Saturday, July 16, 2005
O'Brien Finds a Home in NYC
Saturday's NYP Page Six column says actor Christopher Meloni's former residence, a duplex penthouse on Riverside Drive, was bought by Miles O'Brien for $3.2 million.
The Post reports, O'brien's new 3 1/2 -bath condo of nearly 2,000 square feet and features a terrace with views west and north along the Hudson River from its West 90s location.
The article also says, "O'Brien, who's relocating with his wife and two kids after selling their five-bedroom home in the Atlanta suburbs, told one newspaper that New York prices "take my breath away. We were outbid on one property by $500,000.""
# posted by ATN @ 11:39 PM 
AC Potato Sells for Big Bucks
Who would have thought the auction for a potato would have ended at $330. The auction ended Friday and the lucky winner will be dishing out $330 for the "Potato like Hurricane Anderson Cooper (almost toast)". The price of the auction skyrocketed after Anderson featured the auction on his program Tuesday. All I can say is I wished I would have thought of this. BUT of course I live nowhere near where Hurricane Dennis struck.# posted by ATN @ 5:11 PM
Friday, July 15, 2005
What Was That?
Hmmm..will have to catch the rerun at 11pm eastern.
UPDATE: We have video and audio. Well we don't BUT Crooks and Liars does. Just click HERE.
UPDATE: Crooks and Liars provides a transcript: Lou says, "...Rove testifying that he first learned about Plame from columnist Robert Novak, a CNN contributor. Danna Bash reports." Immediately after that you can clearly hear a female voice on mic whispering "that's bullshit". Then Dana Bash continues with her report.
# posted by ATN @ 7:10 PM
HLN Anchor Anchors AC 360
Thought I was hearing and seeing things BUT HLN anchor Erica Hill is anchoring Anderson Cooper 360 tonight. Appears she was flown to NYC to anchor the program from the Time Warner Center.
# posted by ATN @ 7:07 PM
TIME’s Matt Cooper to Appear on Sunday’s Reliable Sources
Source: CNN PressRoom TIME magazine’s Matt Cooper will appear live on the Sunday, July 17, one-hour special edition of CNN’s Reliable Sources. Cooper, who testified before a grand jury in the investigation of the CIA leak that revealed the name of undercover agent Valerie Plame, will discuss his own experience with the case as well as recent revelations about Karl Rove’s role in the leak.The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward will also appear on the program to discuss the CIA leak investigation and his new book on his association with Deep Throat, The Secret Man.
CNN’s one-hour special Reliable Sources will air Sunday from 11:00 a.m.-12 p.m. (ET).
# posted by ATN @ 5:44 PM
Anchor Go Round Weekend?
According the CNN program schedule Open House host Gerri Willis will be anchoring the Saturday afternoon shift on CNN/US. Fredricka Whitfield is on the schedule to cover Carol Lin's shift Saturday evening/night.
# posted by ATN @ 2:25 PM
More Speculation on WHO Might Fill CBS Evening News Anchor Slot
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel TV/Radio columnist Tim Cuprisin recently in an online chat speculated even more on who MIGHT be in the running to fill the CBS Evening News Slot:
Q: Have you heard about a permanent replacement for Bob Scheiffer on the CBS Evening News ??
A: Tim Cuprisin - No, names are still floating around, like Bill Hemmer, who recently left CNN when they wanted to move him out of the morning anchor slot and put him on the White House beat. There's also talk that Aaron Brown may be leaving CNN. He'd be interesting in the slot.
There are a few more questions in which cable news coverage is mentioned. Ya might want to check out the chat transcript HERE. (free registration required)
# posted by ATN @ 12:35 PM
O'brien Wins Award
Source: Philadelphia Daily News Regina Medina writes: CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien doesn't stray far from home these days, now that she has four children, including 10-month-old twin boys.But she has found the time to pop into Philly to pick up an honor from the National Council of La Raza during a conference-closing gala Tuesday night. The half-Cuban, half-Australian broadcaster will receive the Ruben Salazar Award for Communication.
"I'm a little overwhelmed and stunned," said O'Brien in a recent phone interview. "Ruben Salazar is a man who gave his life reporting on a story that he truly believes in, and to get an award in his name and to be among the list of people who have gotten the award is [an] honor."
Salazar, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times who was an outspoken activist and leader in the Chicano movement, was shot and killed by a tear gas projectile while covering a 1970 Vietnam War protest in L.A.
# posted by ATN @ 11:20 AM
I Saw it on CNN...While Pumping Gas
You can find them at Wal-mart, airport and many other places and now at the gas pumps. This local news photographer in Greenville, South Carolina blogs about how he was at the gas pump, pumping gas with BREAKING NEWS from CNN coming up on the pump. Sounds pretty coool.
# posted by ATN @ 11:15 AM
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Consumer Bankers Association Blasts CNN for Inaccurate Reporting
Source: AXcess News Joe Belew, Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) President, lashed out against CNN for reporting inaccurately about student loans in its broadcast Wednesday, saying the cable news network distorted the interest rate banks receive from student loans. Belew said the CNN reporter, Kitty Pilgrim, stated at least five times in a 90-second story that "banks" receive an extraordinarily high, government-guaranteed interest rate of 9.5 percent on their loans to college students.
In a news release Thursday, Belew's said, "banks do not and never have been eligible to receive a guaranteed minimum interest rate of 9.5 percent. Only non-profit and state government-owned student loan organizations were permitted to issue the tax-exempt bonds that funded the 9.5 percent loans. Only those non-profit and state organizations, along with two non-bank lenders that purchased non-profit organizations, receive those taxpayer-funded payments."
