CNN

Cable News Network
Launched June 1, 1980
Owned by Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
(a Time Warner company)
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Slogan "The Most Trusted Name in News", "CNN = Politics", "The Best Political Team on Television", "CNN = Money"
Country United States
Language English
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Sister channel(s) CNN Airport Network
CNN en Español
CNN International
Headline News
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV Channel 202 (SD/HD)
Channel 1202 (VOD)
Dish Network Channel 200 SD & 9436 HD
Bell TV Channel 500
Star Choice Channel 500
Cable
Available on most cable systems Check local listings
Satellite Radio
Sirius 132
XM 122
IPTV over ADSL
TELUS TV (Canada) Channel 94

Cable News Network, usually referred to by its initialism CNN, is a major English language television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner.[1][2] The network is now owned by Time Warner and the news network is a division of the Turner Broadcasting System. CNN was the first station to provide 24-hour television news coverage. It is now second only to Britain's BBC News in the number of employed news journalists and worldwide news bureaus.

In terms of unique viewers (Nielsen Cume Ratings), CNN (sometimes known as CNN/U.S. to distinguish the North American channel from its international counterpart) rates as America's number one cable news network, and is ranked number two behind Fox News in total audience Nielsen ratings.[3] While the news network has numerous affiliates, CNN primarily broadcasts from its headquarters at the CNN Center in Atlanta, the Time Warner Center in New York City, and studios in Washington, D.C. As of June 2008, the network is available in 93 million U.S. households and more than 890,000 American hotel rooms. The U.S version of their broadcast is also shown in Canada. Globally, CNN airs through CNN International and has combined branded networks and services that are available to more than 1.5 billion people in over 212 countries and territories.

Contents

History

The Cable News Network was launched at 5:00 p.m. EST on Sunday June 1 1980. After an introduction by Ted Turner, the husband and wife team of David Walker and Lois Hart anchored the first newscast.[4] Since its debut, CNN has expanded its reach to a number of cable and satellite television networks, several web sites, specialized closed-circuit networks (such as CNN Airport Network), and a radio network. The network has 36 bureaus (10 domestic, 26 international), more than 900 affiliated local stations, and several regional and foreign-language networks around the world. The network's success made a bona-fide mogul of founder Ted Turner and set the stage for the Time Warner conglomerate's eventual acquisition of Turner Broadcasting.

Despite its domestic standing, CNN remains a distant second in international news coverage, reaching just over half of the audience of the older BBC World News. Unlike the BBC's network of reporters and bureaus, CNN International makes extensive use of affiliated reporters that are local to, and often directly affected by, the events they are reporting. The effect is a more immediate, less detached style of on-the-ground coverage. This has done little to stem criticism, largely from Middle Eastern nations, that CNN International reports news from a pro-American perspective. This is a marked contrast to domestic criticisms that often portray CNN as having a "liberal" or "anti-American" bias.

A companion network, Headline News (originally called CNN2) was launched on January 1, 1982 and featured a continuous 24-hour cycle of 30-minute news broadcasts. Headline News broke from its original format in 2005 with the addition of Headline Prime. Current programs feature confrontational personalities like radio talk-show host Glenn Beck and former Fulton County, Georgia prosecutor Nancy Grace.

CNN HD was launched September 1, 2007, and was first nationally distributed by DirecTV on September 26, 2007.

The Gulf War

The first Persian Gulf War in 1991 was a watershed event for CNN that catapulted the network past the "big three" American networks for the first time in its history, largely due to an unprecedented, historical scoop: CNN was the only news outlet with the ability to communicate from inside Iraq during the initial hours of the American bombing campaign, with live reports from the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad by reporters Bernard Shaw, John Holliman, and Peter Arnett.

The Gulf War experience brought CNN some much sought-after legitimacy and made household names of previously obscure (and infamously low-paid) reporters. Many of these reporters now comprise CNN's "old guard." Bernard Shaw became CNN's chief anchor until his retirement in 2001. Others include then-Pentagon correspondent Wolf Blitzer (now host of The Situation Room and Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer) and international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour's presence in Iraq was caricatured by actress Nora Dunn as the ruthless reporter "Adriana Cruz" in the film Three Kings (1999). Time Warner later produced a television movie, Live from Baghdad, about the network's coverage of the first Gulf War, which aired on HBO.

The CNN effect

Coverage of the first Gulf War and other crises of the early 1990s (particularly the infamous Battle of Mogadishu) led officials at the Pentagon to coin the term "the CNN effect" to describe the perceived impact of real time, 24-hour news coverage on the decision-making processes of the American government.

