Saturday, February 24, 2007
CNN Journalist Robbed
Source: News 24.com A journalist from the international television news service, CNN, and his wife were robbed at gunpoint outside the network's offices in Auckland Park in Johannesburg early on Saturday, said CNN.CNN spokesperson Susanna Flood said from London that CNN Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange and his wife were robbed by four armed young men who took personal items and television equipment from them.
Neither was physically harmed.
"CNN's first concern is for the safety of Jeff and his wife and additional security measures have been put in place," said Flood.
She said the incident was being investigated by police and CNN.
Koinange was not working on an assignment when the robbery took place.
# posted by ATN @ 3:09 PM 
Friday, February 23, 2007
CNN Fights Back
Today, CNN has devoted a full day of live reports on some of the most common customer complaints that make your blood boil. “Fight Back Friday” takes an in-depth look at those issues and gives specific advice to help you fight back against lousy service. "Fight Back Friday" examines many different customer complaints from lousy cell phone service to getting ripped off by a home contractor or car mechanic. Resulting from the service meltdown at JetBlue last week, CNN examines ways in which we feel frustrated by how we're treated by businesses sometimes, the lack of customer service, and what we can do to fight back. Ali Velshi is tackling cell phones service issues, Gerri Willis is taking a look at home repairs and Greg Hunter tells us how to avoid being ripped off when you're taking your car in for service.
# posted by ATN @ 9:05 PM
CNN/U.S. Offers Live Preview, After Party for Academy Award Coverage
Source: CNN Press Release As Hollywood prepares to fete and award the top motion pictures and acting performances of the year, CNN/U.S. plans extensive coverage of the 79th annual Academy Awards with a live preview from Oscar’s red carpet as well as an “after party” at the midnight hour to recap the night’s winners and also-rans, fashion mishaps and ceremony highlights.The network’s extensive coverage begins at 7 p.m. with “Hollywood’s Gold Rush,” an hour-long Oscar preview hosted by Brooke Anderson, A.J. Hammer and Sibila Vargas. For the special, Vargas traveled to Chicago to visit with nominee Jennifer Hudson of Dreamgirls and Chris Gardner, the inspiration of Will Smith’s nominated role in The Pursuit of Happyness. Anderson discusses how the Oscar-nominated documentary An Inconvenient Truth influenced the global warming debate.
At 10 p.m. on CNN Newsroom, viewers will find out why Mary Wilson of the Supremes does not like the movie Dreamgirls, based in part on the 1960s Motown girl group, and will her sing at Blues Alley in Washington D.C. CNN/U.S. concludes its Oscar coverage at midnight with “Hollywood’s After-Party,” an hour-long program hosted by Anderson, Hammer and Vargas reviewing the night’s events.For the evening, CNN’s other networks and services will provide several unique viewing opportunities from Oscar’s red carpet. Headline News’ Showbiz Tonight will provide the only live entertainment news program broadcast from the ceremonies, and CNN Pipeline offers online users multiple live shots, reaction clips and interviews.
For the special edition of Showbiz Tonight airing that night from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Anderson, Hammer and Vargas put viewers in touch with Oscar’s first arrivals, a look at what could be the night’s biggest stories and interviews with Oscar nominees. Daphne Brodgon of the TV Guide channel; Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers and a long-time movie analyst; and Mike Fleeman and Leah Rozen of PEOPLE magazine will join the program for the evening.Showbiz Tonight returns live on Headline News at 11 p.m. with Oscar updates, reactions from winners and nominees and reports on the biggest surprises, the best and worst in fashion and other related news.
For Oscar weekend, CNN: Special Investigations Unit airs an updated edition of the documentary “Chasing Angelina,” which follows an action-packed day with paparazzi as they pursue Angelina Jolie. Rosie O’Donnell, E! entertainment correspondent Ted Casablanca, PEOPLE magazine managing editor Larry Hackett and power celebrity publicists discuss how celebrity is created and cultivated. Viewers learn the scoop behind the celebrity scoop for stars including Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. “Chasing Angelina” will air on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., and on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 2 a.m.
Online, CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s premium live video news service, will offer as many as four live streams of red carpet arrivals from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CNN Pipeline will also feature backstage reaction video and one-on-one interviews after the awards ceremony.
