Saturday, March 10, 2007
Chad Myers Counting Down to June First...Why?
This from an e-mailer: "Friday morning during Heidi Collins portion of "CNN Newsroom" she asked Chad Myers an odd question. Something about his countdown to Vegas. He said "it," whatever he's counting down to, isn't until June 1st & that he hadn't planned on talking about it that day.
Any idea what that's about?"
Any idea what that's about?"
# posted by ATN @ 10:56 PM 
The Weather Channel Launches Headquarters on Popular 'Second Life'
Source: PR Newswire The Weather Channel (TWC) today announced the creation and launch of a virtual headquarters in the popular, 3D virtual world known as Second Life(R). "Weather Island" will be available to visitors beginning today. The island will serve as a headquarters for The Weather Channel, host an extreme sports park as well as provide a destination to screen premiere episodes of the new program "Epic Conditions."
Second Life residents, four-and-a-half million strong, will experience a fully interactive destination featuring adventures ranging from skiing "Mount Epic" to mountain-biking the Moab Dessert. A "big wave" surfing simulator will open soon and other attractions are still in development. Premieres of shows from The Weather Channel will be hosted in Second Life, showcasing an episode from the program "Epic Conditions" along with short clips of other episodes.New episodes will be premiered on Fridays on Weather Island and on the dedicated broadband channel located at http://www.weather.com/epic prior to airing on the network.
The debut of Weather Island on Second Life is another example of The Weather Channel embracing technology to reach weather enthusiasts. "Be it with our unique and original cable programming, weather.com, our mobile or our broadband efforts, we are constantly providing weather to our audience in new and innovative ways," says Debora Wilson, president, The Weather Channel Companies. "With Second Life, we're hopeful we can expose our brand
in an original and meaningful way. We also see Second Life as a potential advertising platform for brands currently partnering with us."
Features and Experiences on Weather Island
Each portion of Weather Island will offer the opportunity to interact with other residents, take on extreme-sport challenges, as well as obtain factual information about the real-world landscapes and climates that are replicated on the island. The island offers a variety of dynamic weather effects, from blizzard conditions in the mountains to torrential downpours in the desert. These are the most complex weather systems ever created for Second Life.
Weather HQ
A key destination on Weather Island is the Premier Amphitheatre, which will provide sneak previews of the latest episodes of "Epic Conditions," an extreme-sports program premiering on The Weather Channel in March. Residents can visit this stunning, outdoor venue which will host on-demand video episodes of the Epic Conditions program. Other smaller video screening facilities are scattered throughout the island.
Epic Conditions
The Epic Conditions portion of the Weather Channel's Second Life presence is the cornerstone of the experience, providing the most realistic and intense "Extreme Conditions" experience available to date including Epic Extreme Skiing, featuring Mount Epic. Also available at launch is the Mountain Biking Moab Desert Challenge, situated in a highly-realistic simulation of the Moab Desert. Rolling out shortly after launch of Weather Island is the Hawaii Big Wave Surfing simulator.
Second Life residents, four-and-a-half million strong, will experience a fully interactive destination featuring adventures ranging from skiing "Mount Epic" to mountain-biking the Moab Dessert. A "big wave" surfing simulator will open soon and other attractions are still in development. Premieres of shows from The Weather Channel will be hosted in Second Life, showcasing an episode from the program "Epic Conditions" along with short clips of other episodes.New episodes will be premiered on Fridays on Weather Island and on the dedicated broadband channel located at http://www.weather.com/epic prior to airing on the network.
The debut of Weather Island on Second Life is another example of The Weather Channel embracing technology to reach weather enthusiasts. "Be it with our unique and original cable programming, weather.com, our mobile or our broadband efforts, we are constantly providing weather to our audience in new and innovative ways," says Debora Wilson, president, The Weather Channel Companies. "With Second Life, we're hopeful we can expose our brand
in an original and meaningful way. We also see Second Life as a potential advertising platform for brands currently partnering with us."
Features and Experiences on Weather Island
Each portion of Weather Island will offer the opportunity to interact with other residents, take on extreme-sport challenges, as well as obtain factual information about the real-world landscapes and climates that are replicated on the island. The island offers a variety of dynamic weather effects, from blizzard conditions in the mountains to torrential downpours in the desert. These are the most complex weather systems ever created for Second Life.
Weather HQ
A key destination on Weather Island is the Premier Amphitheatre, which will provide sneak previews of the latest episodes of "Epic Conditions," an extreme-sports program premiering on The Weather Channel in March. Residents can visit this stunning, outdoor venue which will host on-demand video episodes of the Epic Conditions program. Other smaller video screening facilities are scattered throughout the island.
