Saturday, March 04, 2006
Payne: Pipeline "Addictive"
In the first of a 3 part series in an interview with Digital Spy, CNN.com's David Payne, Payne talks about CNN's PipeLine service:"You can always sell more, is kind of how I think of it. I'm extremely pleased with the key features of what's going on," he said. "The users that have it, love it. It's addictive, it's sticky, and you can leave it in mini-mode and watch along - it has drama, but it also has the choice elements. It's been extremely well received by anyone who's looked at it or written about it or talked about it and the users love it. The functionality works. So, I'm extremely pleased on that.
"We're in the acquisition mode - our challenge as a business is to get it out in front of as many people as we can and get the software downloaded. We're only nine weeks in, so I have to learn to be patient!"
On Tuesday, the network provided Pipeline free to all users to showcase the product's coverage of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Payne called the day "a great success," adding that "90% of the comments from people emailing or hitting "your voice" [in the Pipeline player] were overwhelmingly positive so now we'll probably be doing more of those types of promotions."
Payne also revealed that CNN is exploring other ways to get Pipeline to consumers outside offering a download link on CNN.com.
"We're working on deals to bundle these assets together with other people selling both digital products and offline subscriptions. We're talking to the portals about bundling into their service and so forth. So we'll get some traction somewhere, that I'm certain of because anybody who sees it goes... "I gotta have that."
"It's Internet 2.0."
Read the full article HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 1:44 PM 
CNN.com to Add More Blogs When it Relaunches
In the second of 3 articles about upcoming changes to CNN.com Digital Spy speaks with CNN.com's senior vice president and general manager David Payne about blogs and the competitiveness compared to other major online news sites. Below are the highlights of this first take in the series:> "I'll first say it's been a great success," said Payne of the 360 blog. "It's been surprising; it's one more thing that we ask our talent to do, so that's always a challenge when you're asking them to do live shots and write stories, but this one has been really a surprising success. I was a little surprised at how passionate people are and willing to blog.
"We will continue these efforts; that's one thing - communicating with our talent and our producers - but the larger and more interesting thing is how will we relate to blogs outside our universe and we really believe at our core that being on the internet, being a good web citizen and finding content that people are interested in and linking to that content and not just doing your own blogs. Trying to create a 360 degree, to borrow Anderson's blog title, dialogue with users and bloggers. So we'll be doing more of that, particularly as we get in to redesigning and relaunching the website in the next year.
> I'll take the opportunity to correct the picture that we selectively draw our attention to. CNN.com by far dominates every news site including Yahoo, MSNBC and so forth in terms of gross usage minutes and share of online news," said Payne. "Reach is the other piece of it; I'm not clear - I come out of the TV world - why it is that we have this myopic focus on that one metric. It's very different from TV, where we look at ratings, not the cume, the equivalent of reach... So the interesting thing for me is that we look at ratings for TV but we don't look at time spent on the web."
Read the entire article HERE. And be watching the next few days for the rest.
# posted by ATN @ 12:42 PM
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
CNN Offers Oscar Coverage, Online Video Streams, Contest Across Networks
Source: CNN Press Release As Hollywood prepares to fete and award the top motion pictures and acting performances of the year, CNN Worldwide plans extensive coverage of the Academy Awards with live reports on its television networks, special online reports and video streams, an hour-long radio program and a special contest on CNN.com.
For Sunday, March 5, the day of the Academy Awards telecast, Headline News offers a special Oscar edition of Showbiz Tonight at 5:30 p.m. with host A.J. Hammer and correspondents Brooke Anderson and Sibila Vargas. The live coverage shifts over to CNN/U.S. at 6 p.m. with “Hollywood’s Gold Rush,” an Oscar red carpet preview also hosted by Anderson, Hammer and Vargas. The program will be simulcast on CNN International. All times Eastern.
Online, CNN.com offers a special online site at http://CNN.com/academyawards that features numerous articles, photo galleries, quizzes and a printable ballot. On Oscar night, the CNN.com staff will provide up-to-minute updates of the ceremony and a running tally of Oscar winners.
In addition to extensive coverage of the awards, CNN.com has launched “Inside the Envelope,” an online game that allows registered members of CNN.com to pick winners from this year’s nominees and earn a chance to win a home theater system including a 32-inch high definition LCD television. The winner will be determined from entrants making the most correct picks. The contest site, located at www.CNN.com/ITE, will be open for entry submissions until 5 p.m. on the day of the awards broadcast.
CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s commercial-free, on-demand video news service, plans to start its Academy Award coverage two live reports a day for both Thursday, March 2, and Friday, March 3. For Sunday, March 5, CNN Pipeline will offer live shots of red carpet arrivals, fashion reports and numerous backstage interviews conducted by Anderson, Hammers and Vargas. CNN Pipeline will offer a wrap-up package of Oscar footage for Monday, March 6.
CNNRadio will offer its affiliates a one-hour program about the latest changes in the movie industry, including innovations in technology and changes in movie release strategies. “The Future of the Box Office,” hosted by Hammer, airs Thursday, March 2, from 2-3 p.m. (ET)
For Sunday, March 5, the day of the Academy Awards telecast, Headline News offers a special Oscar edition of Showbiz Tonight at 5:30 p.m. with host A.J. Hammer and correspondents Brooke Anderson and Sibila Vargas. The live coverage shifts over to CNN/U.S. at 6 p.m. with “Hollywood’s Gold Rush,” an Oscar red carpet preview also hosted by Anderson, Hammer and Vargas. The program will be simulcast on CNN International. All times Eastern.
Online, CNN.com offers a special online site at http://CNN.com/academyawards that features numerous articles, photo galleries, quizzes and a printable ballot. On Oscar night, the CNN.com staff will provide up-to-minute updates of the ceremony and a running tally of Oscar winners.
In addition to extensive coverage of the awards, CNN.com has launched “Inside the Envelope,” an online game that allows registered members of CNN.com to pick winners from this year’s nominees and earn a chance to win a home theater system including a 32-inch high definition LCD television. The winner will be determined from entrants making the most correct picks. The contest site, located at www.CNN.com/ITE, will be open for entry submissions until 5 p.m. on the day of the awards broadcast.
CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s commercial-free, on-demand video news service, plans to start its Academy Award coverage two live reports a day for both Thursday, March 2, and Friday, March 3. For Sunday, March 5, CNN Pipeline will offer live shots of red carpet arrivals, fashion reports and numerous backstage interviews conducted by Anderson, Hammers and Vargas. CNN Pipeline will offer a wrap-up package of Oscar footage for Monday, March 6.
CNNRadio will offer its affiliates a one-hour program about the latest changes in the movie industry, including innovations in technology and changes in movie release strategies. “The Future of the Box Office,” hosted by Hammer, airs Thursday, March 2, from 2-3 p.m. (ET)
# posted by ATN @ 5:45 PM
February Ratings Highlights
I know I'm a day late posting this BUT here we go:
> CNN Gains Audience Across The Board in February 2006 (FNC Declines in P25-54)
> CNN Posts Double Digit Growth Nearly Every Hour From 3 p.m. On
> Lou Dobbs Tonight Up 55% in P2+ and 34% in P25-54; Anderson Cooper 360 10p-12m Up 32% in P2+ and 39% in P25-54; and Situation Room at 7 p.m. UP 31% in P2+ and 9% in P25-54
> Headline News Has Doubled Its Primetime Audience Since New Lineup Launched: P2+ Up 101%, P25-54 Up 80%
> HLN Nancy Grace Celebrates Its First Year On Air (2/21/05-2/17/06) Nearly Tripling Audience Versus Prior Year
> FNC is Only Network to Decline in P25-54 in February--Down 22 out of 24 Hours:
> Headline News Doubles its Primetime Audience in First Year of New Lineup.
> Headline News Mon-Fri 8-11p posted audience gains of 101% in P2+ (from 211k to 424k) and 80% in P25-54 (from 84k to 151k) in the first year of the new Primetime lineup (02/21/05-02/17/06 vs. 02/23/04-02/18/05).
> Nancy Grace Nearly Triples Viewers in First Year.
> Nancy Grace 8-9p posted audience gains of 180% in P2+ (from 216k to 605k) and 124% in P25-54 (from 82k to 184k) in the program’s first year (02/21/05-02/17/06 vs. 02/23/04-02/18/05).
> February Cume:
P2+ CNN: 58,063,000 FNC: 51,755,000 MSNBC: 51,557,000
P25-54 CNN: 27,199,000 MSNBC: 25,666,000 FNC: 22,669,000
> CNN Gains Audience Across The Board in February 2006 (FNC Declines in P25-54)
> CNN Posts Double Digit Growth Nearly Every Hour From 3 p.m. On
> Lou Dobbs Tonight Up 55% in P2+ and 34% in P25-54; Anderson Cooper 360 10p-12m Up 32% in P2+ and 39% in P25-54; and Situation Room at 7 p.m. UP 31% in P2+ and 9% in P25-54
> Headline News Has Doubled Its Primetime Audience Since New Lineup Launched: P2+ Up 101%, P25-54 Up 80%
> HLN Nancy Grace Celebrates Its First Year On Air (2/21/05-2/17/06) Nearly Tripling Audience Versus Prior Year
> FNC is Only Network to Decline in P25-54 in February--Down 22 out of 24 Hours:
> Headline News Doubles its Primetime Audience in First Year of New Lineup.
