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CNN: We're actually going to try and do the news now.

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M

Macam

Banned
CNN announced a slate of programming and anchor changes Monday intended to refocus the No. 2 cable news network on hard news and analysis, and away from opinion and talk.

CNN chief Jon Klein, who took over in November, says the changes are not meant to directly counter Fox News Channel, which continues to trounce onetime ratings leader CNN, now marking its 25th year.

"There are many tactical things we could do to try to beat Fox, but we're trying to be ourselves: Roll up our sleeves and report the news, don't talk about it," Klein says.

News analyst Andrew Tyndall says that in making the changes, CNN chose to "counterprogram against Fox rather than compete."

Year to date, Fox draws an average of 842,000 viewers to CNN's 458,000 and MSNBC's 217,000 at any given time.

But, says Klein: "I don't think of CNN as being up against Fox and MSNBC anymore than we're up against 500 choices on cable, millions of choices in iTunes, 10 million blogs, video games, DVDs. Our competition is every medium."

Among the changes: Your World Today, CNN International's one-hour midday broadcast anchored by Zain Verjee and Jim Clancy, will now air on CNN domestic weekdays at noon ET/9 a.m. PT, marking the first time any cable news outlet has devoted a regular daytime block — albeit a low-rated one — solely to international news. Today kicked off Monday with reports from Sudan and Syria.

After 10 years at CNN, Bill Hemmer, the co-anchor of American Morning who turned down CNN's offer to become White House correspondent and whose contract is up this year, announced he's leaving June 17.

Veteran CNN anchor Miles O'Brien, best known for his space shuttle coverage, joins Soledad O'Brien June 20 on Morning, making it an all-O'Brien newscast. "I think it's easier to remember one name in the morning," Klein joked.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer gets a weekday 3 to 6 p.m. ET news block called The Situation Room, which replaces Inside Politics, Crossfire and Wolf Blitzer Reports. The program debuts mid-summer, with Morning's Jack Cafferty and other CNN correspondents joining the program.

Klein says that Blitzer, a longtime CNN anchor and onetime White House correspondent, will focus on "the biggest and most interesting stories of the day, drawing on all our resources."

Klein, a former CBS News executive, also announced that veteran network news executives David Doss and Victor Neufeld have joined CNN. Dodd will supervise Anderson Cooper 360, Neufeld Paula Zahn Tonight.

Tyndall says that in veering toward news and away from opinion, CNN deserves credit for positioning itself as a network where news can be reported and analyzed, not just argued.

"Everyone talks in talking points these days," he said. "It's not just on cable news. It's radio. It's everywhere. The entire political world is no longer talking ideas, but talking points."
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-06-06-cnn-hemmer_x.htm
 
B

boredJonathan

Member
I love the ideas behind it, but I think the problem is now outside of just actually reporting the news and not both sides of a story. I can't imagine any interview being done in this day and age where it didn't degrade into soundbites and talking points? How do you combat that? It's not like CNN is the ratings leader and can push for more aggressive/less lenient interview standards. If the guests are not getting their talking point across, or getting the questions they want asked, they'll move on to MSNBC who will pick up the slack and probably pick up the ratings then unfortunately.

/gloom
 
L

LakeEarth

Member
"In other news, the president has been arrested for murder, but first, Britney Spears says pregnant sex rocks! More on this and other pointless bullshit right after we talk about this runaway bride for a half hour."
 
I

Incognito

Troll
It's already started. Wolf Blitzer hosts some morning show that is nothing but news. It's goddamn fucking amazing.

News from Africa.

News from the Middle East.

News that actually is worth covering in this country(MISSING WHITE GIRL WHAT???!!!).

And so on...
 
M

Macam

Banned
Good to hear, Incognito. I cancelled TV largely on account of TechTV disappearing and Time Warner's abysmal service (all I ever asked for was a pristine signal for 2-3 hours every Sunday on HBO, but that was impossible apparently), alongside the decline of news broadcasting. I doubt I'll ever opt to pick up the tab for TV again, but it's encouraging to hear CNN getting back in shape. It seems Ted Turner's recent criticisms hit home.
 
Grizzlyjin

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
So they figured out that some people would rather form their own opinions, Jawesome!
 
I

impirius

Member
I'm digging CNN's new focus. Showing Your World Today is a great move. It's like real news or something!

While I'm in a news channel thread, I have to plug Countdown (MSNBC primetime) and World News Now (middle of the night on ABC). They're both great shows.

American news media +1


edit: Oh yeah, forgot about Headline Prime... okay, so the net result is +0.5
 
I

Incognito

Troll
Yeah, oddly enough, I enjoy Countdown with Ron Reagan and Monica Crowley. Plus, it comes on twice a day, so you're getting news from the night beforehand discussed and then the 5pm showing which talks about the current days events.

Monica is HAWWWWWT, too. Too bad she's a rightwinger. Why are the right-wing hostessesses so gorgeous?
 
I

impirius

Member
Incognito said:
Yeah, oddly enough, I enjoy Countdown with Ron Reagan and Monica Crowley. Plus, it comes on twice a day, so you're getting news from the night beforehand discussed and then the 5pm showing which talks about the current days events.

Monica is HAWWWWWT, too. Too bad she's a rightwinger. Why are the right-wing hostessesses so gorgeous?
Click to expand...
That's Connected! Countdown's the one with Keith Olbermann and the "wacky news of the day" segments. I do agree with you on Connected, though; the blog stuff isn't nearly as annoying as it could be, and Reagan in particular has finally found a comfortable groove.