Epic Conditions
The Epic Conditions portion of the Weather Channel's Second Life presence is the cornerstone of the experience, providing the most realistic and intense "Extreme Conditions" experience available to date including Epic Extreme Skiing, featuring Mount Epic. Also available at launch is the Mountain Biking Moab Desert Challenge, situated in a highly-realistic simulation of the Moab Desert. Rolling out shortly after launch of Weather Island is the Hawaii Big Wave Surfing simulator.
# posted by ATN @ 10:05 PM
Friday, March 09, 2007
Debates Rescheduled Due to Frontrunner's Not Committing
Source: Variety CNN rescheduled two days of televised primary debates between the presidential candidates after the frontrunners in both parties failed to commit to appear.
CNN had planned to host the first two debates in New Hampshire on consecutive days in April for Republicans and Democrats, but was forced to reconsider when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney all said they would not participate.
The cable network, along with partners WMUR-TV in Manchester and the New Hampshire Union-Leader, pushed back the debates two months to the first week in June.
Sources in both parties said the frontrunners were wary of giving lesser-known candidates such as Sen. Chris Dodd, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson or former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee an opportunity to engage, and perhaps score points, on a national stage a full 10 months before the New Hampshire primary.
"Candidates have an interest in limiting the number of debates they do," said New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Fergus Cullen. " If you are a frontrunner the others tend to gang up on you."
Sources also said the mid-week debate made it difficult for the members of Congress involved who might have to cast votes that day.
CNN had planned to host the first two debates in New Hampshire on consecutive days in April for Republicans and Democrats, but was forced to reconsider when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney all said they would not participate.
The cable network, along with partners WMUR-TV in Manchester and the New Hampshire Union-Leader, pushed back the debates two months to the first week in June.
Sources in both parties said the frontrunners were wary of giving lesser-known candidates such as Sen. Chris Dodd, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson or former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee an opportunity to engage, and perhaps score points, on a national stage a full 10 months before the New Hampshire primary.
"Candidates have an interest in limiting the number of debates they do," said New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Fergus Cullen. " If you are a frontrunner the others tend to gang up on you."
Sources also said the mid-week debate made it difficult for the members of Congress involved who might have to cast votes that day.
# posted by ATN @ 11:57 PM
TWC Goes HD
Source: AJC The Weather Channel plans to build new studios to get ready for the launch of high-definition programming later this year.The Atlanta network will expand its facilities by adding space next to its existing headquarters structure, which is near the intersection of I-75 and I-285 on the city's northwest side. The cost of the development was not disclosed.
The Weather Channel will shift all of its studio operations to the new space after it is completed. The network's existing studios will then be converted to other uses.
"We wholeheartedly believe that HD is the next important technological leap to take in order to provide consumers with the best weather programming that anyone can offer," Weather Channel President and Chief Executive Debora Wilson said in a prepared statement.
Networks and TV stations have upgraded their facilities and sets for HD, given that the technology allows for much greater resolution.
Some sets are too crudely built to look good in HD.
The Weather Channel, however, believes it is unique in that it is building entirely new space.
So far, satellite provider DirecTV is the only distributor that has announced it will carry the Weather Channel in HD, starting in September. The network, however, is in ongoing discussions with others.
# posted by ATN @ 10:20 PM
CNN, WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader Move Debates to June
Source: CNN Press Release CNN, Hearst Argyle’s WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader have moved their back-to-back Republican and Democratic debates from the first week of April to the first week of June.
The change was made to accommodate candidates' schedules and offer the public the best possible debates. New Hampshire plays a pivotal role in presidential elections, and CNN, WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader are committed to providing voters with this important opportunity to evaluate candidates.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer will moderate the debates with questions from WMUR-TV Political Director Scott Spradling and New Hampshire Union Leader Senior Political Reporter John DiStaso. The debates will take place at Saint Anselm College in Manchester , N.H. Both debates will be broadcast live throughout New Hampshire on WMUR and nationally on CNN, CNN Radio, CNN.com, WMUR.com and UnionLeader.com. Additionally, WMUR and CNN Pipeline will create multiple real-time web components including off-air camera angles and additional real-time analysis in an unprecedented effort to enhance the on-line experience for the people of New Hampshire and the country.
These debates will provide candidates an important opportunity to introduce themselves and answer direct questions on the many challenges facing New Hampshire and the nation.
