CNN's Severe Storm Coverage

CNN will broadcast live Friday night into Saturday. Chad Myers (@ChadMyersCNN) and Jen Delgado (@JenDelgadoCNN) will monitor the storm’s movement from the CNN Weather Center (@CNNWeather). 

CNN has a team of anchors and reporters dispatched throughout the region: 

Jason Carroll (@JasonCarrollCNN), Susan Candiotti (@SusanCandiotti), Poppy Harlow (@PoppyHarlowCNN), Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi), Ashleigh Banfield (@CNNAshleigh), Zain Asher, Alison Kosik (@AlisonKosik), Mary Snow (@MarySnowCNN), Gary Tuchman (@GaryTuchmanCNN) and Brian Todd (@BrianToddCNN). 

Erin Burnett (@ErinBurnett) and Anderson Cooper (@AndersonCooper) will anchor primetime coverage, while Chris Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) guest anchors Piers Morgan Tonight. Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) anchors overnight coverage. CNN.com will also have the latest news on the at This Just In, CNN’s breaking news blog.

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The Wrap: Is CNN's Cheapness the Problem?

image courtesy of Hollywood Reporter

A fascinating read about the behind the scenes budgeting issues at CNN from The Wrap:

At the first all-hands staff meeting called by CNN’s new CEO Jeff Zucker last month, a newsroom staffer asked if CNN would continue the same budgeting practices that discourage editors from assigning reported stories.
Zucker said he’d look into it. But the next questioner circled back to the same issue, and then a third one did, too.
What’s the issue?
At CNN, when editors assign stories to reporters and producers, the budgeting process requires them to count the employees' salaries against their newsroom budgets. The result is that editors often choose to save money by passing on the story pitch -- or by taking the same idea but using guest talking heads instead.
The reporters and producers are paid anyway. But the result is fewer reported stories and hoarded budgets.
The budgeting issue is symptomatic of what insiders say is a cheapskate culture at CNN that Zucker will have to change if he is to succeed at turning the news network around.
Current and former employees bemoan a deep-seated aversion to spending. “The biggest sin at CNN is spending money,” said one former executive to TheWrap.
“Ted Turner always used to say the news is the star. That was a way not to spend any money. Now they’ve got cheapness baked into their bones. They began to value it above all else.”


A CNN spokesman had no comment.
The executive recalled a discussion among editors when the South Asian tsunami hit in 2005. The first instinct was not to send Christiane Amanpour, the network’s star foreign correspondent (who they now share with ABC), to the region but instead to use the folks already based in Malaysia who would be “good enough.”
The nickel-pinching culture is, this executive said, one reason why Anderson Cooper is on twice a night, at 8 and 10 p.m. Why pay another anchor when Anderson can do it?
Or take Soledad O’Brien (above right). The former morning anchor had been moved to documentaries where she was finding success. But she was moved back to an anchor position, taking on “Morning Joe,” in part because the top brass couldn’t stand paying her an anchor salary for less intensive work.

“Ken Jautz was always offended that we didn’t cut Soledad’s salary when we took her off the anchor job,” said this executive. The attitude was, ’We’re paying her all this money, let’s get something out of her.’ But given the rating, it will end up losing money.”
So what about the popular Jautz (left), who replaced Jon Klein as president of U.S. operations?
Several say that former HLN chief represents this thrift-first mentality. In addition to the budgeting practice, which was instituted about five years ago, was the dividing of executive responsibilities for news-gathering, editorial functions and programming after Klein departed.

To read the rest of the article please follow the link.

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Rumor Has It That John King Will Stay At CNN

Fishbowl DC is reporting:

CNN’s John King, long thought to be on the outs with the network after “John King USA” went belly up and personal issues marred internal relations, has had his contract renewed. In the game of CNN Survivor, under the new regime of President Jeff Zucker, King is safe.
Others may not be as fortunate.
There are murmurings that Candy Crowley may be contemplating a change. She was originally scheduled for Inauguration coverage and then HLN’s Robin Meade was brought in from Atlanta along with Brooke Baldwin. Suddenly things weren’t so sweet for Candy and she was noticeably absent for much of the coverage. Sources tell us Crowley has been entertaining the idea of picking up her blocks and making a change, even before Zucker arrived. It was, however, announced in the Washington town hall held by Zucker that political programming would diminish but that overall programming would increase from the Washington bureau come one year from now.
Executives are buzzing that Kate Bolduan was “born to anchor.” So expect to see more of her. Also in the “like” category is Brianna Keilar, who is perceived as a fresh, younger face.
In the process of making changes, however, come certain tensions. For example, network insiders tell us Amy Entelis, senior VP for talent and content development, has Zucker meeting with talent from other networks who are under contract, in turn, “pissing off” lawyers at competing networks. In a mad dash, they are shooting a lot of pilots. Talent from other networks may break contracts only if the company lets them out of it. It’s difficult to do and seen as shameful. Some may recall David Shuster, whose relationship soured with MSNBC after they learned he’d shot a pilot for CNN. They parted ways.

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CNN Debuts Jake Tapper Reports Documentary

CNN Debuts Jake Tapper Reports Documentary

An American Hero: The Uncommon Valor of Clint Romesha to air Thursday at 10 p.m. 

In a Jake Tapper Reports documentary, the anchor and chief Washington correspondent will look back at one of the deadliest days of the Afghan war through a compelling interview with former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, who led the courageous battle when Combat Outpost Keating was attacked on Oct. 3, 2009. The one-hour special will air Thursday, Feb. 7 at 10 p.m. ET, just days before President Obama will award Romesha the Medal of Honor for his actions that deadly day. 

