Saturday, March 03, 2007
TBS Contemplating Move of Some CNN and CNN en Espanol Operations Move to Argentina
An article from Varity reports Turner Broadcasting will be establishing an operations base in Buenos Aires. Below is a portion of the article:
Turner Broadcasting System has chosen Buenos Aires as its third international base to tap Argentina's low costs, strong talent and production houses.
TBS also will step up production and content development in Argentina, TBS chairman and CEO Philip I. Kent said after meeting Argentine President Nestor Kirchner in Buenos Aires.
Over the next two years, Atlanta-based TBS will assemble 700 staffers in Buenos Aires to program and transmit 48 pay channels and handle production of broadband, digital and mobile content as well as interactive games for distribution to Latin America and elsewhere, Kent said. The Buenos Aires office employs 200.
TBS already has bases in Hong Kong and London.
"While CNN and CNN en Espanol will continue in Atlanta, we are thinking of moving the technical and creative parts" to Argentina, Kent says.
TBS feevees include Boomerang, Cartoon Network, TNT and TCM Classic Hollywood, which are beamed to 85 million households in the region.
Turner Broadcasting System has chosen Buenos Aires as its third international base to tap Argentina's low costs, strong talent and production houses.
TBS also will step up production and content development in Argentina, TBS chairman and CEO Philip I. Kent said after meeting Argentine President Nestor Kirchner in Buenos Aires.
Over the next two years, Atlanta-based TBS will assemble 700 staffers in Buenos Aires to program and transmit 48 pay channels and handle production of broadband, digital and mobile content as well as interactive games for distribution to Latin America and elsewhere, Kent said. The Buenos Aires office employs 200.
TBS already has bases in Hong Kong and London.
"While CNN and CNN en Espanol will continue in Atlanta, we are thinking of moving the technical and creative parts" to Argentina, Kent says.
TBS feevees include Boomerang, Cartoon Network, TNT and TCM Classic Hollywood, which are beamed to 85 million households in the region.
# posted by ATN @ 10:03 PM 
Gupta Answering The Call LIVE
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta anchored a LIVE edition of House Call Saturday morning. The usual pre-recorded program was LIVE covering the medical side of the many tragedies of the past week. Gupta was LIVE at the hospital in Atlanta where the victims of the bus accident are being treated for, Miles O'brien was LIVE in Enterprise, Alabama where a deadly twister touched down and Alan Chernoff was LIVE in Americus, Georgia damaged the towns only hospital.# posted by ATN @ 8:45 AM
Friday, March 02, 2007
CNN Anchor Rolls Up Sleeves, Covers Bus Accident in Atlanta
CNN’s Don Lemon reported live from the scene of a devastating charter bus accident this morning in Atlanta in which as many as six people were killed. A bus transporting a baseball team from Bluffton College in Ohio drove off an overpass before landing on its side on Interstate 75. Also, CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta was called into Grady Hospital , where the injured were taken and where he is a doctor. CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin reports with medical updates from outside the hospital in Atlanta .# posted by ATN @ 2:54 PM
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Covers Aftermath of Alabama Twister
As reported earlier today, CNN Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre was on the phone with CNN anchors when tornado sirens were sounding in Fort Rucker, Alabama. McIntyre was at Fort Rucker working on a special story at the base. The deadly twister hit Enterprise, Alabama, just 5 miles from Fort Rucker. McIntyre stated on tonight's Larry King Live that when they heard of the devastation just down the road from them they immediately headed to the scene. McIntyre had this to say about how he first reacted to the devastation on Thursday night's edition of Paula Zahn Now:
MCINTYRE: Well, you know, you're absolutely right, Paula.
And I'm -- you know, I'm the senior Pentagon correspondent. I was actually down here at Fort Rucker, doing a story about helicopter training, just five miles down the road. So, when I came upon the scene, I was totally shocked by how devastating it was.
And I thought maybe it's just because I haven't covered these storms recently, but I ran into our colleague, my former -- my fellow reporter for CNN, Sean Callebs, who has covered a lot of these. And even he was saying that the -- it was unusual for the devastation to be so widespread.
Really, I don't think anybody could have predicted the impact that this storm was going to have on this small, tight-knit community in southeastern Alabama -- Paula.
MCINTYRE: Well, you know, you're absolutely right, Paula.
And I'm -- you know, I'm the senior Pentagon correspondent. I was actually down here at Fort Rucker, doing a story about helicopter training, just five miles down the road. So, when I came upon the scene, I was totally shocked by how devastating it was.