CNN.com’s special section on the Oscars appears at www.CNN.com/academyawards and includes pre-show and backstage video, an up-to-the-minute report of events and a blog from Todd Leopold, the site’s entertainment editor. Other elements for Oscar night include galleries of red carpet arrivals, winners and backstage events as well as a poll on which film should have won for best picture.As part of its in-depth coverage, CNN.com provides the online game “Inside the Envelope,” in which users pick winners from this year’s nominees to earn a chance to win a home theater system including a 42-inch high-definition, plasma, flat-screen television set and a one-year subscription to Netflix. The contest site, located at www.CNN.com/ITE, will be open for entry submissions until 5 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 25, the day of the show’s broadcast.
For CNN Radio, correspondent Jim Roope will be available for affiliate live shots throughout most of the weekend. On Oscar night, anchor Michelle Wright will provide one-minute special reports at :15 and :45 past the hour from 8:15 p.m. through the conclusion of the ceremony.
In addition to live coverage simulcast from CNN/U.S., CNN International will air a special program featuring Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond director Edward Zwick and documentary filmmaker Sorious Samura about the horrific circumstances in Sierra Leone during its diamond-fueled civil war in the 1990s. Also, Richard Quest for the program Quest for the Oscars goes to the Chicago factory that makes the golden figurines and talks to Oscar-winner Robert Redford about his career.
CNN en Español will air TNT Latin America’s Oscar pre-show at 7:30 a.m. for all of its feeds. CNN en Español anchor Ana María Montero will co-host an Oscar pre-show, which also airs on TNT Latin America, live from the red carpet.# posted by ATN @ 8:51 PM
Thursday, February 22, 2007
CNN.com Users Guess Movie Award Winners with ‘Inside the Envelope’
Source: CNN Press Release With less than a week to go before Oscar night, CNN.com offers film award prognosticators registered with the Web site a chance to guess the contents of the celebrated Academy Award® envelopes. Through the online game “Inside the Envelope,” users pick winners from this year’s nominees to earn a chance to win a home theater system including a 42-inch high-definition, plasma, flat-screen television set and a one-year subscription to Netflix.“Inside the Envelope” is part of CNN.com’s in-depth coverage of the Academy Awards®. The contest site, located at www.CNN.com/ITE, will be open for entry submissions until 5 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 25, the day of the show’s broadcast. “Academy Awards” and “Oscars" are registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.).
For the game, users fill out a ballot with their predictions in 14 major categories and their answers to two tie-breaker questions. The grand prize will be awarded to the player who correctly predicts the most winners. To play, visitors must register with CNN Member Services. Registration is free. Official rules are posted online.
# posted by ATN @ 10:08 PM
CNN Radio Maps ‘Road to Retirement’
Source: CNN Press Release CNN Radio offers listeners sound advice on getting ready financially for life after work in its latest long-form program, “Road to Retirement: Getting on Track.” Hosted by CNN senior business correspondent Ali Velshi, “Road to Retirement” will be available on Friday, Feb. 23, and will be produced by CNN Radio supervising producer Sherri Maksin.“From the day we enter the working world, we put ourselves on a pathway to retirement,” said Jerry DeMink, vice president of CNN News Services. “With this program, Ali and our guests examine the strategies our listeners should consider at various stages of their lives, making it clear that it’s never too early or too late to think to think about retirement.”
Velshi and CNN Radio interview a range of people from ages 30 through 60 to understand how they are preparing for retirement as well as financial planner Doug Flynn of Flynn Zito Capital Management who offers advice for each age group. The program also features a few retirees, including one who hikes full time and another who takes on part-time work for extra cash.
For the program, CNN Radio also talks with Laurence Kotlikoff, an economics professor from Boston University, who says Americans may actually be saving too much for retirement.
Velshi is CNN's senior business correspondent, based in New York. His “Minding Your Business” segment can be seen each morning on American Morning on CNN/U.S. Online users can listen to two weekly audio podcasts – “The Ali V Podcast” and “Minding Your Business” – and one weekly video podcast – “Show and Tell” – about technology and innovative gadgets. Velshi also reports for CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s premium live news video service.
“Road to Retirement: Getting on Track” also will be available on CNN.com’s podcasting page, which can be found at http://www.CNN.com/podcasting/. Additionally, CNN Radio programming, including long-form programs, are streamed for the Web on the CNN.com home page.