"If someone from CNN had bothered to contact CBA or a bank lender, they would have learned the truth", said Belew.
The CBA then demanded that CNN correct their story. MORE
# posted by ATN @ 5:58 PM
CNN'ers to Make Late Night Appearances
This tip from an e-mailer: "Wolf Blitzer will appear as a "guest" on the Late Late Show, Monday, 7/18,12;35AM ET and Nancy Grace will appear on The Tony Danza Show, Wednesday 7/20 which is syndicated so viewers will have to check their local stations for time and channel."
# posted by ATN @ 1:30 PM
Former CNN'er Pops Up on CNN
A former CNN'er popped up on the air the other day. ONLY this time working for an affiliate in Atlanta. This from an e-mailer: "Denise Dillon a former anchor for CNN Headline News did a live shot for Atlanta affiliate WAGA during CNN's American Morning on the 12th." According to the transcript, Dillon filed a report about the damage done by Hurricane Dennis in Powder Springs, Georgia, which is just outside of Atlanta.
Dillon was axed back in 2001.
UPDATE: 1:20pm EDT It seems another former CNN'er popped up on the air this morning. This from an e-mailer: "Steve Bartelstein, the local morning anchor for WABC in New York, was seen on CNN's coverage of the NYC building collapse in New York. Bartelstein was a former sports anchor for CNN, and worked mornings with Daryn Kagen."
# posted by ATN @ 10:41 AM
CNN's Podcasts Finding a Home?
Lost Remote is reporting CNN's hourly "CNN News Update" has rapidly climbed to the #3 slot on iTunes' list of most popular podcasts. CNN just started offering podcasting a couple of weeks ago. In addition to the news updates, CNN offers podcasters a Business Update and a few other special programs. CNN's podcasting page can be found HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 9:38 AM
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
When Will Grace Top 1 million?
Nancy Grace is back from vacation and BOY did her program on HLN skyrocket from what they were last week. Below are the numbers from the 8pm hour Tuesday night and she topped the 800-thousand viewer mark beating CNN/US and MS in that hour. My question is when will Grace top the 1 million mark?8PM
O’Reilly Factor - 2,299,000
Nancy Grace - 831,000
Paula Zahn Now - 719,000
MSNBC “Return To Flight” - 230,000
CNBC - 71,000 viewers
From Inside Cable News
# posted by ATN @ 7:19 PM
Hurricane Dennis: Ratings #'s Revisited
CNN no doubt saw its audience increase thanks to coverage of Hurricane Dennis. CNN PR sent WHAC these #'s showing increases versus the same day last year and from the Sunday June average:
> In total day, CNN averaged 1017k P2+ and 430k P25-54, an increase of 183% and 271%, respectively versus same day last year, experiencing the greatest increases of any cable news network; moreover, versus the Sunday June 2005 average (the most recently completed month) CNN increased 209% in P2+ and 264% in P25-54;
> In primetime, CNN averaged 1069k P2+ and 407k P25-54, an increase of 70% and 109%, respectively versus same day last year, again experiencing the greatest increases of any cable news network; moreover, versus the Sunday June 2005 average CNN increased 110% in P2+ and 170% in P25-54 while FNC decreased -5% in P2+ and increased only 2% in P25-54;
> In addition, CNN outperformed FNC in primetime P25-54 by 23% (407k vs. 330k).
# posted by ATN @ 6:45 PM
Former CNN'er Still on the Chase
As one of the original CNN'ers, Jeff Flock spent most of the past 25 years covering hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, tornadoes, snow storms. Flock never missed a big hurricane.
Flock retired from CNN a year or two back and is now chasing hurricanes full-time. You won't find him tv, just on the web, chasing the hurricanes LIVE at hurricanenow.com. I thought it would be interesting to go on the inside of Flock's new venture, so he answered a handful of questions for WHAC:* You and your staff at hurricanenow.com were put to test this past weekend with covering Hurricane Dennis. Did everything come off without a hitch? Flock: No it didn't, but then it never does in a hurricane. While i nearly got blown off the top of a parking garage and we soaked one of cameras and a few microphones, we did successfully transmit live through the worst of Hurricane Dennis. We also demonstrated we could broadcast live pictures from a moving car tracking the storm north from the coast through alabama which was very interesting to see.
* What are some of the differences experienced covering hurricanes for your website versus for CNN? Flock: I had some great experiences covering hurricanes on CNN...Andrew and Hugo and all the big storms of the past 20 years. While CNN has always been a reporter's network, hurricanenow is a hurricane reporter's dream since i can chose to go "live" on the web whenever the storm warrants. My reports can also go as long as i want since our goal is to be live throughout the storm, non-stop.
* What are some of the advantages do you and staff have over the cable news nets and The Weather Channel in covering the storms? Flock: We focus like a laser beam on the storm. If a terrorist attack occurs, as it did as dennis approached, the cable nets switched their focus, as they should have. We are all-storm, all the time. And while the nets have to pull the transmit dishes down on their expensive satellite trucks if winds get too high, we use technologies that allow us to keep transmitting. The quality of the pictures aren't as good but if you've got incredible things happening viewers are eager to see it. And we now have the ability to literally chase the storm live as it moves inland which is really groundbreaking. Most of the network coverage focuses on the coast. But the damage inland can be pretty amazing too. Despite that i think CNN had the absolute "moment" of Dennis with Anderson Cooper and John Zarrella's live experience as that sign came down. They really upheld the CNN tradition of memorable hurricane reporting.
