What's Happening at CNN

Source: Hollywood Reporter TBS is keeping "Everybody Loves Raymond" in the family for the next 11 years, paying $650,000 per episode for cable rerun rights to all nine seasons of CBS' Emmy-winning sitcom, sources said.

The pact is believed to be the richest off-network sitcom purchase by a basic cable outlet since TBS ponied up nearly $1 million an episode in 1998 for "Seinfeld" rerun rights.

TBS confirmed Wednesday that it has extended its long-term deal with distributor King World Prods. for the first eight seasons of "Raymond," starring Ray Romano. The new pact also extends TBS' license to cover episodes from the show's ninth and final season. Sources said the deal for runs through 2016.

TBS, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.

# posted by ATN @ 10:49 PM

Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle Here we are with another article about CNN's trying to find an identity. There are some pretty good quotes in the article from CNN Head Jim Walton. Below are some excerpts from the article:

> CNN, which is competing around the world for eyeballs and scoops, is attacked by critics from all sides Tensions around the .
world are at a boiling point, says Walton, and many foreign critics see CNN as the mouthpiece for the Bush administration.
But inside the United States, emotions also are running hot. There are critics here who call CNN the "Clinton News Network," referring to former Democratic President Bill Clinton and a perceived liberal bias on the station.
Although Walton denies CNN has any reporting bias, he said some have called CNN "anti-American." In his thinking, that's because "it sometimes angers people when we report the truth."
Adding to those tensions, Walton cited the growing trend toward news targeted at niche audiences.

> CNN will stay true to its brand -- one of the most recognized in the world -- which is known for three things: "trust, integrity and news -- live and breaking."
"CNN does not have fans per se, like other networks," he added. "Our job is to report the truth without bias from different angles. We should be like your best friend ... who'll be honest with you. That angers people sometimes."
That is why, he explained, Fox News' ratings are higher, but CNN has more viewers.
The Fox viewer, he said, is more dedicated to the point of view portrayed on the network, which many critics say is conservative.
By contrast, the CNN viewer is more likely to tune in to get news -- then tune out to watch something else.
That certainly creates a problem for Walton, who wants to see eyeballs staying tuned longer to the network. When asked if the average news viewer is by nature someone who only grazes, Walton called that a "defeatist" point of view.

> Which is where his executive staff, including Jonathan Klein, president of CNN/U.S. and Ken Jautz, executive vice president of CNN News Group, come in.
They've been making changes to CNN's line-up by adding more prime-time shows based in New York and Washington -- including the addition of ratings monster Nancy Grace in prime time on Headline News. The legal diva has angered some who say she convicts people before knowing all the facts -- and was totally wrong on what happened to Atlanta's famed runaway bride and the Michael Jackson verdict.
But Walton defended Grace for being herself.
"Nancy elicits a response. She's very, very smart," he said. "Look, we knew what we were getting into when we agreed to do this with her. That's the beauty of her -- she's so authentic."

> Walton also defended moving many prime-time shows out of Atlanta by saying that's where the talent lives.
But rumors have been rampant that a permanent move of CNN operations to New York would make sense for the network as shows move north.
Walton flatly denied a move is under consideration, saying CNN's existing infrastructure in Atlanta -- where more than 3,000 of CNN's 4,000 employees work -- would be cost-prohibitive to rebuild elsewhere. "We wouldn't get the return on investment if replicated in other cities," Walton said.

> Despite its critics, Walton said that financially speaking, CNN had a fabulous 2004, posting a record increase in profits, and a growth in viewers.
He said CNN viewers tend to be affluent, and many are C-suite executives, or what he called "influentials." That means advertisers want to get in front of them. But former CNNers have said profit is not CNN's problem. Finding an identity and sticking to the news is. So where does that leave Walton?
With patience, he said. He said the changes Klein is making on CNN/U.S. will have gradual returns. He wants to give Klein six to 18 months to implement his plan and start to see results. The focus, said Walton, is on better "storytelling," and reporting on "characters that are surprising and interesting," which is what makes a successful book or movie.

# posted by ATN @ 1:38 AM