September 11

CNN was the first network to have broken news of the September 11 attacks. Anchor Carol Lin was on the air to deliver the first public report of the event. She broke into a commercial at 8:49 a.m. ET and said:

This just in. You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. CNN Center right now is just beginning to work on this story, obviously calling our sources and trying to figure out exactly what happened, but clearly something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island of Manhattan. That is once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

Daryn Kagan and Leon Harris were live on the air just after 9 a.m. ET as the second plane hit the World Trade Center and through an interview with CNN correspondent David Ensor, reported the news that U.S. officials determined "that this is a terrorist act."[5] Later, Aaron Brown anchored through the day and night as the attacks unfolded. Brown had just come to CNN from ABC to be the Breaking News anchor.

Sean Murtagh, CNN vice-president for finance & administration, was the first network employee on the air in New York.[6]

Experiments

CNN launched two specialty news channels for the American market which would later close amid competitive pressure: CNNSI shut down in 2002, and CNNfn shut down after nine years on the air in December 2004. CNN and Sports Illustrated's partnership continues today online at CNNSI.com. CNNfn's former website now redirects to money.cnn.com, a product of CNN's strategic partnership with Money magazine. Money and SI are both properties of Time Warner, along with CNN.

Online

CNN debuted its news website CNN.com (then known as CNN Interactive) on August 30 1995. Initially an experiment, interest in CNN.com grew steadily over its first decade and today CNN.com is now one of the most popular news websites in the world. The widespread growth of blogs, social media and user-generated content have influenced the site, and blogs in particular have focused CNN's previously scattershot online offerings, most noticeably in the development and launch of CNN Pipeline in late 2005.

CNN Pipeline was the name of a paid subscription service, its corresponding website, and a content delivery client that provided streams of live video from up to four sources (or "pipes"), on-demand access to CNN stories and reports, and optional pop-up "news alerts" to computer users. The installable client was available to users of PCs running Microsoft Windows. There was also a browser-based "web client" that did not require installation. In July 2007 the service was discontinued and replaced with a free streaming service.

The now-defunct topical news-program Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics was the first CNN program to feature a round-up of blogs in 2004. Blog coverage was expanded when Inside Politics was folded into The Situation Room. In 2006 CNN launched CNN Exchange and CNN iReport, initiatives designed to further introduce and centralize the impact of everything from blogging to citizen journalism within the CNN brand. CNN iReport which features user-submitted photos and video, has achieved considerable traction, with increasingly professional-looking reports filed by amateur journalists, many still in high school or college. The iReport gained more prominence when observers of the Virginia Tech Shootings sent-in first hand photos of what was going during the shootings.

As of early 2008, CNN maintains a free live broadcast [7]. CNN International is broadcasted live, as part of the RealNetworks SuperPass subscription outside US. CNN also offers several RSS feeds and podcasts.

On April 18, 2008 CNN.com was targeted by Chinese hackers in retaliation for the network's coverage on the 2008 Tibetan unrest. CNN reported that they took preventative measures after news broke of the impending attack. [8] [9]

The company was honored at the 2008 Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for development and implementation of an integrated and portable IP-based live, edit and store-and-forward digital newsgathering system.

Criticism and controversies

Main article: CNN controversies

CNN has been accused of perpetrating media bias for allegedly promoting both a conservative and a liberal agenda based on previous incidents. Media Matters for America has documented several hundred separate instances of what it sees as conservative editorializing during CNN broadcasts.[10] Accuracy in Media and MRC have claimed that CNN's reporting contains liberal editorializing within news stories.[11][12]

In 2002, Honest Reporting spearheaded a campaign to expose CNN for pro-Palestinian bias, citing public remarks in which Ted Turner equated Palestinian suicide bombing with Israeli military strikes.[13]

Several prominent former CNN personalities have come to criticize certain aspects of the news network. Aaron Brown has said that CNN has committed "huge mistakes" and frames CNN as an "organization that is trying to figure out if it can be all things to all people." However, he also praised CNN's journalistic superiority, saying, "[...] CNN's a better journalism organization." [14] Bernard Shaw has expressed that he is "very very disappointed with the way the news management" has handled his favorite network. He criticised the effects of Fox News' "commentary [and] personal analysis" on the news reporting of CNN, saying that "CNN continues to ape many of the on-air mannerisms of the Fox News Network, and I don't like that."[15]As said by Ted Turner, founder of CNN, “There really isn’t much of a point getting some Tom, Dick or Harry off the streets to report on when we can snag a big name whom everyone identifies with. After all, it’s all part of the business.” However, in April 2008, Turner criticized the direction CNN has taken. [16]