And I thought maybe it's just because I haven't covered these storms recently, but I ran into our colleague, my former -- my fellow reporter for CNN, Sean Callebs, who has covered a lot of these. And even he was saying that the -- it was unusual for the devastation to be so widespread.
Really, I don't think anybody could have predicted the impact that this storm was going to have on this small, tight-knit community in southeastern Alabama -- Paula.
# posted by ATN @ 12:01 AM
Thursday, March 01, 2007
CNN Covers Today's Stormy Weather
Storms are marching much of the eastern United States today and CNN has turned into The Weather Channel. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has been reporting LIVE from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, Chad Myers was on the air until around 2pm ET along with Dave Hennon(sp?). At 2pm ET Reynolds Wolf took over the reigns of the CNN weather center. At around 2:10pm ET, CNN went to a LIVE report from Jamie McIntyre at Fort Rucker, Alabama, working on a special project there, and did a phone in while tornado sirens whaled in the background.
# posted by ATN @ 2:08 PM
Pentagon Tells Troops at Walter Reed to Keep Quiet; Shuts Down CNN and Discovery Channel Projects
What are they hidin?...Hmmmmmmmm
Source: Army Times Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.
“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training.
Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.
They were also told they would be moving out of Building 18 to Building 14 within the next couple of weeks. Building 14 is a barracks that houses the administrative offices for the Medical Hold Unit and was renovated in 2006. It’s also located on the Walter Reed Campus, where reporters must be escorted by public affairs personnel. Building 18 is located just off campus and is easy to access.
The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Army public affairs did not respond to a request sent Sunday evening to verify the personnel changes.
The Pentagon also clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.
Source: Army Times Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.
“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training.
Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.
They were also told they would be moving out of Building 18 to Building 14 within the next couple of weeks. Building 14 is a barracks that houses the administrative offices for the Medical Hold Unit and was renovated in 2006. It’s also located on the Walter Reed Campus, where reporters must be escorted by public affairs personnel. Building 18 is located just off campus and is easy to access.
The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Army public affairs did not respond to a request sent Sunday evening to verify the personnel changes.
The Pentagon also clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.
# posted by ATN @ 8:41 AM
CNN Tracking Severe Storms Overnight
CNN seems to be prepared to provide weather updates thoughout the night/early Thursday morning as severe weather developments in Kansas and Missouri. At the top of the midnight hour (ET) Karen McGinnis was on duty and on the air providing a quick update on the progress of the storms as they continue to develop.
# posted by ATN @ 12:02 AM
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
ANS, Politics and Iraq War Bring the Viewers to Cable News
From MediaWeek:
February was kind to all of the cable news nets, which rode the Blondes in Crisis wave––not to mention the ongoing Iraq war crisis and the Clinton/Obama skirmish––to across-the-board ratings increases. Through Feb. 25, CNN grew its total audience by 19 percent to 783,000, while raising its news demo by 29 percent (246,000). Meanwhile, MSNBC was up 33 percent in total viewers (475,000), and raised its standing among adults 25-54 by 25 percent (191,000). Headline News upped its audience by 22 percent, averaging 422,000 prime time viewers, while raising its share of the demo by 39 percent to 170,000, and CNBC soared 66 percent to 272,000, while elevating its A25-54 number by 44 percent (117,000).
FNC’s On the Record with Greta Van Susteren showed the highest rate of growth among individual news programs through last Friday, upping its delivery of adults 25-54 by 48 percent to 438,000.
February was kind to all of the cable news nets, which rode the Blondes in Crisis wave––not to mention the ongoing Iraq war crisis and the Clinton/Obama skirmish––to across-the-board ratings increases. Through Feb. 25, CNN grew its total audience by 19 percent to 783,000, while raising its news demo by 29 percent (246,000). Meanwhile, MSNBC was up 33 percent in total viewers (475,000), and raised its standing among adults 25-54 by 25 percent (191,000). Headline News upped its audience by 22 percent, averaging 422,000 prime time viewers, while raising its share of the demo by 39 percent to 170,000, and CNBC soared 66 percent to 272,000, while elevating its A25-54 number by 44 percent (117,000).
FNC’s On the Record with Greta Van Susteren showed the highest rate of growth among individual news programs through last Friday, upping its delivery of adults 25-54 by 48 percent to 438,000.
# posted by ATN @ 10:18 PM
LK Wants Your Fingers to do the Talkin'
Larry King started a new feature this week, conducting text messaging polls. Each night at the end of the program a new poll begins. Viewers vote by texting either KINGA for yest or KINGB for no, to CNNTV(26688).