The change was made to accommodate candidates' schedules and offer the public the best possible debates. New Hampshire plays a pivotal role in presidential elections, and CNN, WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader are committed to providing voters with this important opportunity to evaluate candidates.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer will moderate the debates with questions from WMUR-TV Political Director Scott Spradling and New Hampshire Union Leader Senior Political Reporter John DiStaso. The debates will take place at Saint Anselm College in Manchester , N.H. Both debates will be broadcast live throughout New Hampshire on WMUR and nationally on CNN, CNN Radio, CNN.com, WMUR.com and UnionLeader.com. Additionally, WMUR and CNN Pipeline will create multiple real-time web components including off-air camera angles and additional real-time analysis in an unprecedented effort to enhance the on-line experience for the people of New Hampshire and the country.
These debates will provide candidates an important opportunity to introduce themselves and answer direct questions on the many challenges facing New Hampshire and the nation.
# posted by ATN @ 7:58 PM
NYP: MSNBC Host on the Way Out the Door
I just hope she doesn't land at CNN next:
Source: New York Post RITA Cosby sounds less raspy following recent vocal-cord surgery, but MSNBC is still going to drop her when her contract expires on April 1. The cable network had no comment, but insiders insist the host, who has been diligently covering the Anna Nicole Smith story, is out. Cosby has been presenting daytime specials since MSNBC canceled her prime-time show, "Live & Direct," last summer.
Source: New York Post RITA Cosby sounds less raspy following recent vocal-cord surgery, but MSNBC is still going to drop her when her contract expires on April 1. The cable network had no comment, but insiders insist the host, who has been diligently covering the Anna Nicole Smith story, is out. Cosby has been presenting daytime specials since MSNBC canceled her prime-time show, "Live & Direct," last summer.
# posted by ATN @ 8:52 AM
Taiwan VP Demands Apology From CNN Over Headline on Website
Source: Monsters and Critics The US-based Cable News Network (CNN) has responded to Taiwan Vice President Annette Lu's demand for apology over CNN's 'biased' story on Lu, but the content of the response is unknown, the Central News Agency (CNA) said Friday.
'CNN headquarters in Atlanta sent us an envelop Thursday afternoon, which we sent to the presidential office via Federal Express. It should reach Taipei Saturday or Sunday,' CNA quoted Chang Chung-jen, head of the Atlanta office of Taiwan's Government Information Office (GIO), as saying. 'The envelop bore the name of CNN Managing Director Chris Cramer, but we don't know the content of the reply.'
On Tuesday, GIO passed on Lu's protest letter to CNN headquarters in Atlanta. Cramer made the reply Thursday upon his return from a business trip to Mexico.
The controversy erupted Tuesday when Lu held a news conference to declare she would run for president in the 2008 election.
The US-based Associated Press (AP) news agency filed a story on Lu's candidacy, saying in the lead that she was branded by China as 'insane' and 'the scum of the nation,' and said in the third paragraph that Lu's chances of winning were slim.
CNN carried the AP story on its website, but used its own headline 'Taiwan's 'scum of the nation' runs for president,' triggering an immediate protest from Lu's office.
Lu said that the CNN story had insulted her and the Taiwan people. She demanded an apology and a correction and did not rule out seeking damages.
CNN later changed its headline to 'Lu seeks to be first Taiwan woman president,' but did not apologize.
'CNN headquarters in Atlanta sent us an envelop Thursday afternoon, which we sent to the presidential office via Federal Express. It should reach Taipei Saturday or Sunday,' CNA quoted Chang Chung-jen, head of the Atlanta office of Taiwan's Government Information Office (GIO), as saying. 'The envelop bore the name of CNN Managing Director Chris Cramer, but we don't know the content of the reply.'
On Tuesday, GIO passed on Lu's protest letter to CNN headquarters in Atlanta. Cramer made the reply Thursday upon his return from a business trip to Mexico.
The controversy erupted Tuesday when Lu held a news conference to declare she would run for president in the 2008 election.
The US-based Associated Press (AP) news agency filed a story on Lu's candidacy, saying in the lead that she was branded by China as 'insane' and 'the scum of the nation,' and said in the third paragraph that Lu's chances of winning were slim.
CNN carried the AP story on its website, but used its own headline 'Taiwan's 'scum of the nation' runs for president,' triggering an immediate protest from Lu's office.
Lu said that the CNN story had insulted her and the Taiwan people. She demanded an apology and a correction and did not rule out seeking damages.
CNN later changed its headline to 'Lu seeks to be first Taiwan woman president,' but did not apologize.
# posted by ATN @ 12:26 AM
Thursday, March 08, 2007
It's good to get back to blogging! One thing one must do if they want to blog about a channel is actually watch it. It's actually good to get back to watching and gettting the news from CNN. My work schedule has leveled out, therefore giving me more time to blog. BUT just as I get back in the swing of things, I found out today I will be helping remodel some of the stores for the company I work for. That means at least 2 months on the road. BUT I plan to take my laptop along for the ride. I don't go on the road until July.
