CNN Africa Correspondent Jeff Koinange has been robbed at gunpoint outside CNN's Johannesburg bureau, according to the CNN Wire. Koinange and his wife were walking in broad daylight on Saturday when four men, one aiming a gun at Koinange's head, robbed him of all his possessions.

In a statement, CNN said that additional security measures have now been put in place, and that they and the Johannesburg police are investigating the incident.

At 1000 gmt, CNN International broadcast "Hollywood's After Party", with comment and interviews from the Oscar awards in Los Angeles. Larry King Replay is usually found in this slot.

I'm pretty sure this isn't live (2am PT) but I'm not sure when it was originally broadcast on CNN/US. If anyone can tell me, I'll update this post.

At 2100 gmt on Sunday 25 February, UK-based Sky News refreshed its graphics package. As part of the refresh, yellow, rather than red, is now the colour of breaking news, following in the footsteps of CNN International who I believe were the major news channel to adopt this colour for breaking news.

See this thread for screencaps

CNN Pressroom - Exclusive Special Coverage Offers Video, Prison Interview, Map Detailing Attacks, Homicides Nationwide

Following a year in which authorities reported more than 120 instances of teenagers attacking homeless people – as many as 20 resulting in death – CNN.com delves into this disturbing trend with extensive online coverage that includes an exclusive prison interview with a convicted teenager, video and audio packages and other interactive elements.

The coverage will be featured prominently on the homepage at www.CNN.com.

For this report, CNN.com offers a videotaped interview with Nathan Moore, who was convicted in 2005 of killing a homeless man in Milwaukee. Moore, 18, is serving a 15-year sentence at Columbia Correction Institution in Portage, Wis., where this interview took place. In the coverage, CNN.com also provides a video report on a freezing night-time tour through downtown Milwaukee with several homeless people as they offered insight into their struggles and their newfound fear of brutal beatings at the hands of teenagers.

“We’ve put the considerable resources of CNN.com behind this compelling special coverage to shed light on this troubling issue,” said Mitch Gelman, senior vice president and executive producer of CNN.com. “And our users will see more of this type of original reporting – backed with extensive video, audio and interactive elements offered only on CNN.com – in the future.”

The story was reported by CNN.com writer Ashley Fantz and video was shot by photographer/editor Paul Chase.

CNN.com supports this coverage with numerous digital elements including an interactive map detailing each of the attacks reported in 2006; video packages; an audio gallery featuring interviews with a mother of a convicted teenager and with Rufus Hannah, the former homeless star of Bumfights.com; and an All Access: Backstage Pass podcast detailing how CNN.com journalists compiled and prepared the information for this report.

As the first Internet site dedicated to 24-hour news coverage, CNN.com attracts an average of more than 24 million unique users each month. Launched in 1995, CNN.com draws from the resources of CNN Worldwide to provide relevant, up-to-the minute news and information. CNN.com features the latest multimedia technologies, from video streaming and user-generated content to audio packages and searchable archives of news features and background information.

New Photos:

Tony Harris

Rick Sanchez

New Bio: Sasha Herriman

(thanks to a viewer via the feedback form for these first two items!)

Revised: Photos have been removed from both Eunice Yoon and Adrian Finighan's profiles.

At 2025 gmt on CNNI, Becky Anderson in London broke away from World News Europe to bring a simulcast of CNN/US, which was providing live coverage of an impending verdict from Florida of the Anna Nicole Smith body custody trial.

However, the impending conclusion wasn't quite as soon as expected, as Judge Larry Seidlin took a break and announced he would have a decision in "15 minutes". Therefore, at 2035 gmt, CNNI cut away from CNN/US with World Business Today, with Charles Hodson live in London, beginning after a break.

At 2050 gmt, CNNI came straight out of a break and into a "Live Event" again simulcasting CNN/US, with the final verdict of the court. We were shown the end of CNN Newsroom and cut away just before The Situation Room began. CNNI cut away in perfect time for the closing bell from Wall Street, followed by the usual roundup from New York and the beginning of World News Europe at 2101 gmt.

This post on Katie Couric's Couric and Co. blog made me wonder if CNN's Richard Roth had followed colleagues Kelly Wallace and Daniel Sieberg to CBS. This isn't the case... as I found when searching the bios at CBSNews.com. I found that's simply the case of two Richard Roth's in the world working for competing news organizations.

Here's the bio for CBS' Richard Roth, in case you're interested.

Welcome to the first CNN Observations Poll! Are you a CNN Pipeline subscriber? Yes No Not Yet Payment for Pipeline isn't accepted in my country Current Results

CNN.com has launched a brand new website for Headline News morning show Robin & Company, available at http://www.cnn.com/robinandcompany.

CNNI have been trailing upcoming programmes on-air this week, due to begin in March. These include:

The Screening Room - A new movie programme

Eye on India - Continuing the seasonal feature, and following on from Eye on Brazil, this special week of programmes includes a new edition of CNN Connects

More details on these programmes to come in the coming weeks here on CNN Observations.