# posted by ATN @ 10:02 PM
LKL To Be Bob Woodruff's First LIVE PrimeTime Interview Thursday
ABC's Bob Woodruff will be the guest Thursday night on Larry King Live. This will be his first LIVE primetime interview after nearly being killed while on assignment in Iraq nearly a year ago.
# posted by ATN @ 8:02 PM
Col. Pat Lang: "The planning for the operation [against Iran], I think, is well advanced."
On today's edition of CNN's "The Situation Room," retired U.S. Army Colonel Pat Lang, former chief of Middle East intelligence at the Pentagon, spoke about talk of U.S. government plans for a strike against Iran. Below is an excerpt:
On White House plans to attack Iran
LANG: There is intensive planning for how you would execute an operation against the Iranians going on in the military, in response to a direction by the president.
These are contingency plans and when they say -- when the White House says that we do not plan to attack Iran, what they really mean is that they haven't made a decision. But the planning for the operation, I think, is well advanced.
On whether top military officials would resign if given an order to attack Iran
BLITZER: You think top U.S. generals would actually resign rather than go forward and implement a decision like this?
LANG: I think the issue is certainly on their minds. It is, yes.
BLITZER: And what -- tell me why they would be so concerned.
LANG: Because, in fact, this is -- the United States, as everyone know, is vastly overextended. And we have a great many more issues to take care of in other parts of the world involving the jihadi international terrorists and things of that kind. And we really can't afford another war.
On the White House response
BLITZER: Here is what the Pentagon said the other day, even in anticipation of the Seymour Hersh article in "The New Yorker": "The United States is not planning to go to war with Iran. To suggest anything to the contrary is simply wrong, misleading and mischievous."
LANG: Well, I think that's the prudent thing for them to say. It's what I would expect for them to say. And as I said, what it indicates is the fact that when they said we're not planning to go to war, it means we have no intention at this time to launch an operation. It doesn't mean the plans aren't being made or haven't been made.
On White House plans to attack Iran
LANG: There is intensive planning for how you would execute an operation against the Iranians going on in the military, in response to a direction by the president.
These are contingency plans and when they say -- when the White House says that we do not plan to attack Iran, what they really mean is that they haven't made a decision. But the planning for the operation, I think, is well advanced.
On whether top military officials would resign if given an order to attack Iran
BLITZER: You think top U.S. generals would actually resign rather than go forward and implement a decision like this?
LANG: I think the issue is certainly on their minds. It is, yes.
BLITZER: And what -- tell me why they would be so concerned.
LANG: Because, in fact, this is -- the United States, as everyone know, is vastly overextended. And we have a great many more issues to take care of in other parts of the world involving the jihadi international terrorists and things of that kind. And we really can't afford another war.
On the White House response
BLITZER: Here is what the Pentagon said the other day, even in anticipation of the Seymour Hersh article in "The New Yorker": "The United States is not planning to go to war with Iran. To suggest anything to the contrary is simply wrong, misleading and mischievous."
LANG: Well, I think that's the prudent thing for them to say. It's what I would expect for them to say. And as I said, what it indicates is the fact that when they said we're not planning to go to war, it means we have no intention at this time to launch an operation. It doesn't mean the plans aren't being made or haven't been made.
# posted by ATN @ 6:51 PM
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
FNC Host Slams Cooper AGAIN Right Along With Other "Far Lefters"
Let's see FNC's O'reilly is picking fights with NBC, a host at MSNBC....heck who ain't he pickin' a fight with. Anyway, it must be in the water as FNC's John Gibson see's to it to keep on bringing up Anderson Cooper on his FNC circus act. Last week Gibson called Cooper snobbish because he was runnin' with Anna Nicole Smith all night, every night, and now he repeats it after Think Progress.org 'attacked' him. I think Gibson is still sore that MSNBC beat him in the ratings one day last week. Anyhow in his "My Word" segment Monday, Gibson once again attacked CNN and AC for wanting to cover other news (including the Iraq war) instead of ANS:
I was criticizing an anchor on another network for his snobby attitude toward anyone. Anyone out there in the audience watching tv who wanted to see Anna Nicole coverage. He said, “I just wanted to scream at them, ‘There’s a war on, there’s a war on, there’s a war on.’”
Well, first, we know there’s a war on. I’ve personally spent hundreds of hours of tv and radio discussing the war.
Secondly, we know the mainstream media represented by this particular anchor guy would like to do whatever they can to make sure the war isn’t successful, that it is always viewed as a failure.