* What kind of response has hurricanenow.com received? Flock: We got 30,000 new visitors during Hurricane Dennis. We've had more than 100,000 of our pages viewed and more than a million hits. People seem to be spending a lot of time on the site and have given us some great positive feedback. We also have people email us directly during the storm so viewers can literally ask me a question or tell me what they want to see and get a response almost immediately.
* Now that Hurricane Dennis is behind us, is your staff already looking and making plans for a possible Hurricane Emily? Flock: We have to be careful what we wish for at hurricanenow.com. While we wouldn't wish a storm on anyone this season has already been incredible and shows no signs of stopping. We'll grab some rest and be ready for Emily and whatever else comes. I used to have to compete with other CNN reporters who also wanted to cover hurricanes. Now i go on all of them, even when i could use some rest.
* And Jeff isn't chasing hurricanes by himself: Flock: Wanted to mention that hurricanenow also has on board former CNN National Assignment Editor Rob Hess and former CNN photographer Tom Casale.
# posted by ATN @ 12:08 PM
O'brien, Nation’s Space Reporter
Source:Galveston County Daily News It could be argued that not since Walter Cronkite, has any single reporter been so closely identified with manned space flight than Miles O’Brien. The longtime CNN anchor and reporter makes no bones about it, he has a passion for the space program and for NASA.
And just as NASA has had to take a closer look at itself in the wake of the Columbia tragedy of two and a half years ago, O’Brien himself comes to his coverage of today’s scheduled shuttle launch having learned lessons
“I’ve had to do some soul searching myself,” said O’Brien. “I was one of those reporters who knew about the foam strike three days after the launch.”
An e-mail from a Johnson Space Center source warned O’Brien that a piece of foam had broke away from the shuttle fuel tank. That foam, no bigger than a suitcase, struck a shuttle wing and was responsible for the break up of the ship as it re-entered the atmosphere Feb. 1, 2003. Meanwhile, the shuttle and its crew were in orbit on what NASA called a successful mission.
O’Brien asked around about the foam. He took assurances from shuttle managers that everything was OK at face value.
He knows differently now.
Read the complete article HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 1:36 AM
Grand Ole Opry Welcomes Larry King as Guest Announcer Saturday
Source: Grand Ole Opry Press Release Continuing its 80th Anniversary Celebration, the Grand Ole Opry® presented by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® welcomes CNN’s Larry King as a guest announcer Sat., July 16.
King will join the fun of the Opry broadcast, making special announcements from the Opry announcers’ stand and introducing Opry artists during a segment of Saturday night’s performances.# posted by ATN @ 1:06 AM
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Hurricane Dennis: TWC Rates Highest Among All Cable News and Information Networks
Source: PR NewsWire The Weather Channel rated #1 among all cable news and information networks for coverage of Hurricane Dennis, achieving a Total Day (5 a.m. - 2 a.m.) rating of 1.5, representing 1.3 million households on Sunday, the day of landfall. Among the news and information networks, TWC held the 1st place ranking in total households and in the 25 to 54 age demographic throughout the weekend across the Total Day (5 a.m. - 2 a.m.), Mornings (5 a.m. - 11 a.m.) and Primetime (8 p.m. - 11 p.m.).Ratings on The Weather Channel peaked in the critical quarter-hour when Hurricane Dennis made landfall, officially at 3:25 p.m. ET at Santa Rosa Island, FL. The Weather Channel achieved a 3.3 rating in the 3:15 - 3:30 p.m. time period; 2.9 million households tuned in.
TWC achieved a Total Day (5 a.m. - 2 a.m.) rating of 1.2 on Saturday; this represents an average of just over 1.0 million households. Coverage by The Weather Channel on this day also outperformed all the other news and information networks. Combined ratings for the two days resulted in making Saturday and Sunday the second highest-rated weekend in TWC history. Only last year's Hurricane Frances coverage, which aired over the September 4-5, 2004 weekend, ranked higher.
weather.com, the Web site of The Weather Channel, set a record from Friday through Sunday receiving the highest number of page views for a three-day weekend in the history of the site.
# posted by ATN @ 8:23 PM
CNN's Mr. Potato Head
I didn't know this existed until I saw it on Anderson Cooper 360 Tuesday evening. Someone, well let me post the e-bay auction desription:Potato found in the Hurricane Dennis aftermath bears a striking resemblance to Anderson Cooper of CNN
You are bidding on one potato and it also includes a booklet with pictures of the adventures of Hurricane Anderson Cooper.
Someone is looking to make a quick buck or two. Bidding right now is at $1.25, with shipping at $4.95. Happy bidding.
UPDATE: 7:51pm EDT Bidding is now at $102.50
UPDATE: 07/13 12:06pm EDT The bidding now stands at $200.00
# posted by ATN @ 7:28 PM
Space Shuttle Discovery Breaking News
This from CNN.com: A Discovery space shuttle cockpit window cover fell, damaging protective tiles near spacecraft’s tail, NASA officials say. Of course CNN's Miles O'brien is covering this story extensively as we speak. Maybe that should be as I type. Will this mean a delay in the launch? Stay tuned.
UPDATE: 7:05pm EDT Miles say he has been informed by NASA launch is still on for tomorrow. Miles is using a model of the space shuttle to explain the damage done to Space Shuttle Discovery.