# posted by ATN @ 10:05 PM
Grace Tells Indiana State Students to do Something ‘Extraordinary’
Source: Terre Haute News With passion and through tears, Grace spoke to a packed house Tuesday night at Indiana State University’s Tilson Auditorium. Nearly 1,000 people attended the event.Grace talked about people’s responsibility to answer to a call of duty — to do the right thing when faced with a decision.
“Will the call come to you to do something extraordinary? Will you hear that call? Will you answer it? That call will come to you,” Grace said, “like it or not.”
Grace’s call came to her after the murder of her fiancé, Keith, she said. He was shot five times in the face, neck and back. Grace testified at his killer’s trial. Afterward, she remembered seeing Keith’s bloody clothes on the defense table.
She paused, she said, and looked into the eyes of the defendant and the defense attorney. Both, she said, dropped their heads after receiving her gaze.
She walked out of the courthouse and remembered hearing the sound of her cowboy boots hitting the floor as her life seemingly stopped.
“The world did keep going. The world did keep coming,” Grace said, as tears glistened and fell on her cheeks. “The only thing it changed — was me.” MORE
# posted by ATN @ 12:05 AM
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
CNN's New Dynamic Duo
At the end of Wednesday night's Larry King Live, Larry called John King and Kiran Chetry CNN's newest dynamic duo. The transition left King and Chetry both off guard it seemed and took a second for the two to recover and get the program going. The two have been paired up all this week. On Monday King was in the DC studio and then on Tuesday he joined Chetry in the 360 studio. I do have to say it's nice having 2 anchors rather than the regular solo anchor.UPDATE: Here's the trascript of the intro by Larry King: "And we invite you to stay tuned now for "AC 360," co-hosted tonight by Kiran Chetry and John King. And I believe they are both standing by. There they are! They have a new name now, the dynamic duo. John King and Kiran Chetry. It sounds sort of like a food. No, Chetry, sounds like a jelly. I like the name! OK, whatever. John, Kiran, go."
# posted by ATN @ 10:23 PM
Verjee Goes One on One with Secretary Condoleezza Rice
CNN State Department correspondent Zain Verjee is traveling with Secretary Condoleezza Rice and had an exclusive interview with her. Below is a portion of that interview, which aired on CNN’s The Situation Room. The complete interview can be found HERE.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We have a CNN exclusive for you.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying the U.S. will be happy to talk to Iran , but under one major condition. It's a critical condition.
Our State Department correspondent, Zain Verjee, got some details in an exclusive interview she did with the secretary earlier today in Berlin .
Zain joining us now live from Berlin -- Zane, update our viewers on what she said.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a message to Iran from the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice -- come out of the cold.
VERJEE (voice-over): Softening on another member of the so-called axis of evil -- Iran . Condoleezza Rice offered Iran an olive branch -- take us up on talks, any time, any place. But stop enriching uranium first.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We can talk about anything.
That's an offer that I would renew today. We have, in fact, even under these circumstances, we've cooperated some in Afghanistan and I think that was useful.
So there is a different path.
VERJEE: Rice was referring to Iranian support of the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan .
Since then, relations have gone sour. U.S. warships nearby in the Gulf, the U.S. is going after Iranian agents in Iraq and is now beefing up missile defense shields in Europe in case of Iranian attacks.
(on camera): Is there a danger that in this kind of atmosphere that -- and lack of direct communication, that there could be missteps on either side that could trigger an accidental war?
RICE: Let me just say here, publicly, the United States has no desire for confrontation with Iran . None.
VERJEE: This week's U.N. deadline for Iran to quit enriching uranium could ratchet up the war of words and lead to more sanctions. But Iran 's president defiantly insists Iran 's nuclear program is going ahead full steam.
Rice appeared to be signaling to Iran 's leaders, impatient with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that she hears them.
RICE: The option that we have is to continue to try to convince those who are reasonable in Iran that the course that they're on is destructive.
VERJEE: But, Wolf, if Iran proceeds with its nuclear program, Secretary Rice says the international community will continue to play hardball -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Zain Verjee, thanks very much.
Zain Verjee on the scene for us in Berlin with the secretary of state.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We have a CNN exclusive for you.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying the U.S. will be happy to talk to Iran , but under one major condition. It's a critical condition.
Our State Department correspondent, Zain Verjee, got some details in an exclusive interview she did with the secretary earlier today in Berlin .
Zain joining us now live from Berlin -- Zane, update our viewers on what she said.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a message to Iran from the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice -- come out of the cold.