My point was something else. That in my many years of doing the news on tv and radio, I’ve often found myself saying, “Oh, I don’t want to do this story,” because I’ve thought there’s something more important that day, like the anchor guy I was criticizing, and I have found that was always a mistake.
It is news snobbism, by definition. The war is a fine thing to cover. Not my intention to say it’s not. The point I was making is that sometimes, people might want a break from the war, to watch the drama in a story like Anna Nicole, and who am I, or who is news person, to say, “No. I don’t want to do it because it’s beneath me.”
I was criticizing an anchor on another network for his snobby attitude toward anyone. Anyone out there in the audience watching tv who wanted to see Anna Nicole coverage. He said, “I just wanted to scream at them, ‘There’s a war on, there’s a war on, there’s a war on.’”
Well, first, we know there’s a war on. I’ve personally spent hundreds of hours of tv and radio discussing the war.
Secondly, we know the mainstream media represented by this particular anchor guy would like to do whatever they can to make sure the war isn’t successful, that it is always viewed as a failure.
My point was something else. That in my many years of doing the news on tv and radio, I’ve often found myself saying, “Oh, I don’t want to do this story,” because I’ve thought there’s something more important that day, like the anchor guy I was criticizing, and I have found that was always a mistake.
It is news snobbism, by definition. The war is a fine thing to cover. Not my intention to say it’s not. The point I was making is that sometimes, people might want a break from the war, to watch the drama in a story like Anna Nicole, and who am I, or who is news person, to say, “No. I don’t want to do it because it’s beneath me.”
# posted by ATN @ 8:31 PM
CNN and HLN Post Gains in February
February's numbers are in and here's a summary:
> CNN and HLN outpace the cable news competition with the most growth in the advertiser demo this month. All CNN programs post double digit growth in the demo. CNN’s total day gain of 47% doubles the growth of FNC and MSNBC in P25-54. In M-Su Prime, CNN and HLN again post greater growth than FNC and MSNBC with HLN topping the competition with a 39% increase over prior year—the highest gain of any network.
> CNN shows The Situation Room and Lou Dobbs Tonight benefited from exclusive interviews and hard-hitting news. The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer posted double digit gains in the P25-54 demo, more than double the growth of FNC or MSNBC at 5p or 7p. Lou Dobbs Tonight posted a 54% gain in the demo and 27% in total viewers, while MSNBC and FNC were down or unable to grow their audiences as much during that hour in the demo.
Several Headline News programs scored their best deliveries to date including Showbiz Tonight, which posted triple digit gains (128% in P2+ and 132% in P25-54), the most of any cable news show. At 6p, Prime News with Erica Hill also had a record-breaking month with triple digit gains in both demos (120% in P2+ and 110% in P25-54). Up against MSNBC’s 10-12M Doc Block, Headline News was on top among both total viewers and the demo (406k vs. 344K) and (198k vs. 163k), making the month of February a complete success story for the network.
Headline News’ Glenn Beck, the fastest growing show on cable in 2006, continued to grow with impressive gains in all demos, up 98% in P2+ and 96% in P25-54. Other signature HLN programs continued the trend with double digit gains in the demo across the board. Nancy Grace posted 45% growth in P25-54 at 8p and 43% growth at 10p.
> For the third time in 6 months HLN topped FNC in P25-54 CUME (HLN bested FNC in September and December 2006). CNN continued to reign in the largest cumulative audience in cable news in both total viewers and the demo. [P2+ Cume: CNN: 63,699,000; FNC: 56,256,000; HLN: 53,594,000; MSNBC: 50,219,000 P25-54 CNN: 29,226,000; HLN: 26,283,000; FNC: 24,313,000; MSNBC: 24,814,000]
> CNN Gains:
3p CNN Newsroom up 52% in P25-54
4p The Situation Room up 43% in P25-54
5p The Situation Room up 56% in P25-54
7p The Situation Room up 37% in P25-54
6p Lou Dobbs Tonight up 54% in P25-54
8p Paula Zahn Now up 25% in P25-54
9p Larry King Live up 48% in P25-54
10-12M Anderson Cooper 360 up 33% in P25-54
> HLN Gains:
4p HLN News up 73% in P25-54
5p HLN News up 53% in P25-54
6p Prime News up 110% in P25-54
7p Glenn Beck up 96% in P25-54
8p Nancy Grace up 45% in P25-54
11p Showbiz Tonight up 132% in P25-54
10-12M HLN Block up 78% in P25-54
> CNN and HLN outpace the cable news competition with the most growth in the advertiser demo this month. All CNN programs post double digit growth in the demo. CNN’s total day gain of 47% doubles the growth of FNC and MSNBC in P25-54. In M-Su Prime, CNN and HLN again post greater growth than FNC and MSNBC with HLN topping the competition with a 39% increase over prior year—the highest gain of any network.
