200
	10PM^Adults 25-54 FOX 287,800 CNN 290,200 MSNBC 190,000

FOX is once again back to dominating the the total viewers and Adult 25 - 54 demo. They had the highest demo in the 8PM, 9PM, & 10PM timeslots every day except:

• Thursday, 10PM: CNN
• Friday, 8PM: MSNBC
• Friday, 10PM: CNN

Coming in second on both Thursday & Friday was enough to put FOX in second place in the 5 day average for the 10PM timeslot.

^{^} Courtesy Nielsen Media Research; Demographics where noted; Live + Same Day (LS) Fast Track Nationals.

One programming note: Aaron Brown returned to television tonight on PBS' Wide Angles.

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