Many of the faithful blog readers have hung in there the last couple of months, and I was glad to get your emails. Don't forget if you see OR hear of something on CNN during the day that's interesting to blog about, send me a tip at newsblogman@yahoo.com OR hit me up via the anonymous tip box at the left. Thanks for reading!
Many of the faithful blog readers have hung in there the last couple of months, and I was glad to get your emails. Don't forget if you see OR hear of something on CNN during the day that's interesting to blog about, send me a tip at newsblogman@yahoo.com OR hit me up via the anonymous tip box at the left. Thanks for reading!
# posted by ATN @ 11:50 PM
Baseball Team Bus Accident in Atlanta to Be Subject of CNN Documentary
Source: CNN Press Release In the pre-dawn hours of Friday, March 2, a charter bus transporting the Bluffton University baseball team to Sarasota , Florida , tore through a guardrail and plunged 30 feet onto Interstate 75 near downtown Atlanta . The accident took the lives of four players, the bus driver and the bus driver’s wife.CNN: Special Investigations Unit – Fatal Journey will investigate both the accident and whether highway safety is being compromised by the urgent need for more highway capacity in America ’s growing cities. Fatal Journey airs on Saturday, March 10, and Sunday, March 11, at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. All times Eastern.
CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin and CNN: Special Investigations Unit will employ a bus and helicopter to re-enact the fateful journey of the Ohio students.
Speaking to survivors and their families, transportation authorities, rescue workers and traffic experts, CNN will scrutinize the accident, examine lessons learned from similar accident investigations and focus on what can be done to prevent future accidents. CNN also visits with a family struggling to cope with the loss of a son in the accident and listens as surviving players ponder why they survived while others lost their lives.
# posted by ATN @ 2:23 PM
CNN Picks Up National Headliner Awards
CNN has picked up several National Headliner Awards. Below is the list:> Documentary or Public Affairs- Third Place- “9/11 As It Happened”/Kyra Phillips
> Newscast- Second Place- “9/11 Anniversary - Afghanistan: The Unfinished War” (9/11/06)
> Coverage of a Major News Event- Third Place- “Larry King Live – North Korea Missile Launches”
> Documentary or Series of Reports- Third Place- CNN Presents“Footsteps of Bin Laden”
> Health/Science Reporting- First Place- “Dr. Sanjay Gupta Prime Time Special: Genius”
> Health/Science Reporting- Third Place- “Dr. Sanjay Gupta Prime Time Special: Happiness and Your Health”
# posted by ATN @ 2:09 PM
Former CNN Head Hired as CBS Evening News Producer
Source: New York Times The shake-ups at the evening news programs continued last night.In the latest disruption, CBS News replaced Rome Hartman, the executive producer of the “Evening News with Katie Couric,” last night with the long-time television news executive and producer, Rick Kaplan, according to several people who were informed of the decision.
The move follows a run of disappointing ratings results for the CBS newscast, which had introduced Ms. Couric as its new anchor with great fanfare last September.
It was not clear last night when Mr. Kaplan would assume control. But according to two people who know both Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Couric, they had established a good working relationship when Mr. Kaplan worked at the MSNBC news channel and Ms. Couric was at NBC News.
Mr. Hartman, a long-time and widely respected veteran at CBS News, had joined the program at the same time as Ms. Couric and had introduced a number of stylistic changes in its format.
Mr. Kaplan has been at numerous stops in television news in his long career, mainly at ABC News, where he previously served as the executive producer of that network’s newscast, as well as at “Nightline,” where he won several journalism awards for leading that broadcast, and at “Primetime Live” the newsmagazine he helped create.
Mr. Kaplan, who is 59, left ABC in 1997 and moved on to CNN where he became the president of that cable news channel’s American operation before he was ousted in 2000 after ratings declined at that network.
Subsequently he was named the president of a rival cable news network, MSNBC, in 2004. He helped create that network’s top show, “Countdown with Keith Olbermann ,” but he again fell victim to disappointing ratings and left that network in 2006.
# posted by ATN @ 12:06 AM
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Follow Up: Pic of New R and C Lower Thirds
Pic from ReporterCaps
Above is a pic of the new lower thirds for HLN's Robin and Company. To me it just seems like too much on the screen with the sports ticker and the news ticker combined. Maybe take one of them off..or rotate between the scores and the news ticker. I say do away with the news ticker as the viewer is getting the news from Robin and Company.