> CNN shows The Situation Room and Lou Dobbs Tonight benefited from exclusive interviews and hard-hitting news. The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer posted double digit gains in the P25-54 demo, more than double the growth of FNC or MSNBC at 5p or 7p. Lou Dobbs Tonight posted a 54% gain in the demo and 27% in total viewers, while MSNBC and FNC were down or unable to grow their audiences as much during that hour in the demo.
Several Headline News programs scored their best deliveries to date including Showbiz Tonight, which posted triple digit gains (128% in P2+ and 132% in P25-54), the most of any cable news show. At 6p, Prime News with Erica Hill also had a record-breaking month with triple digit gains in both demos (120% in P2+ and 110% in P25-54). Up against MSNBC’s 10-12M Doc Block, Headline News was on top among both total viewers and the demo (406k vs. 344K) and (198k vs. 163k), making the month of February a complete success story for the network.
Headline News’ Glenn Beck, the fastest growing show on cable in 2006, continued to grow with impressive gains in all demos, up 98% in P2+ and 96% in P25-54. Other signature HLN programs continued the trend with double digit gains in the demo across the board. Nancy Grace posted 45% growth in P25-54 at 8p and 43% growth at 10p.
> For the third time in 6 months HLN topped FNC in P25-54 CUME (HLN bested FNC in September and December 2006). CNN continued to reign in the largest cumulative audience in cable news in both total viewers and the demo. [P2+ Cume: CNN: 63,699,000; FNC: 56,256,000; HLN: 53,594,000; MSNBC: 50,219,000 P25-54 CNN: 29,226,000; HLN: 26,283,000; FNC: 24,313,000; MSNBC: 24,814,000]
> CNN Gains:
3p CNN Newsroom up 52% in P25-54
4p The Situation Room up 43% in P25-54
5p The Situation Room up 56% in P25-54
7p The Situation Room up 37% in P25-54
6p Lou Dobbs Tonight up 54% in P25-54
8p Paula Zahn Now up 25% in P25-54
9p Larry King Live up 48% in P25-54
10-12M Anderson Cooper 360 up 33% in P25-54
> HLN Gains:
4p HLN News up 73% in P25-54
5p HLN News up 53% in P25-54
6p Prime News up 110% in P25-54
7p Glenn Beck up 96% in P25-54
8p Nancy Grace up 45% in P25-54
11p Showbiz Tonight up 132% in P25-54
10-12M HLN Block up 78% in P25-54
# posted by ATN @ 5:16 PM
CNN Picks Up Two Gracies
Multichannel News reports two CNN programs picked up two Gracie Allen Awards.
They are:
Programming: CNN (Paula Zahn Now special Dana Reeve: A Tribute);
Individual-achievement Gracies: CNN news producer A. Chris Gajilan and anchor Soledad O’Brien
# posted by ATN @ 3:36 PM
Stocks, And They All Fall Down
Been watching CNN all day and was watching when CNN Newsroom went into action covering the tumbling of the Stock Market. Didn't take CNN long to get the team into action. Susan Lisovicz was on the floor of the Stock Exchange, she was joined on the air by Ali Velshi.
> Just announced by Kyra Phillips on CNN Newsroom, personal finance expert Suzie Orman will be on Larry King Live tonight to talk about today's events.
> Just announced by Kyra Phillips on CNN Newsroom, personal finance expert Suzie Orman will be on Larry King Live tonight to talk about today's events.
# posted by ATN @ 3:20 PM
Klein Defends Amount of Coverage Given to ANS
CNN head Jon Klein defended his network's coverage of ANS in an interview with Eric Deggans. Below is an excerpt from the article:
Ratings for cable news doubled and tripled in the day after her death. Syndicated tabloid news shows saw double-digit ratings increases that week.
"There's a long strain of this perverse, contradictory attitude we have toward celebrities," Jurkowitz said. "On the one hand, we want to put them on a pedestal, but we have an almost equally perverse interest in their failings.
"There's a sense of moral superiority. Here's a person who has lived a wrong life and you can say, 'I'm a better person than that.' "
Jonathan Klein, CNN U.S. president, defended his channel's coverage - criticized even by CNN personality Jack Cafferty - saying the outlet focused intensely on Smith's death when it was breaking news, and eased up in the days afterward.