> Headline News Mon-Fri 8-11p posted audience gains of 101% in P2+ (from 211k to 424k) and 80% in P25-54 (from 84k to 151k) in the first year of the new Primetime lineup (02/21/05-02/17/06 vs. 02/23/04-02/18/05).
> Nancy Grace Nearly Triples Viewers in First Year.
> Nancy Grace 8-9p posted audience gains of 180% in P2+ (from 216k to 605k) and 124% in P25-54 (from 82k to 184k) in the program’s first year (02/21/05-02/17/06 vs. 02/23/04-02/18/05).
> February Cume:
P2+ CNN: 58,063,000 FNC: 51,755,000 MSNBC: 51,557,000
P25-54 CNN: 27,199,000 MSNBC: 25,666,000 FNC: 22,669,000
# posted by ATN @ 5:42 PM
CNN Gets New Met
Source: CNN Press Release Reynolds Wolf, a veteran weathercaster and meteorologist with experience across the United States, will join CNN’s weather team, it was announced today by Susan Bunda, senior vice president of news of CNN/U.S. Wolf’s new assignment with the cable news network will begin Monday, March 6.“In terms of weather, Reynolds has seen it all: Hurricanes in Florida, blizzards in Michigan, windstorms in the heartland and thunderstorms in the Deep South,” Bunda said. “We’re pleased that he can join our expert weather team and report on all of those weather conditions on one network.”
“Providing local weather reports for stations across the country offers considerable enjoyment and challenges for any weathercaster,” Wolf said. “But covering weather all over the United States for a nationwide audience takes such opportunities to an entirely different level. I’m thrilled to be joining CNN’s weather team.”
Wolf comes to CNN from KMOV in St. Louis, where he served as part of the CBS affiliate’s weather team since 2005. He has also served as a weathercaster for WKMG in Orlando, Fla.; WDIV in Detroit; KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas; and KSBY-TV in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Wolf began his weather career at WISU-TV in Anniston, Ala.
Wolf is a graduate of Jacksonville State University in Alabama and has taken courses in meteorology and climatology at Mississippi State University. He is also an associate member of the American Meteorology Society and the National Weather Association.
# posted by ATN @ 5:36 PM
Monday, February 27, 2006
CNNRadio Goes to the Movies with Special Program for Affiliates
Source: CNN Press Release With the Academy Awards airing on Sunday, March 5, CNNRadio will offer its affiliates a special one-hour program about the latest changes in the motion picture industry, including innovations in technology and changes in movie release strategies.“The Future of the Box Office” hosted by Headline News’ Showbiz Tonight anchor A.J. Hammer, airs Thursday, March 2, from 2-3 p.m. (ET). Hammer makes his CNNRadio debut in this show produced by CNNRadio supervising producer Sherri Maksin.
The simultaneous release of the motion picture Bubble in theaters, on DVD and on some HDTV networks offers consumers a choice in how, when and where they want to experience this first-run movie. The CNNRadio program explores the effects of this release strategy on thousands of movie theaters around the country. John Fithian, president of the National Theater Owners Association, explains why he thinks simultaneous releases spell bad news for theaters, while the program examines some inventive ways theater owners are luring movie-goers back into the seats.
In addition to simultaneous releases, the development of HD-DVD’s, VOD and Blu-ray, a new format that offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVD’s, could lead to a monumental change in the movie business. Industry insiders will talk about how Hollywood is adapting to changing distribution methods of movies and what the public needs to know.
CNNRadio long-form programs are now available for podcasting on CNN.com. To listen to CNN’s podcast offerings, please visit: http://www.cnn.com/services/podcasting/. Additionally, CNNRadio programming, including long-form programs, can be heard streamed for the Web on the CNN.com home page.