# posted by ATN @ 6:40 PM
AHN: Dolans Were Axed
Source: All Headline News CNN has decided to continue the programming and staff shuffle,this time it is the Saturday morning business advice program "Dolan's Unscripted" that is getting the axe.The husband and wife money duo originally signed with the now defunct CNNfn back in 2003 and the show moved to the main network when CNNfn went off the air.
No word on where Ken and Daria Dolan will wind up next or what will replace them in their one-hour slot.
# posted by ATN @ 6:25 PM
Author: Expect a CNN Resurgence
In an online chat session with The Washington Post, Author and Senior Scholar at the Poynter Institute Roy Peter Clark speaks about several issues. The item that caught my eye was Clark predicts a resurgence of CNN. Below is the portion of the chat in which that was discussed:
Fairfax: Why is Foxnews so popular? Why did CNN fall from grace?
Roy Peter Clark: Hello, Fairfax: The popular of Fox News grew, no doubt, from the perception by conservatives that their world view was not being represented by the mainstream press. But I think something else is going on. I, for one, don't think that Fox news slants stories very much to the right. But they seem to report the news with a greater sense of urgency and concern. And they have dominant front men who express their conservative biases directly. I predict a CNN resurgence as the political pendulum begins to swing -- very slowly -- from right to left.
# posted by ATN @ 4:36 PM
TWC Takes Jab at CNN
In watching The Weather Channel this afternoon,I just saw a "We're the channel to turn to for hurricane coverage" promo. At the end the announcer emphasized, "The Weather Channel, your hurricane headquarters for over 20 years". I wonder who they were aiming that towards?..HA....
UPDATE: I was waiting to get a response from a blog reader. I am glad someone else realized CNN has been around reporting about and covering hurricanes longer than TWC. This from an e-mailer: "CNN's been around for 25 years and was reporting the weather back between 1980 - 85 during which about 15 named hurricane's made land fall."
# posted by ATN @ 4:17 PM
Chance on the Move
Source: CNN Press Room Matthew Chance, currently an international correspondent based in CNN’s London production center, has been appointed senior international correspondent in the network’s Moscow bureau. He takes up the new position in August.Chance joins an award-winning team in Moscow, including Ryan Chilcote, one of CNN’s cutting-edge video correspondents using the latest digital newsgathering equipment. Chance’s appointment follows Jill Dougherty’s move from Moscow to her new role as managing editor for CNN in Asia Pacific.
“Moscow is one of CNN’s most important bureaus, and Matthew’s appointment underscores CNN’s commitment to the region,” said Tony Maddox, senior vice president of international newsgathering. “He is one of the most accomplished correspondents at CNN and has covered many of the biggest international stories from the region.”
“I am honored that CNN has asked me to take on this key international role,” Chance said. “Moscow has a pivotal role to play in the global news agenda, and I look forward to the reporting challenges of reporting from Russia and the surrounding region.”# posted by ATN @ 2:46 PM
LK Speaks About Job and Charity Work
Pretty good article in The Sacramento Bee about Larry King. He talks about his job and his charitable work. Below is an excerpt from the article: "When the guest is on, the guest counts more," he says. "I don't know more than the guest. I don't know more science than a scientist or about baseball than a baseball manager.Read the complete article HERE. You do have to register but it's free.
"You have to listen," he says, noting that he generally starts an interview with notes that are little more than lists of facts. "You have to listen to the answers, which bring the next question. I like to wing it. My natural curiosity drives it."
King also says that, despite the fact that he serves a worldwide audience via CNN, viewers are not foremost in his mind when he's doing a live interview.
"I don't think about the audience," he says. "I know about pacing and when it's going well, but if I start thinking if Phil on his porch in Idaho is going to like this, then I'm thinking for him. I just go on and try to do the best in the hour afforded me."
Because King's show is often used by everyone from politicians to performers to get their message out, he has sometimes been criticized for lobbing softballs at interview subjects, or for merely providing a platform for whatever a celebrity is promoting.
He isn't defensive about the charge.
"No one's ever done the perfect interview, and I'm not going to," he says. "If you've got someone who's been interviewed 7,000 times, you're not likely to change that. I'm not a trickster, I just ask the questions.
# posted by ATN @ 1:58 PM
Sunday Hurricane Coverage #'s
Source: TV Newser
Total day: FNC: 1,188,000 / CNN: 940,000 / MSNBC: 356,000
Primetime: FNC: 1,131,000 / CNN: 1,069,000 / MSNBC: 303,000
Between 4 and 6pm, at the hurricane's peak, FNC averaged 2,061,000 viewers, while CNN had 1,577,000 and MSNBC had 588,000.
Total day: FNC: 1,188,000 / CNN: 940,000 / MSNBC: 356,000
Primetime: FNC: 1,131,000 / CNN: 1,069,000 / MSNBC: 303,000
Between 4 and 6pm, at the hurricane's peak, FNC averaged 2,061,000 viewers, while CNN had 1,577,000 and MSNBC had 588,000.