Viewers saw this approach Thursday afternoon, when the disposition of Smith's body was announced and CNN moved on to stories about politics and world events while MSNBC and Fox offered Smith-centered interviews and speculation.
"Tabloid is a matter of tone, not a matter of subject," he said. "My watchword here is to not waste the audience's time . . . When there's big breaking news, you jump on top of it . . . But we don't have to live for the immediate ratings bump."
Ratings for cable news doubled and tripled in the day after her death. Syndicated tabloid news shows saw double-digit ratings increases that week.
"There's a long strain of this perverse, contradictory attitude we have toward celebrities," Jurkowitz said. "On the one hand, we want to put them on a pedestal, but we have an almost equally perverse interest in their failings.
"There's a sense of moral superiority. Here's a person who has lived a wrong life and you can say, 'I'm a better person than that.' "
Jonathan Klein, CNN U.S. president, defended his channel's coverage - criticized even by CNN personality Jack Cafferty - saying the outlet focused intensely on Smith's death when it was breaking news, and eased up in the days afterward.
Viewers saw this approach Thursday afternoon, when the disposition of Smith's body was announced and CNN moved on to stories about politics and world events while MSNBC and Fox offered Smith-centered interviews and speculation.
"Tabloid is a matter of tone, not a matter of subject," he said. "My watchword here is to not waste the audience's time . . . When there's big breaking news, you jump on top of it . . . But we don't have to live for the immediate ratings bump."
# posted by ATN @ 10:04 AM
While the Rest Sleep...CNN Covers Breaking News
A repeat of Anderson Cooper 360 was interrupted early Tuesday morning for breaking news of a blast outside of a US air base in Afghanistan. CNN/International appeared on the TV screen at 1:20am ET with a brief report. Vice President Cheney was apparently at the air base at the time of the blast.
UPDATE 1:41am ET CNN/International is once again being aired on CNN/US.
UPDATE 1:41am ET CNN/International is once again being aired on CNN/US.
UPDATE: 2:00am ET CNN/US keeps going back and forth from CNN/I back to 360. Why not stick with CNN/I?
# posted by ATN @ 1:24 AM
Monday, February 26, 2007
CNN Radio Adds New York Correspondent
Source: CNN Press Release Steve Kastenbaum has joined CNN Radio as a New York-based correspondent, it was announced today by Jerry DeMink, vice president, CNN News Services. Kastenbaum most recently worked as a news reporter with 1010 WINS Radio in New York City .“Steve comes to the CNN Radio network with considerable broadcasting skills and an impressive slate of experience,” DeMink said. “We are thrilled to have him onboard, giving us and our partner stations top-notch reports from yet another exceptionally experienced CNN Radio journalist.”
Kastenbaum joined 1010 WINS Radio, a CBS Radio station and a top-rated all-news radio station, in 1993 as a news production assistant, eventually becoming an education reporter and news reporter. His assignments included the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the war in Afghanistan , the 2003 blackout, the murder of a New York City councilmember at City Hall and the 2004 Republican Convention.
He also has worked as a New York-based stringer for both the Associated Press and ABC Radio News and as a traffic and weather announcer for Shadow Broadcast Services in Rutherford , N.J. He began his broadcast career in 1989 as a disc jockey for WDRE/92.7FM in Long Island , N.Y.
Kastenbaum majored in broadcast technology at Kingsborough Community College in New York . He has earned more than a half dozen state and regional awards from the Associated Press, the New York Press Club and the Radio-Television News Directors Association.
# posted by ATN @ 9:59 PM
New Senior Vice President of Global Broadcast Technology and Standards for Turner Broadcasting Named
Source: Turner Broadcasting Press Release Clyde D. Smith has been named senior vice president of global broadcast technology and standards for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), it was announced today by Dan Darling, chief information officer for TBS, Inc. In his new role, Smith will guide technology and broadcast engineering decisions for Turner’s global technology organization. His responsibilities will include the development of high-level engineering strategy and direction for broadcast technology decisions, practices, opportunities and resources. He will provide guidance on such critical issues as digital strategy and media asset management, as well as technology leadership for the company’s current and future global facilities. Smith is based in Atlanta and reports to Darling.“Clyde’s portfolio of professional strengths—his in-depth engineering expertise, proven leadership skills and keen insight into emerging technologies—will serve him well in this key thought-leadership position,” said Darling. “His appointment provides continuity and focus to ensure that Turner’s broadcast technology remains on the cutting edge.”