And I imagine the answer to your question is that they have to balance out the looks of the male right-wing pundits. :D
 
I

Incognito

Troll
Damn, that's the one! Countdown is good, too. Too bad he's sandwiched between the "I always defend George W. Bush against the liberal elite, BUT I'm not partisan!" Chris Matthews and that fucking shill Joe Scarborough.
 
M

Macam

Banned
midnightguy said:
CNN is disgusting and sickening. watching them squirm around under the pressure of falling ratings is just pathetic.
Click to expand...

If that equates to increased attempts to produce better journalism, so be it.
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
This reminds me of when Mtv says "We will play more music videos .. we promise!"


I still get half of my news from the internet now, anyways. The other half from the radio and magazines. I might watch 30 minutes of TV news in any given week. That's where the ratings have went to.
 
T

Troidal

Member
CNN is barely watchable as a news channel.
Hope to see more news if they are for real.

It's kinda ironic they show Jon Stewart's Daily News Show on CNN Japan here...
listening to it in Japanese on audio channel 2 is horrible.
 
C

ConfusingJazz

Member
Well, I for one welcome this news, as long as it isn't filled with shit like the runaway bride. I hope they do in depth coverage of stuff going on in places that aren't the US, Iraq, or NK, even though I welcome decent coverage of the three. I also prefer facts, not "analysis" from two screaming spinsters from the dems and GOP that make me want to bash my head into the tv, hoping that even if I don't make it through to electrucute myself to death, maybe I will knock myself out on the glass. Just my two cents, however wishful it is.
 
W

whytemyke

Honorary Canadian.
They need more Andersen Cooper 360. Best fuckin' show they've got. NEXT TO CROSSFIRE THAT IS LOLOL AMIRITE?!!1

I sure hope they do more reporting on blogs, too! THAT'D MAKE ME WATCH!!!
 
H

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
Apple using Intel.
CNN reporting News.

Has the world gone mad?


Seriously though, if the new CNN is half as good as NPR then I just might regain some hope for the American news media.
 
fse

fse

Member
The new CNN is going good. Seen some for the past couple of days... Since when do they report on blogs?
 
T

Togeo

Member
"I don't think of CNN as being up against Fox and MSNBC anymore than we're up against 500 choices on cable, millions of choices in iTunes, 10 million blogs, video games, DVDs. Our competition is every medium."


Yes, poor CNN, the news network that apparently isn't competing with other networks. But apparently is under the misguided impression they're competing with Itunes and Halo 2.

"SIR Halo 2 sales have reached over 2 million, and the new Weezer album is out!"

"We're doomed!"
 
T

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
Well I just turned it on only to hear "coming up soon, a pizza delivery man continues his job after being shot...that's right after being shot, amazing."

Then I turned it off.
 
B

Belfast

Member
teh_pwn said:
Well I just turned it on only to hear "coming up soon, a pizza delivery man continues his job after being shot...that's right after being shot, amazing."

Then I turned it off.
Click to expand...

To be fair morning shows usually do end up doing those fluff pieces. Nothing wrong with a human interest story, either. Even the network news programes do it (especially if you count the news magazines!).
 
Y

yoopoo

Banned
Don't you guys get CNN International? Actual news 24 hours a day. With non of those stupid ass opinion shows.
 
M

mightynine

Member
Togeo said:
"I don't think of CNN as being up against Fox and MSNBC anymore than we're up against 500 choices on cable, millions of choices in iTunes, 10 million blogs, video games, DVDs. Our competition is every medium."


Yes, poor CNN, the news network that apparently isn't competing with other networks. But apparently is under the misguided impression they're competing with Itunes and Halo 2.

"SIR Halo 2 sales have reached over 2 million, and the new Weezer album is out!"

"We're doomed!"
Click to expand...

You don't get it. Read what he's saying. Plainly obvious. He's saying CNN's competing with any other media out there that might take your attention away from CNN.
 
V

VictimOfGrief

Banned
"There's no news.... like bad news....."
tnd-23.jpg

:lol :lol :lol
 
T

Togeo

Member
"You don't get it. Read what he's saying. Plainly obvious. He's saying CNN's competing with any other media out there that might take your attention away from CNN."

Well first of all I don't think Itunes competes in ANY way with CNN. They're not losing viewers because people are downloading and listening to music. Take it a (albeit a giant one for emphasis) step further and CNN is competing with amusement parks because people are spending time there when they could be watching CNN. People don't watch the news to escape, quite the opposite. When people are in the mood for news, they seek out news. Most people who watch televised news turn on the TV with the intent of "Watching the news".

I think they're doing a disservice to their profession by dismissing the two other news channels as not being competition then saying they're trying to compete with entertainment. How objective can you be if you want to compete with fantasy? I'm not saying that they arn't in some degree of competition but to dismiss your fellow journalists as not competing and list a music download service is just plain stupid. Since when should the news try to compete with entertainment? At that point it's completely lost it's meaning. (And yes I know it's pretty much already happened *weeps*)
 
T

Togeo

Member
I don't think anyone tires of seeing this, and it pretty much sums up news today :D , and I'll use any oppertunity I can get to promote Jon Stewart.

Jon Stewart on Crossfire = Crossfire gets owned.

www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2652831

Apparently he's being credited with the show being canceled. :lol :lol :lol :lol
 
H

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
I think they're doing a disservice to their profession by dismissing the two other news channels as not being competition then saying they're trying to compete with entertainment. How objective can you be if you want to compete with fantasy?
Click to expand...
The Irony Meter just pegged.
 
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