VERJEE (voice-over): Softening on another member of the so-called axis of evil -- Iran . Condoleezza Rice offered Iran an olive branch -- take us up on talks, any time, any place. But stop enriching uranium first.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We can talk about anything.
That's an offer that I would renew today. We have, in fact, even under these circumstances, we've cooperated some in Afghanistan and I think that was useful.
So there is a different path.
VERJEE: Rice was referring to Iranian support of the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan .
Since then, relations have gone sour. U.S. warships nearby in the Gulf, the U.S. is going after Iranian agents in Iraq and is now beefing up missile defense shields in Europe in case of Iranian attacks.
(on camera): Is there a danger that in this kind of atmosphere that -- and lack of direct communication, that there could be missteps on either side that could trigger an accidental war?
RICE: Let me just say here, publicly, the United States has no desire for confrontation with Iran . None.
VERJEE: This week's U.N. deadline for Iran to quit enriching uranium could ratchet up the war of words and lead to more sanctions. But Iran 's president defiantly insists Iran 's nuclear program is going ahead full steam.
Rice appeared to be signaling to Iran 's leaders, impatient with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that she hears them.
RICE: The option that we have is to continue to try to convince those who are reasonable in Iran that the course that they're on is destructive.
VERJEE: But, Wolf, if Iran proceeds with its nuclear program, Secretary Rice says the international community will continue to play hardball -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Zain Verjee, thanks very much.
Zain Verjee on the scene for us in Berlin with the secretary of state.
# posted by ATN @ 6:39 PM
Another Day, More ANS Frenzy on Cable News
What a circus! Headline News and FNC have for the last hour been carrying live pictures froom outside and inside a Florida courtroom as people arrive for the second day of testimony in the Anna Nicole Smith hearings. On CNN though, it's business as usual. I don't understand why Headline News is carrying the nonsense though. CNN/US is directing viewers to CNN/PipeLine where the hearings are being carried.
# posted by ATN @ 9:58 AM
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Senior VP of PR Leaves CNN
Source: AJC vice president of public relations for CNN Worldwide, announced her resignation Tuesday."Working at CNN has made me better, stronger and smarter about a lot of things, including what I want out of work and life now," Goldberg said in an e-mail to staffers. She will take time off before seeking a new post.
Shirley Powell, who heads corporate communications for CNN parent Turner Broadcasting System, said in a note to staffers that the company is seeking a successor for Goldberg.
"She's now at a point, both professionally and personally, where she wants to make a change," Powell said. "Having been in that place a few times myself, I respect and support her decision."
Goldberg joined Turner in 1998.
# posted by ATN @ 5:00 PM
Legendary White House Correspondent Moves Back for Cable News?
The Politico says legendary United Press International correspondent Helen Thomas will be moving from her front row chair in the newly remodeled White House briefing room. The article says Thomas will be moving to the second row when the spiffied up briefing room is opened back up for reporters in May or June. Who will occupy the chair.....The Politico says CNN and FNC have expressed an interest in moving up to the front row. The Politico says, "The old briefing room had eight rows of six seats across. The new one will have seven rows of seven seats, so the departure of Thomas would mean two more front-row spots."# posted by ATN @ 3:56 PM
Former CNN/US Head Says if He Could doit Over , He Would Fight Back Against FNC
Pretty interesting, the only part of this Associated Press article I've seen on other blogs is the part about FNC's proposed 'business' channel. I found the last part of the article rather interesting where former CNN boss Rick Kaplan says he would have fought back at FNC over the name calling and such:"Rick Kaplan, who ran CNN from 1996 to 2000, wasn't much concerned back then, either. Why worry about snide references to the Clinton News Network or a Fox slogan like "fair and balanced," with the inference that CNN wasn't? Fox's ratings were so negligible it didn't matter.
"I thought that people were not going to buy the argument," Kaplan said. CNN didn't bother responding.
Yet Fox caught on with an audience that believed the slogans. Partly it was because there was a ring of truth, Kaplan said. Not that CNN was partisan, but mainstream news organizations may not have been sensitive enough to other points of view, he said. President Clinton's impeachment troubles galvanized what became Fox's audience, he said.
What should CNN have done? "I'm not sure," he said. "Maybe fight back harder and not just show disdain for Fox News Channel and the noise that was coming out of Fox and their advertising campaigns."