Additional from TVN: 12:30pm EDT
An internal CNN message says: "CNN captured the two most-watched cable news hours of the day among P25-54. CNN Sunday at 4p delivered 834k to rank #1 for the day and American Morning's 1p hour delivered 721k to rank #2. Special Hurricane Coverage (anchored by Wolf Blitzer and Kyra Phillips) beat FNC among P25-54 at 4p (834k), 7p (559k), 8p (460k), 10p (418k) and 11p (355k). Special American Morning coverage (anchored by Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien) beat FNC in the 6a hour (223k), the 1p hour (721k) and the 3p hour (699k). CNN's special live Hurricane Dennis coverage at 11p delivered 355k, more than doubled FNC (176k) and also out-delivered The Weather Channel (298k)."
> In primetime in the 25-54 demographic, CNN's 407,000 viewers beat FNC's 330,000 and MSNBC's 153,000.
UPDATE: 1:00pm EDT TVN has posted the hourly ratings: CNN beat FNC in TOTAL VIEWERS during the 6am, 7pm, 8pm, and 10pm hours. In the key 25-54 demo range CNN beat FNC in the 6am, 1pm, 3pm, 4pm, 7pm, 8pm, 10pm, 11pm, 12am, and 1am hours. BUT of course FNC doesn't want to recognize the important 25-54 demo #'s.
DCG comments: CNN had the best coverage hands down. Too bad the ratings don't reflect that. Just goes to show you that FNC can put anything on the air and people will watch it. Really sucks SUBSTANCE doesn't count in the ratings. Anybody want to bet The Weather Channel beat the cable news nets?
# posted by ATN @ 10:37 AM
Dolans Leaving
Source: New York Post Ken and Daria Dolan are on their way out at CNN.The married couple, who dispense financial advice on the Saturday-morning "Dolans Unscripted," still have a few shows remaining before their exit. The Dolans, who used to be heard on WOR (710 AM), joined CNNfn in September 2003 and moved over to CNN last February.
No word yet on what might replace their show.
# posted by ATN @ 10:18 AM
Sizing Up Hurricane Dennis Coverage
We as viewers have our opinions about who had the best coverage of Hurricane Dennis. And in THIS thread on Media Open Line's WXLine, forecasters are talking about coverage from the cable news outlets. One poster wraps it up this way:
As far as the cable newies go, at least CNN tries to have a weather department with meteorologist. I didn't like when they had Titan squeezed into a box and tilted back. You couldn't tell a darn thing about what it was trying to show. Best to keep it simple and 2D with something like this.
Fox gets an F for Janice Dean. Actually, some of the WSI guys from Boston do a pretty good job. I saw old Don Morelli on Fox doing the wx from WSI this morning. He was doing a good job, good guy, and good WSI employee. I also have to give Fox an F because they kept going to Bastardi at Accu-%$#@. I guess they forgot to mention that they said it was going to NEW ORLEANS for days.
MSNBC is trying a little harder in weather, but SEAN just doesn't SEEM to know much about hurricanes. He had a tough time with all the storms last year too.
# posted by ATN @ 12:04 AM
Monday, July 11, 2005
Will Storm Raise News Nets Ratings?
Source: IMDB.com The television networks had considerably more resources at their disposal for coverage of Hurricane Dennis in the Florida panhandle. TV anchors braved the high winds on Sunday, seemingly looking for the Dan Rather effect. In particular Anderson Cooper on CNN called in the network's correspondents while being pelted with heavy rain. When at one point, CNN's Miami correspondent John Zarella shouted, "We're not protected," Cooper shot back. "My mom is watching. Chill out on that a little bit!" (Cooper's mom is Gloria Vanderbilt.) In the background trees could be seen snapping in the wind and flying through the air. "You have a leaf on your eye," Cooper remarked to Zarella at one point, then removed it. At another point, a hotel sign crashed near where the men were standing. "Look out! Get back!" yelled Zarella. By contrast, Fox News Network was struck by a series of technical glitches and shaky images. FOX News Live (weekend edition) host Brian Wilson reported at one point, "We actually lost a satellite truck today as the winds blew it over on its side." Fox correspondent Steve Harrigan's reports were frequently interrupted by signal failures, causing Wilson to remark repeated, "Please bear with us."
All networks invited people in the area to send them home video from their vantage points, with MSNBC setting up a
separate address for the "citizen journalists" -- cj@msnbc.com. With rumors continuing to spread that Chief Justice William Rehnquist may announce his resignation from the Supreme Court this week, CNN/U.S. chief Jon Klein told USA Today: "I feel like we're fighting a war on three fronts and maybe four."# posted by ATN @ 10:43 PM
CNN--It's Essential
Could this be a new branding slogan? CNN has started airing promos touting its coverage of Hurricane Dennis. At the end of the promo, the announcer says, CNN, it's essential. Could this be a new slogan in which we will be hearing and seeing more of in the future? Hmmm.........
UPDATE: This from an e-mailer: "They (CNN) started running the new promos for PRIMETIME lineup a week or two BEFORE the hurricane to promote the 7pm-11pm programs. "PRIMETIME, CNN, IT"S ESSENTIAL""
# posted by ATN @ 9:42 PM
Brits Pissed at Fox News
Source: UK Guardian (This is from the Saturday edition) Rupert Murdoch's Fox News channel was under fire yesterday for comments by some of its leading journalists in response to the London bombs.
Speaking about the reaction of the financial markets, Brit Hume, the channel's Washington managing editor, said: "Just on a personal basis ... I saw the futures this morning, which were really in the tank, I thought 'hmm, time to buy'."
The host of a Fox News programme, Brian Kilmeade, said the attacks had the effect of putting terrorism back on the top of the G8's agenda, in place of global warming and African aid. "I think that works to our advantage, in the western world's advantage, for people to experience something like this together, just 500 miles from where the attacks have happened."