Smith previously was senior vice president of broadcast engineering, research and development, quality assurance and metrics. He joined Turner Broadcasting as director of advanced technology for Network Operations, where he launched the first all-digital video server-based, all-automated network, Cartoon Brazil. Earlier in his career, he held key executive positions at Speer Worldwide Digital, where he managed operations of an all-digital facility and contributed to the launch of ABC’s Soap Net, production of hundreds of live events and the revitalization of Staples Arena in Los Angeles; and at Lockheed Space Operations, where as supervisor of communications design and development engineering at The Kennedy Space Center, he helped implement improvement to space shuttle transportation systems following the Challenger accident
Smith played a key role in creating the technology that resulted in Turner Broadcasting being awarded a 2003 Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Technology and Engineering for “Pioneering Efforts in the Development of Automated, Server-Based Closed Captioning Systems.” Smith also helped develop the innovative Broadcast Inventory Manager Solution for Turner Broadcasting that was recognized by The Computer World Honors program with The 2005 21st Century Achievement Award for Media Arts and Entertainment.
A fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Smith is a frequent speaker and honored guest at meetings for SMPTE, NAB and SBE. He is a four-time governor and former standards chairman and secretary/treasurer of SMPTE. He has been program chair for four SMPTE advance-imaging conferences and was awarded the SMPTE outstanding service award. He has often presented and published research and technology papers that he has authored or co-authored in industry magazines and at industry conferences.
# posted by ATN @ 9:52 PM
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Q and A With One of CNN's Newest Anchor/Reporters
What's Happening at CNN would like to thank CNN weekend anchor/reporter TJ Holmes for taking the time to respond to a handful of questions sent to him about his new career at CNN:> Tell me a little about your background in broadcasting.
I have a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Arkansas . My first job out of college was at the NBC affiliate station (KSN) in
Joplin, Missouri. I was there for 9 months. I was a producer, reporter, and weekend anchor. From there, I went to the CBS affiliate (KTHV) in Little Rock , Arkansas . I was there for three years. I served as weekend anchor/reporter there. From Little Rock , I was hired to be the 5 p.m., M-F anchor at the NBC O&O (KNTV) in San Francisco . I spent three years there before being hired as the weekend morning anchor at CNN.
> How does working at CNN compare to working at the local news level?
One major difference is resources. CNN can do just about anything, anywhere, at any time. A major news network like CNN has more money, people and resources that a local affiliate simply can’t compete with. So, you have the ability to do a lot more. Also, the news is different. Of course, local news has a much smaller area to cover. CNN, on the other hand, covers the world. You cover everything at CNN. So, you have to be well read and knowledgeable about a whole lot more.
Of course, there’s not as much structure to a newscast at CNN as you would find on a local level. In local news, you often have a half hour show that is scripted and for the most part, doesn’t have as great of a potential to change as a newscast at CNN. At CNN, everything changes during the course of a newscast. News breaks all over the world and you have to be ready to handle it. It keeps you on your toes, and it is one of the best parts of the job. Also, you have a lot of live interviews during a CNN newscast which also adds to that unscripted nature of a CNN newscast.
There are tons of other differences, but these are a few that stand out.
> What challenges have you faced so far at CNN?
One of my first challenges was simply getting over the hump, so to speak. Coming from local news, it can be a bit intimidating to make the move to a network-level job. So, the first challenge was simply getting that first newscast at CNN under my belt.
> Some tend to think that since you’re an anchor, that’s all you do … sit there and read the teleprompter for hours. What does the job of a CNN anchor entail?
I know people think of anchors as “reading the prompter”, but at CNN, a lot of our time on the news set is spent not reading, but ad-libbing. A lot of a CNN newscast is unscripted because breaking news happens or interviews are added, etc. Every CNN anchor also reports. We go out in the field. Of course, it’s not on a daily basis, like the field correspondents, but anchors do plenty of reporting.
Also, there are so many challenges and demands on CNN anchors that take you outside of the newsroom. We have responsibilities to the community.
Community groups and organizations often call on us to lend a hand in some way. We often serve as guest speakers, panelist or emcee events.
Many anchors serve on community boards as well.
> For those still working their way to the big time, what advice would you give them to help them along the way?
I always tell people to make up their mind that broadcast news is what they want to do, and make up your mind early. It could be tough and frustrating when you first start out in this business. There are a lot of people out there competing for limited jobs in this business. So, you might not land that great job immediately. Or, your career in broadcast news might not progress as quickly as you thought it might. I have seen so many friends and former classmates drop out of the business because their careers didn’t progress like they thought they might, and they quit. So, these people have spent 4 or 5 years in college and then a few years in broadcast news, only to quit. I recommend people commit to it, realize that it may be tough, and hopefully, it will work out.