# posted by ATN @ 11:55 AM
Cafferty Tells It Like It Is
This from today's DC Post. Howard Kurtz writes: "Jack Cafferty, CNN's resident curmudgeon, is drawing some flak for his rhetorical bombshells.In a typical rant, Cafferty, a New York local anchor for two decades who now delivers his short bursts on "The Situation Room," said of the Bush administration: "Who cares if the Patriot Act gets renewed? Want to abuse our civil liberties -- just do it! Who cares about the Geneva conventions? Want to torture prisoners -- just do it! Who cares about rules concerning the identity of CIA agents? Want to reveal the name of a covert operative -- just do it!"
Before any legal charges were brought against Tom DeLay, Cafferty said of the Texas congressman: "Has he been indicted yet?" He told Wolf Blitzer that if presidential adviser Karl Rove is indicted, "he might want to get measured for one of those extra large orange jumpsuits, Wolf, 'cause looking at old Karl, I'm not sure that they'd be able to zip him into the regular size one."
And when Dick Cheney, after his hunting accident, granted an interview to Fox's Brit Hume, Cafferty said it "didn't exactly represent a profile in courage for the vice president to wander over there to the F-word network." ("Get your mind out of the gutter," he says now. "The F-word is Fox.")
Responds Fox spokeswoman Irena Briganti: "Jack is about as unstable as CNN's programming lineup -- nobody pays much attention to his incoherent ramblings."
Cafferty's cutting remarks have made him a hero to some on the left. Liberal radio host Cenk Uygur called for Cafferty to get his own prime-time show, saying on http://HuffingtonPost.com that "he is a rare truth-teller on cable news." But Tim Graham of the conservative Media Research Center writes that Cafferty "has created a little career as a gruff anti-Bush commentator" in "an attempt to be the anti-Bill O'Reilly."
Cafferty disagrees, saying he was often accused of being "a Nazi and a right-winger" when he initially supported the administration's war effort. "I certainly don't picture myself as an apologist for one side of the political spectrum or another," he says. "When I see something that aggravates me or doesn't make sense or seems strange in some way, I express that."
He also picks on liberals: When Ramsey Clark, a former U.S. attorney general, turned up as Saddam Hussein's lawyer, Cafferty said: "What is wrong with this moron? . . . Why doesn't he just go live in Baghdad?"
Cafferty, 62, who invites viewer e-mail that he reads on the air, seems adept at pushing buttons. When he accused the administration of "arrogance" last week for approving a Dubai company to operate six U.S. ports, he got more than 5,000 letters in three hours.
"It doesn't matter what you say," he insists, "you're going to [tick] someone off.""
# posted by ATN @ 11:51 AM
Costello Profiled
CNN news anchor Carol Costello is profiled in this article in the Akron Beacon Journal. Below are some highlights:Q: What has been the most difficult assignment you've had in journalism?
A: Anchoring our CNN coverage of the Iraq war.
Q: What does your new job as anchor for CNN Worldwide entail?
A: Learning. Studying. Discovering. Traveling. Excitement.
Q: Do you ever miss doing local TV?
A: Yes. I miss being ``closer'' to our viewers, I miss talking to my immediate neighbors.
# posted by ATN @ 11:10 AM
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Middle East Airlines Partners with CNN to Offer New In-Flight Programming
Source: AME Info Royal Jordanian is the first airline in the Middle East to introduce CNN channel in its in-flight entertainment system and the first airline in the region to offer the monthly feature program, 'Inside the Middle East' to its passengers. Further CNN co-branded channels will also be on offer, adding to the range of news and information offered to international air travelers.
The service includes a range of CNN's feature programs, ranging from those covering technology and the environment to lifestyle and design programs. A CNN anchor introduces the shows on offer with a personalized greeting. The total line-up on offer to Royal Jordanian passengers will be a selection of programs that includes 'Inside the Middle East', 'CNN Business Traveller', 'Global Office', 'Global Challenges', 'Design 360' and the latest addition to CNN's feature programs, 'Art of Life'.
'We are delighted to add Royal Jordanian Airlines to our growing number of in-flight clients,' said Phil Lawrie, Vice President Commercial Distribution and Digital Media Sales.
The service includes a range of CNN's feature programs, ranging from those covering technology and the environment to lifestyle and design programs. A CNN anchor introduces the shows on offer with a personalized greeting. The total line-up on offer to Royal Jordanian passengers will be a selection of programs that includes 'Inside the Middle East', 'CNN Business Traveller', 'Global Office', 'Global Challenges', 'Design 360' and the latest addition to CNN's feature programs, 'Art of Life'.
'We are delighted to add Royal Jordanian Airlines to our growing number of in-flight clients,' said Phil Lawrie, Vice President Commercial Distribution and Digital Media Sales.
# posted by ATN @ 8:45 PM