Another Fox News host, John Gibson, said before the blasts that the International Olympic Committee "missed a golden opportunity" by not awarding the 2012 games to France. "If they had picked France instead of London to hold the Olympics, it would have been the one time we could look forward to where we didn't worry about terrorism. They'd blow up Paris, and who cares?" He added: "This is why I thought the Brits should let the French have the Olympics - let somebody else be worried about guys with backpack bombs for a while." MORE
# posted by ATN @ 8:20 PM
'Upfront' Looking Good For CNN
Source: Multichannel News Greg D’Alba, chief operating officer for CNN Ad Sales and Marketing, said the market has been solid for CNN, which has focused on integrated multimedia deals.“We’re seeing a terrific upfront, and I’m sure that’s the case for cable news,” he said. “Cable news has become a daypart that’s not only demanded, but now planned for.”
The ratings surge for Headline News is helping in the upfront, according to D’Alba.
“Headline has consistently, over the last five months, beaten MSNBC,” he said. “What you’re seeing is a real momentum for Headline. And that’s really fueled our upfront. We’re going to come out of the upfront with a double-digit increase.”
# posted by ATN @ 7:30 PM
Cooper in the Headlines
You don't know if all the talk is good or bad. I am speaking about how everyone is talking about Anderson Cooper's reporting during CNN's Hurricane Dennis coverage. On the web some folks seem to think AC went overboard, while some say it's a hurricane, what do you expect. Anyway today's The Insider TV entertainment news program features AC's report when the Ramada Inn sign was blown away. View the clip for yourself HERE.# posted by ATN @ 3:44 PM
CNN Announces Plans For 'Return to Space'
Source: CNN PR CNN will air a one-hour special anchored by CNN space correspondent and American Morning anchor Miles O’Brien as NASA marks its return to manned space missions with the launch of the space shuttle Discovery on Wednesday, July 13.
The special, “Return to Flight: The Space Shuttle Discovery” will air from 3-4 p.m. (ET) to coincide with Discovery’s scheduled liftoff at 3:51 p.m. As the only broadcast network to air every NASA shuttle launch live, CNN also will provide a live videostream of the launch at CNN.com.
The Discovery launch will mark NASA’s first manned space flight since February 2003 when the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere.In a separate weeklong series, CNN’s American Morning will use O’Brien’s expertise as the network’s space correspondent as he reports on the changes and challenges NASA has faced to re-launch its manned space program. O’Brien’s extensive interviews include all seven Discovery astronauts along with NASA flight surgeons, engineers, flight directors and Discovery shuttle commander Eileen Collins, the first woman to hold that position. The special airs the week of July 11 on American Morning from 7-10 a.m. (ET) weekdays.
In addition to streaming the launch live, CNN.com will offer a special section outlining Discovery’s mission and the changes in safety and culture at NASA, as well as providing profiles of the astronaut crew. The section will feature interactive elements allowing users to zoom in on different parts of the shuttle and to view animations of the different stages of flight. The interactive component of the section also will allow users to build an International Space Station and take a quiz using audio clips from past space flights as clues. The special section will include a countdown clock and a day-by-day calendar of the current mission.
CNNRadio correspondent Dick Uliano and CNN en Español correspondent Ines Ferre will both report live from Kennedy Space Center for Discovery’s launch.# posted by ATN @ 2:23 PM
A New Anchor Team?
Pic from TV Heads
Kyra and Wolf are back at the anchor desk together again today. Could this be an anchor team in the making? I have to say they work pretty well together. PLUS it's good to see and hear TWO anchors at the desk at the same time. The above pic is from yesterday's hurricane coverage. And on Live From....Catherine Callaway is reporting out in the field. That doesn't happen very often.
# posted by ATN @ 1:01 PM
CNN/US Carries Srebrenica Massacre Special
Pic from CNN Coverage Notes
CNN/US broadcasted the CNN/I simulcast of Srebrenica Remembered: Thousands of muslims were massacred by Serb forces 10 years ago today. We look at the atrocity and how they're being remembered. The special was hosted by Christiane Amanpour. There are alot of resources on the web to learn more about the Srebrenica massacre.
# posted by ATN @ 1:00 PM
'Hurricane One' Steals the Spotlight
Everyone is talking about CNN's 'Hurricane One'. Below is an excerpt from an article in the Telematics Journal about its use covering Hurricane Dennis:
CNN reporters made much ado about the vehicle’s ability to roam and simultaneously transmit pictures as opposed to other networks who were tied to one specific location for the entire broadcast. Several network reporters from the Weather Channel to ABC, NBC and Fox affiliates stood outside hotels or landmarks and talked about the storm. They were limited to footage of their immediate surroundings. Hurricane One, on the other hand, drove the streets and along the coast delivering a much broader video sense of the storm’s wake. And, it delivered the video in real-time without dropping the feed despite bad atmospheric conditions.“CNN covers completely devastated areas, like the Tsunami, the war in Iraq, hurricanes and other disasters where all normal communications are non-existent," Scott Teissler, CIO and CTO of Turner Broadcasting told Telematics Journal. “It’s harder than it looks."
“We have very significant technical demands and we are always pushing the envelope. It means we have to push for more, for better, on a global field everyday," says Teissler.