# posted by ATN @ 10:50 PM
HLN's Anchor Discusses Priest Abuse on AC 360º
Here's the official CNN Press Release about what was blogged over the weekend. Cooper has been airing snippets of the special the last couple of nights.Headline News anchor Thomas Roberts reveals for the first time on television his personal account of the abuse he suffered at the hands of a Roman Catholic priest during Anderson Cooper 360º on Monday, March 12. For a powerful and sometimes wrenching hour, Roberts discusses the abuse by Father Jerome F. Toohey Jr., known as “Father Jeff,” from 1987 to 1990 and his journey to overcome the scars and bring his abuser to justice.
Prosecutors in Maryland pressed charges against Toohey for sexually abusing Roberts. Toohey pleaded guilty and was sentenced in February 2006 for five years in prison. After serving less than 10 months he was released into home detention to serve the rest of his sentence.
“Sins of the Father” airs at 10 p.m. (ET) during the first hour of Anderson Cooper 360°.
Below are excerpts from “Sins of the Father.” Please credit CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360º.
Roberts on the abuse:
It's probably the worst place you can be in your life. Because there's so much shame that goes along with this. There's secrecy. There's shame. There's self-hatred, self-doubt. Uh, every mixed up emotion you can have that you don't feel you can talk to anybody. It was the most twisted and turned-around environment that I could have ever have been in and coming from a place of struggle as a child and into a young boy. It was a prison. I mean it was like backing me into a corner with nowhere to go.
I was robbed here. Of my self-respect, of my own image. You know part of my soul even. This place paralyzed me thinking I would die with this secret. I would die with this secret.
Roberts on the judicial system:
I don't know how to define justice in this. What's justice? I mean, what . . . do I get early release from this? No. You don't get early release from knowing what happened to you. Do you get early release from the shame and the secrets and the lies and the cover-up and all of that? You just don't. You just have to deal with the fact that that was your life. You did it, you had to put up with it to survive, and it'll be your story for the rest of your life. No early release from this story.
Roberts on seeing Toohey in church:
I thought how people respected him. I thought how people really looked up to this man. Even--not even understanding what was happening to me, you still have respect for this man in this position as your priest. And I realized also that he had the power, not me.
Anderson Cooper 360° is a wide-ranging, unconventional news program that takes a full 360-degree look at the world’s events. The program showcases CNN’s worldwide newsgathering capabilities as well as Anderson Cooper’s unique sensibilities and perspective through a diverse range of live reports and interviews. Anderson Cooper 360° airs on CNN/U.S. each weekday from 10 p.m. to midnight. (ET)
# posted by ATN @ 9:57 PM
R and C Sportin' New Lower Thirds
I thought I was seeing things when I woke up this AM and saw the big ol' lower thirds on HLN's morning news program Robin and Company. The text of the lower third is centered to the right with a big Robin and Company logo on the left. To me it looks really tabloidish.
# posted by ATN @ 8:49 AM
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Grace Takes on Acting
Source: Associated Press Nancy Grace is taking on her first prime-time acting role, though it shouldn't be a stretch for the CNN Headline News talk-show host.She will appear offering faux legal commentary during the season finale of NBC's "Law & Order: SVU," NBC said on Tuesday. She'll talk about a case involving a man charged with killing a woman and her baby.
There's precedence for vaulting into fiction at sister network CNN, where Larry King has appeared in several movies playing himself.
# posted by ATN @ 11:22 PM
Covering the Walter Reed Scandal....Or Maybe Not
Steve Young writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer today about the lack of coverage of the Walter Reed scandal by certain media outlets. Below is a portion of the article:
The Walter Reed scandal was a story years in the making. A story that up until last week had been downplayed - censored, really - by the government and the military. A story kept from American voters by our pro-troop, pro-surge broadcasting Lords of Loud.
If the right-wing media had broadcast the story, hidden in plain sight, with half the energy they use to excoriate the ACLU, the right's water-carriers could have helped avert years of misery for many of our veterans.
Certainly the information was out there. All they had to do was talk to the minority Democratic Congress members on the Veteran Affairs Committee, who watched helplessly as House Republicans voted to increase veterans' medical fees and reject increased funds for veterans' health care, which, in effect, cut their benefits. How easy would it have been for, say, Bill O'Reilly, to expose this national embarrassment? Very. So why did the right's echo chamber choose to ignore this disgrace? A tough one to answer, especially when they spend so much time characterizing the left as the anti-soldier cult. MORE
The Walter Reed scandal was a story years in the making. A story that up until last week had been downplayed - censored, really - by the government and the military. A story kept from American voters by our pro-troop, pro-surge broadcasting Lords of Loud.
If the right-wing media had broadcast the story, hidden in plain sight, with half the energy they use to excoriate the ACLU, the right's water-carriers could have helped avert years of misery for many of our veterans.