# posted by ATN @ 1:29 PM
Has CNN/US Had Enough of ANS?
It may bring in the viewers but it seems CNN/US has cut its coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith saga. While Headline News and FNC carried the wall to wall coverage from inside of the courtroom, CNN/US continued with other news including the kidnapping and release of three American women in the West Bank. It was mentioned on CNN/US, if one wanted to see the courtroom drama, they could find it streamed on CNN PipeLine. To me it seems like a good call.
# posted by ATN @ 1:15 PM
Time Warner/NBC Universal Marriage?
There's an interesting bit today in an interview with NBC Universal Head Bob Wright about a possible marriage of Time Warner, CNN's parent company, and NBC Universal, MSNBC's parent company. Below is an excerpt from the interview in Fortune:
"In an exclusive interview with Tim Arango, he raised another interesting scenario: Early next year Time Warner (Charts) can separate its cable business from its content businesses without incurring a large tax liability - an event, he says, that could spur efforts to combine NBC Universal and Time Warner, parent of Fortune's publisher. "It would be a great combination," he says. Following are other excerpts from their conversation."
"In an exclusive interview with Tim Arango, he raised another interesting scenario: Early next year Time Warner (Charts) can separate its cable business from its content businesses without incurring a large tax liability - an event, he says, that could spur efforts to combine NBC Universal and Time Warner, parent of Fortune's publisher. "It would be a great combination," he says. Following are other excerpts from their conversation."
# posted by ATN @ 12:36 PM
Sunday, February 18, 2007
The Cable News Anchor Tug of War
From reading all the other blogs and articles about firing from fnc to the hiring at CNN for Kiran Chetry, this situation seems to be alot like the time Paula Zahn was 'caught' talking to CNN then fired from FNC. Seems to me FNC wasn't happy with Chetry talking to anyone else, much less CNN. Here's an article about her hiring from the New York Times:"The subject of the latest dust-up between the bitter rivals Fox News and CNN is a little-known anchor named Kiran Chetry, who went last week from being hotly pursued by both networks to being cut loose by Fox, to immediately being hired by CNN, which had her anchoring two newscasts within a day.
The recriminations followed. Fox News, a division of the News Corporation, accused Ms. Chetry’s agent, John Ferriter, of unethical behavior, saying he had demanded that Fox fire its morning news anchor; he vehemently denied the charge. And CNN, a unit of Time Warner, declared itself thrilled to have won from Fox a talent whom the top CNN executive, Jonathan Klein, compared to Katie Couric.
The fast-moving action took place Thursday and Friday. After Ms. Chetry, who had worked mainly as a weekend morning anchor for Fox News, got an offer from CNN, Fox seemed to have simply cut her loose. Fox’s lawyer, Dianne Brandi, sent a letter to Mr. Ferriter saying the network was no longer “interested in matching any prospective offers” for Ms. Chetry.
The letter, which turned up on the Internet blog TV Newser on Thursday night, also made reference to an “unprofessional demand” that would have been “detrimental to other Fox News talent.”
That demand, according to Fox News executives, was that Fox fire its morning anchor, Gretchen Carlson, to make room for Ms. Chetry. Mr. Ferriter denounced the charge as “absolutely false.”
Mr. Klein of CNN said he had been amazed at the sudden chance to land Ms. Chetry, whose talents he praised as highly valued in television news. “She can be very natural, while also conveying authority,” Mr. Klein said. “Katie Couric has that.”
CNN made a handshake deal with Ms. Chetry Thursday night; she was on its morning news show Friday and sat in as a substitute anchor on Anderson Cooper’s show Friday night. "
# posted by ATN @ 10:25 PM
CNN/I's Cramer Making Post Retirement Plans
As announced last month, CNN/I Head Chris Cramer will be retiring effective at the end of March. In an article in the UK's The Independent, Cramer says he plans to take his newsgathering skills online:"His post-Chattahoochee vision goes like this. He would like to use his extensive experience in setting up newsgathering structures and launching new channels to create a new online service at modest cost that would bring together "tantalising" news, information and documentaries. "I think it is possible to have comprehensive coverage of the world these days using cellphone technology. The other half of that dream career is how we square the circle of user-generated content and conventional journalism." Such a dream would need financial backing, or involve working with an established player with a trusted brand which wanted to expand online."
Read the entire article HERE. The article details Cramer's career in the news biz.
# posted by ATN @ 8:06 PM