Read the complete article HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 12:55 PM
Telesur Challenges CNN en Español
Source: Miami Herald Latin American governments are launching a home-grown news and cultural channel to go head to head with CNN en Español. The new channel named Telesur -- Spanish for ''TeleSouth''--began test broadcasting last in May and will sign on officially on July 24. Funded by the governments of Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay and Venezuela, the channel calls itself a home-grown alternative to foreign and commercial media coverage such as CNN.
''The productions we get from abroad are a black-and-white vision of Latin America, usually in black when there is a disaster,'' said Telesur's director, Aram Aharonian. He said the channel will help integrate a region that currently knows other parts of the world better than itself.
But Chris Crommett, senior vice president of CNN en Español, the hemisphere's only 24-hour international Spanish-language news channel, said it was false to assume that his channel reflects an American point of view just because it is headquartered in Atlanta.
''Anyone that watches our air and says we're not reflecting the voice of Latin America -- not just institutional and presidential, but really all sectors of society -- isn't really watching much,'' Crommett said in a telephone interview.
Read the FULL article HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 10:12 AM
A Shuttle Dream Dashed for O'brien
Source: New York Daily News Had things gone differently, CNN's Miles O'Brien could have been on the Space Shuttle right about now.
Instead, this week, the anchor and
longtime space correspondent will watch the Space Shuttle Discovery go up Wednesday, taking with it a little bit of his dream to someday be in space."It marks the kind of an end of a personal era for me," O'Brien said.
Turns out, CNN and NASA were only weeks away from announcing O'Brien was going to be the first journalist in space, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated before landing two years ago.
O'Brien was on the air for 16 hours the day Columbia crashed, and then flew to Houston for coverage the next day.
"I got into the hotel room," O'Brien said, "and I just cried like a baby. It all hit me. It hit me like a ton of bricks; tears for them, and tears for something I had lost for me personally. I had worked on it for two years."
At the time, O'Brien, CNN and NASA agreed that he would enter the mission specialists program - which could take upward of two years - to prepare for the flight.
"In my mind, I thought he was far and away the most likely guy to be the first [journalist in space]," former NASA head Sean O'Keefe told the Orlando Sentinel, which first reported O'Brien's deal.
Read the Complete article HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 10:02 AM
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Warning: Computer Virus Being Spread, Disguised as E-mail from CNN
Source: ZD-Net An e-mail purporting to offer a link to amateur video footage of the events on the London Underground in the aftermath of the bomb blast will install a Trojan on users' machines if they click on the attachment.
According to UK e-mail security firm MessageLabs the e-mail appears as a mocked-up html newsletter from CNN with the subject line 'TERROR HITS LONDON'.
The sender's e-mail address appears as breakingnews@CNNonline.com. Although that address could easily have been spoofed, the domain is not an official CNN domain and is registered to a firm in Florida.
The e-mail asks recipients to 'See attachments for unique amateur video shots'.
The file name, 'London Terror Moovie.avi' appears a valid film clip bar the typo in 'movie', however after 124 character spaces there is the real .exe file name, though even this has been disguised as 'Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe'. MORE
# posted by ATN @ 9:27 PM
Anchors Ahead for Henry and Bash?
Source: US News and World Report Found this in the Washington Whispers section:Pay attention to CNN's brat pack: Dana Bash and Ed Henry. Insiders say they're emerging as top candidates for anchor roles. Both have been doing double duty as reporters and fill-in anchors. "They're great," says one insider. And Henry won kudos for his on-air roughing up of fellow CNN-er Robert Novak on his refusal to dish about his involvement in the Valerie Plame outing case.
Their profiles couldn't be rising soon enough. Inside Politics' Judy Woodruff is gone, and Wolf Blitzer is overexposed. And now we hear--and CNN execs deny--that NewsNight 's Aaron Brown is on the outs. His latest faux pas: He didn't come in on a day off to anchor coverage
of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 's resignation. Some say he actually refused a request to come to work; a spokeswoman denied that. But CNN made a point of bragging on Blitzer, Paula Zahn, and others for interrupting vacations to anchor London bombing broadcasts.# posted by ATN @ 7:47 PM
Klein: We Demolished the Competition
WHAC asked CNN President Jon Klein for his thoughts on CNN's coverage of Hurricane Dennis:
"We demolished the competition and demonstrated decisively our expertise in covering the news that matters most. We were thorough, knowledgeable, informative, aggressive, and extremely compelling to watch. Could not have asked for a more outstanding performance by our team on air and behind the scenes." My ongoing blogging of CNN's coverage continues below.
# posted by ATN @ 6:56 PM
Hurricane Dennis: Sunday Coverage
11:00am EDT Good Morning! What a surprise to see The O'briens anchoring the special edition of American Morning from CNN Center in Atlanta. Additional: CNN 'Met' Rob Marciano is in the weather center.Noon EDT The special Sunday edition of American Morning rolls on with The O'briens at the anchor desk from CNN Center in Atlanta. Marciano still manning the controls in the weather center.
Was just flipping through the channels awhile ago and The Weather Channel seems to be offering up its usual fare
of hurricane coverage. FNC seems to be doing the same as it has done in the past. Did notice they are 'squeezing in' some talk about terrorists into their coverage. I guess they are trying to blame the hurricane on them. Anyway one can't help but be thankful CNN still employs certified 'Mets' in its weather department.1:06pm EDT According to info provided by CNN, there have been some changes who will anchor what on CNN. The changes are: Carol Lin and Betty Nguyen will anchor midnight onward. Also according to info provided to WHAC, Anderson Cooper is now in the area reporting LIVE along with dozens of other correspondents across the area.