Certainly the information was out there. All they had to do was talk to the minority Democratic Congress members on the Veteran Affairs Committee, who watched helplessly as House Republicans voted to increase veterans' medical fees and reject increased funds for veterans' health care, which, in effect, cut their benefits. How easy would it have been for, say, Bill O'Reilly, to expose this national embarrassment? Very. So why did the right's echo chamber choose to ignore this disgrace? A tough one to answer, especially when they spend so much time characterizing the left as the anti-soldier cult. MORE
# posted by ATN @ 10:58 PM
Cafferty Undergoes Treatment for Collapsed Lung
I received a ton of e-mail from CNN viewers about where Jack Cafferty has been the last couple of weeks. On Monday's edition of The Situation Room Cafferty said he was actually hospitalized. Below is an excerpt from the transcript:CAFFERTY: Jane in Millsboro, Delaware, "OK, Jack, here's my dirty little secret: I don't often watch THE SITUATION ROOM when you're not there. Sorry. What kind of schedule are you keeping? Are you emulating our beloved Congress? Not only do you get time off, next you'll be telling us you get paid as well."
If you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and read more of these online.
I actually was tending to a collapsed right lung in Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, New Jersey. I underwent a little surgery there.
These are terrific people, by the way. If you want to get sick, that's the hospital to go to.
But all is well now. It was just a little unintended and unplanned for bump in the road -- Wolf.
BLITZER: You know, Jack, I'm looking at you as I do every day here in THE SITUATION ROOM. You look fabulous.
CAFFERTY: Somebody wrote and said I was off getting a facelift. Let me tell you something, if I had gotten a facelift and it turned out like this, I would demand my money back.
BLITZER: But we're thrilled you're back, happy and healthy and in rare form. Jack, thanks very much.
CAFFERTY: All right.
# posted by ATN @ 10:17 PM
Monday, March 05, 2007
AC 360 Wants Viewers to Take a Shot at 'The Shot'
As part of its I-Reports, Anderson Cooper 360 will be featuring an amazing video or picture every night. Here's what CNN wants: Help us choose "The Shot" every night on "Anderson Cooper 360°." Tell us about an amazing video or a fantastic picture you've seen, and let us know how to find it. Or better yet, send us a video or image that you've shot and we may feature that on "Anderson Cooper 360°" as "The Shot," Monday-Friday, 10 p.m. ET.# posted by ATN @ 10:42 PM
CNN/International Launches New Movie Show
Source: CNN PressRoom CNN International yesterday announced the launch of a new half-hour monthly movie show called ‘The Screening Room.’ Premiering on Friday, March 30 at 1:30pm ET, ‘The Screening Room’ offers a compelling international perspective on the world of film by traveling around the globe to bring viewers the inside track on all aspects of the movie business.Hosted by British television presenter Myleene Klass, ‘The Screening Room’ features a mix of revealing insights, intelligent interviews and on-location reporting from film festivals and red-carpet events. From independent and world cinema to blockbusters and documentaries, each month ‘The Screening Room’ offers movie news, reviews and global charts.
Each show explores the art of the world's most talented actors, directors, composers and screenwriters. From L.A. to London, Tokyo to Tribeca, Sydney to Sundance, the show will go to the essential film festivals. Also, ‘The Screening Room’ covers in-depth features ranging from animation, documentaries and short films to issues such as the perils of piracy.
“This is an important addition to our suite of feature shows, which offers a compelling mix of programming. Every month ‘The Screening Room’ will go to Hollywood and beyond to bring the most compelling and dynamic aspects of the film world to CNN’s vast international audience,” said Rena Golden, senior vice president of CNN International. “With our global reach, CNN is ideally placed to travel the globe and cover stories from the movie business in every continent.”
Show host Myleene Klass said: “I’m overwhelmed to be part of something so groundbreaking for CNN - the network’s first movie show. CNN has kudos and gravitas all over world, and that strong brand will ensure that I will get the very best interviews. One thing is for sure, if I wasn’t part of ‘The Screening Room’, I’d be glued to my seat watching it!”
‘The Screening Room’ is supported by a micro site that launches March 30, www.cnn.com/thescreeningroom, where users can download episodes of the show, read Myleene’s monthly blog as well as movie reviews and news.
‘The Screening Room’ can be seen on CNN International at the following times (all times ET):
Friday, March 30 at 1:30pm; Saturday, March 31 at 3:30a and 9:30a
# posted by ATN @ 4:17 PM
Who's That CNN Reporter on the Cover of Business Week?