Be yourself. People often try to emulate others they see on TV. It’s perfectly fine to study others in the industry, but people often lose some of their own individuality. A news director can find plenty of potential employees who are just like everybody else. But if you can simply be yourself, you stand out because there is nobody out there who is just like you.
# posted by ATN @ 11:03 PM
TV Critic:CNN Needed to Cover ANS to "Help us Understand Why We Care About It"
Reliable Sources host Howard Kurtz was joined Sunday by a number of guests to discuss several topics including the coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith saga. Guests joing him were: Diane Dimond, investigative journalist and author of "Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case"; Catherine Crier, host of "Catherine Crier Live" on Court TV, and author of the newly-released book "Final Analysis: The Untold Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case"; and David Zurawik, television critic for "The Baltimore Sun."Below is a transcript of the portion of the program talking about coverage of the ANS drama:
KURTZ: Let's talk a little bit about the television coverage.
Catherine Crier, this is obviously a great story for Court TV. This is what you do. You cover trials. You analyze the legal system.
But MSNBC and FOX News just went wall to wall with this, day after day. When the court -- when the hearing was in recess, they would have a banner up saying, "Hearing to resume soon." And they would have all the legal experts, blowing off basically other news in the process.
Was that too much?
CRIER: Well, I certainly think it's too much. We have an entire network, Court TV, devoted to covering these sorts of stories. But whenever there is a very, very high-profile trial, we have seen this happen again and again. And it's because the public is truly fascinated with these cases, and ratings becomes an integral factor.
Now, I happen to disagree. I would like to see news channels focusing heavily on news, and we've got the courtroom covered. But, in fact, when the numbers come in, the channels oftentimes will follow.
KURTZ: But what that means, Diane Dimond, is that there's a relatively small percentage of the public that will tune in to any cable channel that has some tabloid story up. It doesn't mean that, you know, millions and millions of Americans are demanding wall to wall coverage of the Anna Nicole hearings, but it does give you a short-term bump in the ratings.
DIMOND: Well, and that's -- that's the whole bottom line here, Howie. The dirty little secret about television news today is that it is a business. It's dedicated to getting ratings and not dedicated to good journalism.
You know, when "20/20" -- and I admire that program -- but when they give her an entire hour, Anna Nicole Smith, who is famous for being undereducated and a sexpot, gets an hour, when MSNBC goes for five straight hours on this story, I have to ask as a journalist, where's the daily menu of the balance of news that these news stations are supposed to be giving me? They win the ratings battle, but I'm afraid they lose the war on good journalism.
KURTZ: Let me just ask you a question about CNN, David Zurawik.
CNN obviously made a conscious decision that it was not going to do this wall to wall. And it took a beating in the ratings.
Was that the right move, or was CNN acting above the news, above a story that there was no public interest in?
ZURAWIK: Well, Howie, you know, listen, I think CNN did it with some balance.
But listen to this. You know, we are so bad in the media today.
When the public really cares about a story the way they cared about the O.J. story -- you know, I experienced a little of this when I wrote about the Anna Nicole thing. There was a lot of back and forth -- should we treat it this way, should we treat -- listen, the public cares about something this much, we ought to not be above it.
We ought to try -- now, there's way to explain it. Help us understand why we care about it.
DIMOND: But five straight hours?
KURTZ: I'm sorry? Go ahead.
DIMOND: Five straight hours? Come on.
ZURAWIK: But it's...
CRIER: I have to agree with you. David, there are so many important things in the world. We're talking about Iraq, whether we're going to invade Iran...
ZURAWIK: Yes, but that's not the only channel in the world. That's not the only channel in the world.
CRIER: But a balance -- a balance is appropriate. And I'm not sure that the other networks struck much of a balance.
DIMOND: And you know what, Howie? If a less popular person died, and it wasn't Anna Nicole, the sexpot -- say it was Dick Cheney. I guarantee you he would not get five straight hours of coverage on MSNBC or a full hour on "20/20." So...
ZURAWIK: But, you know, everyone points to the Simpson trial as this debasement of American journalism because of all the time we spent on it.
Howie, we learned so much about race in America from that trial.
CRIER: I agree.
KURTZ: That was a murder trial.
ZURAWIK: Yes. And we may learn something here as well.
# posted by ATN @ 1:26 PM