ALSO "Correspondent
Rick Sanchez is filing live reports as he heads west from Panama City,Fla. en route to Pensacola, Fla. in “Hurricane One.” Sanchez and crew are utilizing mobile transmission technology that CNN used in the Iraqi deserts during Gulf War II creating the first mobile hurricane satellite center." And there's AC on the air now.2:10pm EDT CNN "Met" Jacqui Jares is now on duty in the CNN Weather Center. I have to say CNN is really giving The Weather Channel a run for its money with its hurricane coverage. CNN really is utilizing its resources covering the storm. And Lord help FNC, Ailes stuck Janice 'this hurricane is historical' Dean reading the promter in its weather center today. Too bad FNC can't somehow tie this to politics. Oh they have, they
offer 'exclusive' info from Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Additional: Where's Fredricka Whitfield and Tony Harris? They are suppose to be at the anchor desk now.....maybe Miles and Soledad are going for a World's Record?
2:50pm EDT CNN interrupts a taped report from Rick Sanchez to go to Jacqui Jares to report the eyewall is beginning to make landfall and a tornado warning is in effect for the counties in the direct path of the storm. CNN is now airing a LIVE report from Drew Griffin in Fort Walton, Florida in the effected area.
3:00pm EDT The Obriens are still on the air.
3:19pm EDT Anderson Cooper just welcomed the viewers from CNN/International. CNN/I viewers just might get a taste of the coverage afterall.
3:32pm EDT A CNN/International viewer tells WHAC, CNN/US no longer on CNN/I.
3:50pm EDT Awesome coverage LIVE from Pensacola, Florida with Anderson and John. The shot showed a hotel sign blowing down and alot of debis blowing across the parking lot. Folks this is must see tv!
4:00pm EDT Don't know where Rick Sanchez is BUT he is showing LIVE the winds of Hurricane Dennis peeling back the roof of a hotel in which some folks are staying. 
4:10pm EDT Anderson just announced Wolf and Kyra will be taking over the anchor desk. And hey they are even at CNN Center.
4:27pm EDT This from CNN.com: "Investigators say DNA testing results on human remains found in Montana "positively identified" as missing 9-year-old Dylan Groene. Details soon." Nothing on air about it just yet.
4:35pm EDT Glad to see Anderson taking charge and anchoring from the field. BUT I have a feeling he'll be throwing it back to Wolf and Kyra soon.. Whoops he just did!
4:47pm EDT CNN.com has now posted the video of the Anderson and John liveshot with the hotel sign blowing down. You'll find the clip HERE.
5:15pm EDT Awesome video HERE of a roof peeling off a hotel while Rick Sanchez was doing a LIVE shot in front of it.
5:44pm EDT Atlanta now under a Tornado warning.
6:10pm EDT Rick Sanchez promised later in the hour an inside look at the mobile technology he is using to broadcast. ALSO just issued is ANOTHER Tornado warning for the Atlanta area. Jaqui Jares just warned all the CNN Center employees who can, take cover as the warning does include the downtown Atlanta area.
6:25pm EDT Does anybody else get the feeling Wolf is pretty tense right now with the tornado warning now in effect for the downtown Atlanta area. Kyra has made alot of 'we're use to this Wolf' kind of comments. I will admit I get tense when strong storms hit my area.
6:30pm EDT Former CNN'er Jeff Flock is on the phone with Wolf and Kyra. Flock of course retired from CNN last year and is now spearheading the Hurricanenow.com website. CNN showed some video of Flock's coverage which is available on his website.
7:13pm EDT Digital Spy has a pretty good roundup of comparing the coverage of the different networks. It has this to say about CNN: "CNN had the most compelling coverage of the landfall of Dennis, mostly by virtue of reporters Anderson Cooper and John Zarella being stationed in Pensacola, FL, the eventual site of landfall."
7:25pm EDT CNN is now airing video of some of the devastation. Kyra and Wolf are speaking with CNN Photographer Mark Biello who captured the video of flood waters literally swallowing the town or St. Marks, Florida.
8:55pm EDT Larry King is up next to host a special LIVE Weekend edition of Larry King Live. It's suppertime for me!
10:00pm EDT Wolf and Kyra are back in the anchor chair.
10:36pm EDT Some of the CNN correspondents that covered the storm today were guests on Larry King Live Sunday night. You'll find video of their stories in covering the storm HERE.
10:50pm EDT CNN has started news updates. Correspondents continue though filing reports from hurricane ravaged areas.
11:00pm EDT Wolf and Kyra still at the anchor desk. CNN "Met" Jacqui Jares just said another tropical storm is developing. I guess we can expect Hurricane Emily next weekend?
Midnight EDT Wolf and Kyra have signed off. Pretty funny, Wolf was trying to say Hurricane Headquarters, and started saying 'CNN, Your Campaign Headquarters'. He caught his self and didn't get it all out. Anyhow, Carol Lin and Betty Nguyen are taking control of the anchor desk. Bonnie Schneider is now in the weather center. BTW, wanna mention Wolf and Kyra will once again be anchoring together beginning at noon eastern Monday.
07/11/2005 1:00am EDT I am calling it a day and hope everyone enjoyed WHAC's coverage of CNN's coverage. Who knows, we just might be back next weekend covering a hurricane.
Here at WHAC we give credit where credit is due and just wanna say the pics are from TV Heads and CNN Coverage Notes.
# posted by ATN @ 11:00 AM