A Chinese website, anti-cnn.com,[17] has accused CNN and western media in general of biased reporting against China, with the catch-phrase "Don't be so CNN" catching on in the Chinese mainstream as jokingly meaning "Don't be so biased". Pictures used by CNN are allegedly edited to have completely different meanings from the original ones. In addition, the network was accused of largely ignoring pro-China voices during the Olympic Torch Relay in San Francisco. Though these allegations exist, none have been proven to be true. [18]

On April 24, 2008 beautician Liang Shubing and teacher Li Lilan sued commentator Jack Cafferty and CNN $1.3 billion damages ($1 per person in China), in New York, for "violating the dignity and reputation of the Chinese people". This was in response to an incident during CNN's "The Situation Room" on April 9, where Cafferty stated his opinion that "[the USA] continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food" despite his view that "[the Chinese leaders were] basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years". Further, amid China's Foreign Ministry demand for an apology, 14 lawyers filed a similar suit in Beijing.[19][20]

CNN has also been accused of pro-Georgian coverage of Southossetian conflict. Allegedly, it stole Rusiya Al-Yaum records from Tskhinvali and represented them as shots from Gori.[21][22]

CNN in popular culture

See also: Groland and CNNNN

CNN HD

CNN HD is a 1080i High definition simulcast of CNN. Since most of CNN's programs are not produced in HD, stylized pillarboxing is used. However, during special events such as election day coverage, the areas on the sides show extra information, such as poll numbers (percentages) for each candidate and state. These are not seen on the SD channel.

CNN HD's program line-up is exactly the same as CNN's main channel, with high-definition versions of select programming. Since not all CNN studios and news gathering cameras are HD-capable, only shows based out of CNN's New York City studios such as American Morning, Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN Election Center, Anderson Cooper 360 and Your Money are in HD. The documentary Planet in Peril was CNN's first documentary program produced in HD, followed by Black in America.

During primary and caucus nights, America Votes 2008 is produced in complete HD with Wolf Blitzer anchoring from CNN's main New York studio which is renamed the CNN Election Center. During this time, CNN HD viewers get additional information on the side of their TV screens (this also happened for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, 2008 Republican National Convention, and the 2008 presidential and vice-presidential debates, all of which were also shot in HD.)

Coverage

Initial carriage of CNN HD on cable and satellite systems was limited. DirecTV launched CNN HD in September, 2007. By June 2008, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, AT&T U-verse, Rogers Cable, Midcontinent Communications, Bright House Networks, and Dish Network launched carriage of CNN HD. Verizon is currently in the process of adding CNN HD to its FiOS service on a market by market basis.

Current shows

Weekdays

ET Program Host(s) Description
6a-9a
American Morning
John Roberts and Kiran Chetry The network's morning news program.
9a-11a
CNN Newsroom
Heidi Collins A daily look at what's making news, airing live from the headquarters in Atlanta.
11a-1p
CNN Newsroom
Tony Harris A daily look at what's making news, airing live from the headquarters in Atlanta.
1p-3p
CNN Newsroom
Kyra Phillips A daily look at what's making news, airing live from the headquarters in Atlanta.
3p-4p
CNN Newsroom
Rick Sanchez A daily look at what's making news, airing live from the headquarters in Atlanta.
4p-7p
The Situation Room
Wolf Blitzer A fast-paced look at the day's top stories, focusing on politics, homeland security, and human interest stories.
7p-8p
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs A nightly news and discussion program.
8p-9p
Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull
Campbell Brown Discussion of the day's top political news and issues that matter to voters.
9p-10p
Larry King Live
Larry King A nightly talk program.
10p-12a
Anderson Cooper 360
Anderson Cooper A fast-paced, nightly news program. The second hour is typically a repeat of the first, unless special events or breaking news warrant it to be live.