Susan Lisovicz pic is featured on this week's cover of Business Week. Lisovicz was reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange last week when the dow was took a record plunge. Lisovicz said on CNN Newsroom Monday afternoon, she didn't know her picture had been taken as the camera is a fixed camera and picks up what is in sight of the lens.# posted by ATN @ 2:49 PM
The Tale of Two Cable 'News" Channels
I get up and flip on the TV and find the Walter Reed Medical Center hearings being covered wall-to-wall on CNN. Just out of curiousity I turn the channel to FNC and NOPE, no hearings there. And to think just last week, one would have found wall-to-wall coverage of the Anna Nichole Smith court hearing on FNC and CNN moving on with regular programming. I guess one can draw the conclusion that FNC doesn't consider the Walter Reed hearings a ratings draw huh?
UPDATE: 02:45pm ET I have never gotten so much email after writing a post. It seems I am not the only one that noticed the unbalanced coverage of Walter Reed VS ANS on FNC. Thinkprogress has posted a chart on the number of mentions each news channel has mentioned ANS and Walter Reed on Friday. Below are the numbers:
ANS
FNC - 121
MSNBC - 96
CNN - 40
Walter Reed
FNC- 10
MSNBC- 84
CNN- 53
Keep in mind those numbers are from Friday. TV Newser notes the the website TV Eyes so far today has counted the following mentions: FNC- 23; CNN- 56 and MSNBC- 42. I don't know about MSNBC BUT CNN has carried a great amount of the Walter Reed hearings LIVE so far today. FNC...NOPE!
UPDATE: 02:45pm ET I have never gotten so much email after writing a post. It seems I am not the only one that noticed the unbalanced coverage of Walter Reed VS ANS on FNC. Thinkprogress has posted a chart on the number of mentions each news channel has mentioned ANS and Walter Reed on Friday. Below are the numbers:
ANS
FNC - 121
MSNBC - 96
CNN - 40
Walter Reed
FNC- 10
MSNBC- 84
CNN- 53
Keep in mind those numbers are from Friday. TV Newser notes the the website TV Eyes so far today has counted the following mentions: FNC- 23; CNN- 56 and MSNBC- 42. I don't know about MSNBC BUT CNN has carried a great amount of the Walter Reed hearings LIVE so far today. FNC...NOPE!
# posted by ATN @ 12:50 PM
Sunday, March 04, 2007
NBC News Prez: Timing Was Right for Anchor to Return to The Danger Zone
On today's edition of "Reliable Sources," Howard Kurtz spoke to NBC President Steve Capus about Brian Williams’ secret trip to Iraq:KURTZ: And joining us now by phone is the president of NBC News, Steve Capus.
Steve, did you have any reservations about sending your anchor into a dangerous war zone?
STEVE CAPUS, NBC NEWS PRESIDENT: Well, of course you have reservations about it. And we talked about this for months and months and went back and forth about whether this was a good idea. And Brian felt very strongly that he wanted to go and be back in Iraq before the anniversary of the start of the war.
This is his third trip since that time. And we thought the timing was right. And, as Brian just said on your -- on that clip there from "Meet the Press," you know, we're going to take every security precaution that we can.
You know, I've known Brian, Howie, as you know, for probably 26 years now. First and foremost, he's a reporter, and he's not a cowboy. This is a guy who wants to get the story, but he's going to -- he's going to do it the right way and take every precaution that he needs to.
KURTZ: But in light of what happened to Bob Woodruff, you know, that has to weigh heavily on your mind, I would think.
CAPUS: Well, you know, Brian had the opportunity to see both Bob Woodruff and Kim Dozier in the past week as Bob's book came out. And, you know, the work that Bob and Lee Woodruff is doing is amazing and important, and we're, as journalists, so incredibly proud of them. And we -- you know, obviously, as you note, this is the first time one of the anchors has gone since it happened.
Look, we have a news organization that thrives on firsthand reporting.
I have a large presence in Iraq with some incredibly talented journalists, like Richard Engel and all of the crews that support, and Jane Arraf and Tom Aspell and Jim Maceda, and all of these people who end up volunteering and wanting to go to cover the story of our times.
KURTZ: But since -- let me just break in here, Steve. Since you have that very good contingent in Baghdad , what is the added benefit of having Brian Williams there? What does is it accomplish to have your anchor on the ground?
CAPUS: Well, I think, you know, first off, Brian is the anchor of, you know, the "NBC Nightly News." He is going to pick up things that others are not likely get. He's going to get some access that others are not likely to get. And that's just -- you know, we know that's going to be the case, and Brian believes in firsthand reporting.
I think it's really important for him to -- as he notes in his blog this morning on MSNBC.com, Brian he really wants to get a firsthand view of what's going on. And I had a conversation with him a short time ago.