Tapper, who has the first sit-down television interview with Romesha, traveled to Minot, N.D., less than two weeks ago to speak with the him about his uncommon valor and remarkable service to his country. The special also will feature interviews with Sergeant Thomas Rasmussen and former Private First Class Chris Jones who fought alongside Romesha.

Romesha was a central figure in Tapper’s recently published book about Combat Outpost Keating, “The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor,” which also chronicled eight American service members killed in the attack. The service members who made the ultimate sacrifice were Sergeant Justin T. Gallegos, Specialist Christopher T. Griffin, Sergeant Joshua Hardt, Sergeant Joshua J. Kirk, Specialist Stephan L. Mace, Staff Sergeant Vernon W. Martin, Sergeant Michael P. Scusa and Private First Class Kevin C. Thomson. 

CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper joined the network in January of 2013. His one-hour weekday program will premiere in March. Tapper’s book “The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor” debuted on the New York Times best-seller list.  Tapper has been a widely respected reporter in the nation’s capital for more than 14 years. In his more than nine years at ABC News, Tapper covered a wide range of stories, visiting remote corners of Afghanistan and covering the war in Iraq. 

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CNN Welcomes Zain Asher

CNN welcomes Zain Asher

  

Zain Asher joins CNN as business correspondent, where she will appear across platforms covering the latest news on personal finance, money and the economy.

Asher comes from MONEY magazine where she covered careers and investing, primarily focusing on stocks, mutual funds, consumer tech stories and workplace advice. Prior to joining MONEY, Asher spent two years as a reporter for News 12 covering the local economy, as well as political and cultural issues in Brooklyn, The Bronx and Connecticut. She served as a contributing reporter for Forbes.com, covering business trend and consumer stories. Her articles have appeared on CNNMoney.com, The Guardian and The Oxford Reporter. Born and raised in London, Asher graduated from Oxford University in 2005. In 2006, she earned an MS from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

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We Have a Question For You.....

We've been impressed with your suggestions on how to improve CNN.  So here's the discussion question for the weekend........who would you ask CNN to hire back if you had to single it down to one former on air personality?  Feel free to elaborate with your reasoning if the spirit moves you.  


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This Weekend's Programming 2/2 - 2/3/13

SATURDAY, February 2, 2013

SANJAY GUPTA, MD – Airs Saturday 4:30PM – 5:00PM and Sunday 7:30AM – 8:00AM

This week on "Sanjay Gupta MD", Sanjay is putting the health of the NFL players under the microscope.  Sanjay talks with former NFL quarterback Wayne Clark, art of a groundbreaking study that looks - for the first time - inside the brains of *living* players, for evidence of long-term damage. It is finding finds signs of telltale blows to the head, even in players like Clark, who at least for now show no sign of depression or cognitive decline. The research is led by acclaimed Alzheimer's researcher Dr. Gary Small, at UCLA. Also, a behind-the-schenes look at "Monday Mornings," the new TNT drama executive produced by Sanjay Gupta and David E. Kelly.

THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER– Airs LIVE Saturday 6:00PM – 7:00PM

The best of The Situation Room from the week of January 28.

Anchor:  Wolf Blitzer

SUNDAY, February 3, 2013

STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY – Airs LIVE Sunday 9:00AM – 10:00AM and NOON

Topics:    Defense and Military Policy; World Hotspots

Guest:     Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense

Guest:     Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Topics:    President Obama’s Second Term Agenda; New Jobs Numbers; Economy

Guest:     Melody Barnes, former domestic policy advisor to President Obama

Guest:     Elaine Chao, former Labor Secretary

Guest:     Mike Duffy, executive editor and Washington bureau chief, TIME Magazine

Guest:     A.B. Stoddard, columnist, The Hill

Topics:    Football and Politics

Guest:     George Allen, former Virginia Senator; author, "What Washington Can Learn From the World of Sports"

Anchor:   Candy Crowley

RELIABLE SOURCES – Airs LIVE Sunday 11:00AM – NOON

Topic:    Hillary Clinton’s Exit Interviews; Al Gore’s Book Blitz; Immigration Reform and the Partisan Media

Guest:   Dana Milbank, columnist, The Washington Post

Guest:   Amy Holmes, anchor, “Real News,” The Blaze

Guest:   Terrence Smith, former reporter for the NewsHour, CBS News, and The New York Times

Topic:    Geraldo says he may jump from media to politics.

Guest:   Pete Dominick, Sirius XM political talk show host; comedian

Topic:    Part Two: Media Hype and the Super Bowl

Guest:   Bob Costas, NBC Sports

Host:     Howard Kurtz
 

FAREED ZAKARIA GPS – Airs 10:00AM – 11:00AM and 1:00PM – 2:00PM     

Topic:      The future of education; business, the economic recovery & political gridlock; progress, humanity & innovation

Guest:     Bill Gates, III, co-founder & chairman of Microsoft Corporation; co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Topics:    Gun control; American politics; the sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera; the politics of climate change

Guest:     Al Gore, Jr., former Vice President of the United States, chairman of Generation Investment Management

Anchor:   Fareed Zakaria

THE NEXT LIST –  Airs Sunday 2:30PM – 3:00PM

This "The Next List" profiles Jim Newton, founder and chairman of TechShop, a membership-based workshop for do-it-yourselfers that provides access to tools, equipment and instruction.  Newton is opening up a world of innovation by giving people the tools, the workspace and the confidence to make things they’ve always dreamed of making. He’s creating hubs for invention and creativity where people can come to inspire and be inspired.

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