Weekends

ET Saturday Sunday
Program Hosts Description Program Hosts Description
7a-830a
CNN Saturday Morning
Betty Nguyen and T. J. Holmes The network's weekend morning news program.
CNN Sunday Morning
Betty Nguyen and T. J. Holmes The network's weekend morning news program.
830a-9a
House Call
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Medical news program.
House Call
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Medical news program.
9a-930a
CNN Saturday Morning
Betty Nguyen and T. J. Holmes The network's weekend morning news program.
CNN Sunday Morning
Betty Nguyen and T. J. Holmes The network's weekend morning news program.
930a-10a
Open House
Gerri Willis A personal finance show with a focus on the housing market.
10a-11a
CNN Newsroom
Betty Nguyen and T. J. Holmes/Fredricka Whitfield (for 12p hour). A daily look at what's making news, airing live from the headquarters in Atlanta.
Reliable Sources
Howard Kurtz A weekly talk program focusing on a critical look at the media.
11a-1p
Late Edition
Wolf Blitzer CNN's political talk show, similar to CBS' Face the Nation or NBC's Meet the Press.
1p-2p
Your $$$$
Ali Velshi and Christian Romans A weekend business news program.
Fareed Zakaria GPS
Fareed Zakaria A weekly talk show focused on international issues
2p-3p
CNN Special Investigations Unit
Various Investigative reports.
This Week in Politics
Tom Foreman Weekly look at political news.
3p-4p
CNN Newsroom
Fredricka Whitfield/ Don Lemon A daily look at what's making news, airing live from the headquarters in Atlanta.
Your $$$$
Ali Velshi and Christian Romans A weekend business news program.
6p-7p
This Week in Politics
Tom Foreman Weekly look at political news.
7p-8p
Lou Dobbs This Week
Lou Dobbs Weekly edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs This Week
Lou Dobbs Weekly edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight
8p-9p
CNN Special Invistigations Unit/CNN Presents/Other specials
Various Various special programming
CNN Special Invistigations Unit/CNN Presents/Other specials
Various Various special programming
9p-10p
Larry King Live
Larry King A nightly talk program.
Larry King Live
Larry King A nightly talk program.
10p-11p
D.L. Hughley Breaks the News
D.L. Hughley Weekend program where the comedian gives his take on the week that was.
D.L. Hughley Breaks the News
D.L. Hughley Weekend program where the comedian gives his take on the week that was .
11p-11a
CNN Newsroom
Don Lemon A daily look at what's making news, airing live from the headquarters in Atlanta.
CNN Newsroom
Don Lemon A daily look at what's making news, airing live from the headquarters in Atlanta.

Former shows

Specialized channels

Post Production editing offices in Atlanta.

Former

Bureaus

CNN bureau locations
The CNN Center in Atlanta.
Note: Boldface indicates that they are CNN's original bureaus, meaning they have been in operation since the network's founding.

United States

Worldwide

See also

References

  1. Reese Schonfeld Bio. (January 29, 2001) MeAndTed.com. Accessed 2007-06-18.
  2. Charles Bierbauer, CNN senior Washington correspondent, discusses his 19-year career at CNN. (May 8, 2000). CNN.com. Accessed 2007-06-18.
  3. "The State of the News Media 2007 : Audience". Project for Excellence in Journalism. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
  4. American Television News: The Media Marketplace and the Public Interest by Steve Michael Barkin, M.E. Sharpe, 2003
  5. [1]
  6. CNN.com (September 11, 2001) Available at archive.org. Accessed 2007-06-18.
  7. "CNN live streaming website".
  8. "CNN website targeted", April 18, 2008
  9. Claburn, Thomas: "CNN Faces Cyberattack Over Tibet Coverage" InformationWeek, 2008
  10. Media Matters for America Results: Tagged with CNN, Media Matters for America
  11. CNN and the Liberal Propaganda Machine
  12. Media Research Center CyberAlert - 02/17/1999 - slant of CNN’s Tuesday night town meeting
  13. CNN chief accuses Israel of terror
  14. Aaron Brown Talks About... "CNN's Struggle" & The Competition From Fox. TVNEWSER. 6 July 2007.
  15. Retired anchor Shaw laments effects of Fox on his beloved CNN. Chicago Sun-Times. 5 June 2007.
  16. Ted Turner: Global warming could lead to cannibalism | ajc.com
  17. We Just Want the Truth! CNN:The world's leader of liars 西方媒体污蔑中国报道全纪录Anti-CNN.com,Anti-BBC.com,Anti-VOA.com
  18. [2] The most popular sentence in China: "Don't be so CNN!"
  19. www.ibtimes.com, CNN Faces $1.3 Bln Lawsuit - $1 per person in China
  20. reuters.com, CNN now sued for $1.3 billion - $1 per person in China
  21. CNN blamed for using misleading war video
  22. YouTube: CNN use footage of Tskhinvali ruins to cover Georgian report
  23. Rev. Jesse Jackson. (October 2001). RainbowPush.org. Accessed 2007-06-18.
  24. Roma-Atlanta via web Parte CNN Italia la Repubblica (Italian)

External links