He notes that there is a change already. And he's only been there on the ground -- you know, notes a change from the last time he was in there.
# posted by ATN @ 7:44 PM
360 Special to Detail Abuse to Headline News Anchor
Just saw, well actually heard the promo since I had my back to the TV, CNN promoting a special coming up on March 12th on Anderson Cooper 360 called Sins of the Father. The promo said the special would detail the abuse this (I'm going out on a limb here since I didn't see the picture) Headline News anchor, Thomas Roberts, was subjected to by a preist of the Catholic church. In 2005 Thomas testified against Jerome F. Toohey Jr., a former priest who had abused him when he was a student at Calvert Hall College High School.
# posted by ATN @ 7:26 PM
WP Journalist on Exposing the Truth at Walter Reed
On Sunday''s edition of "Reliable Sources," Howard Kurtz spoke about the Walter Reed expose in The Washington Post that lead to resignations among the top brass of the Army. Joining him were The Washington Post’s Dana Priest and CNN’s senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre. Below is an excerpt from the discussion:KURTZ: When you sat down with some of these wounded soldiers and their families, did that make you angry? And did that affect your reporting?
PRIEST: You know, that's why -- yes, it made me angry. And I had a visceral reaction to it. Not -- it was -- partly it was surprise.
You know, one of the things we do as journalists is we -- we try to truth-squad what our officials are saying. And our officials were saying, everything is OK, everybody is treating these guys right. And so I was angry at the hypocrisy, but then you get sucked into the emotion of the person in front you who has just had their eye blown out and they're trying to cope, and now they can't get a uniform to accept their Purple Heart with.
That's why we spent so much time. We need to figure out whether there -- there was not just one case of that, but there were dozen of cases. And then we had to tell ourselves as we were writing, get that emotion out and just, you know, cut down on the adverbs and the adjectives and just tell it as straight as you can, because -- because that's what we do.
# posted by ATN @ 1:30 PM
CNBC Sets Up Shop in Australia
Not CNN related BUT cable news related. Below is an excerpt of an article from The Austalian about CNBC setting up shop in Austalia, just months before the proposed Fox "Business" Channel is set to hit the airwaves in the US:
CNBC will open an Australian bureau in coming weeks on the back of a decision to extend its morning Squawkbox show into the Australian market.
Squawk Australia will be anchored by James Jeffrey, who has worked with the ABC, Nine Network and Macquarie Radio as well as a number of overseas broadcasters.
The decision to enter the Australian market means CNBC will broadcast the Australian stock market opening - the first major international exchange to open each day.
CNBC president and managing director Asia Pacific Jeremy Pink said the move to put anchors on the ground in Australia was a reflection of the increasing importance of Australia to global markets, often setting the trading trend for the day in the Asian region as the first market to open after the close of the New York Stock Exchange.
"We are working so that viewers can follow the money and the markets as they are happening around the world and the first market that opens every day around the world is Sydney," Mr Pink said.
"It will allow viewers from around the world to see how the first market in the world is responding to what the US did overnight.
"The dramatic movement in the markets show just how connected things are globally. What happens in Shanghai now affects what happens in New York which affects what happens in Sydney. Live coverage and a live presence from Australia becomes crucial since it is the one of the first major markets of the day to open around the world. How Australia does will help predict the trading day around the world."
The broadcaster is setting up a new studio in the heritage-listed Burns Philp building across the street from the ASX in Sydney. MORE
CNBC will open an Australian bureau in coming weeks on the back of a decision to extend its morning Squawkbox show into the Australian market.
Squawk Australia will be anchored by James Jeffrey, who has worked with the ABC, Nine Network and Macquarie Radio as well as a number of overseas broadcasters.
The decision to enter the Australian market means CNBC will broadcast the Australian stock market opening - the first major international exchange to open each day.
CNBC president and managing director Asia Pacific Jeremy Pink said the move to put anchors on the ground in Australia was a reflection of the increasing importance of Australia to global markets, often setting the trading trend for the day in the Asian region as the first market to open after the close of the New York Stock Exchange.
"We are working so that viewers can follow the money and the markets as they are happening around the world and the first market that opens every day around the world is Sydney," Mr Pink said.
"It will allow viewers from around the world to see how the first market in the world is responding to what the US did overnight.
"The dramatic movement in the markets show just how connected things are globally. What happens in Shanghai now affects what happens in New York which affects what happens in Sydney. Live coverage and a live presence from Australia becomes crucial since it is the one of the first major markets of the day to open around the world. How Australia does will help predict the trading day around the world."
The broadcaster is setting up a new studio in the heritage-listed Burns Philp building across the street from the ASX in Sydney. MORE
# posted by ATN @ 12:04 PM