CNN Pressroom - Kiran Chetry, former Fox News anchor, has joined CNN as an anchor and correspondent, it was announced today by Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. Chetry, who will be based in the network’s New York bureau, appeared this morning on American Morning and will be anchoring Anderson Cooper360° tonight from 10 p.m. to midnight (ET).

“We have been interested in Kiran for a long time,” Klein said. “She is experienced and energetic – a perfect addition to the CNN family. We could not be more pleased that she could begin immediately.”

“CNN is the gold standard when it comes to journalism, and I am thrilled to be part of the team,” Chetry said.

Chetry began her journalism career at News 21 in Rockville, Md., in 1995 before moving to WICU-TV in Erie, Penn., to become an anchor and health reporter. At WICU-TV, she earned the Best Enterprise Reporting award from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association in 1997 for “Young and Hooked,” a series about teen smoking. She then served as a morning anchor and reporter for KXTV in Sacramento, Calif., before joining Fox News in 2001.

During her time at Fox News, Chetry covered major breaking news stories including reporting from the field during the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and anchoring during the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster, the invasion of Baghdad and Hurricane Katrina.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; four Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s premium live news video service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and one Web site.

TVNewser has the details.

Her husband is FNC weatherman Chris Knowles. Will he move to CNN with her? If so, he may become CNN's first on-air weather talent from NYC, as the rest are based in Atlanta. More details as they become available...

(Thanks to a tipster via the new comment form!)

Adrian Finhigan

Pedro Pinto

CNN Pressroom - David Bohrman, vice president of news and production and the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for CNN, becomes a senior vice president effective immediately, it was announced by Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. As the D.C. bureau chief, Bohrman leads all newsgathering and programming from the nation’s capital. With his additional duties as senior vice president, Bohrman will oversee the coordination of CNN’s special events.

“David’s promotion focuses and solidifies CNN’s political coverage as we enter the presidential election cycle,” Klein said. “Through his work on our multifaceted ‘America Votes 2006’ leading up to our ratings wins on Election Night, David shows remarkable vision and intelligence in making political news accessible and even appealing to our viewers.”

Under Bohrman’s supervision, CNN produced extensive political programming leading up to Election Day, which scored impressive ratings among the key 25-54 demographic. For 2004, Bohrman produced special coverage of the Republican and Democratic national conventions, the presidential and vice presidential debates, Election Night and the inauguration of President George W. Bush. In addition, he produced CNN’s live coverage of the funerals of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II.

Before moving to D.C., Bohrman created and served as senior executive producer of NewsNight with Aaron Brown, a position he assumed when he returned to CNN in summer 2001. Bohrman previously served as executive vice president of CNNfn, overseeing production of the network’s 18 hours of weekday business programming until November 2000 when he left to be the CEO of Pseudo Inc., the world’s first interactive Internet television network.

Bohrman joined CNN in February 1998 as executive in charge of the Moneyline News Hour. As executive producer, Bohrman was responsible for expanding the program to an hour-long format, which resulted in a ratings increase of 20 percent in its first six months.

As a 29-year award-winning broadcast news veteran, Bohrman has covered some of the most memorable events on television. Before joining CNN, Bohrman was executive producer of NBC News’ Specials and Special Events from 1993 to 1997. In this capacity, he oversaw all coverage of breaking news and events. In addition, Bohrman produced such specials as “Decision 94” election coverage and the state funerals for Richard Nixon and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Also, for the NBC News cable venture MSNBC, Bohrman was responsible for creating two critically acclaimed programs, The Site and Imus in the Morning.

Prior to working at NBC, Bohrman spent 13 years at ABC News. From 1991 to 1993, he was the executive producer of World News Now, the network’s first foray into overnight news coverage. Bohrman continued his role as executive producer when World News Now merged with World News This Morning and Good Morning America News in 1992. He was also a principal creator and executive producer of ABC News Interactive from 1988 to 1991. For several years, he served as senior producer of ABC News Special Events, playing key roles in coverage of the Persian Gulf War, political conventions and coverage of most major breaking stories. From 1982 to 1984, Bohrman was broadcast producer and senior producer of World News Tonight.

As part of Nightline’s original production team and senior producer, Bohrman managed the New York staff of Nightline and coordinated most of the live remotes.

Bohrman simultaneously earned a bachelor of arts degree in French and a bachelor of science in physical science from Stanford University and later earned a master’s of science in journalism from Columbia University.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; four Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s premium live news video service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and one Web site.

CNN Pressroom - Anderson Cooper 360° today launches “Planet in Peril” – an ongoing series of worldwide reports focusing on the environment. The series will kick off from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest with a look at deforestation’s impact on global warming. Anchor Anderson Cooper will be joined by Jeff Corwin, a wildlife biologist and host on Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

For years, scientists have linked the rapid deforestation of the Amazon River Basin to changes in the world’s climate. This month in Paris, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report from 2,500 scientists from 130 countries that cited deforestation as a leading contributor to global warming. In the coming months, Cooper will file reports from key locations around the globe, including China and Africa.

“So many environmental issues facing the Earth are inter-connected – from deforestation to population growth to global warming to species loss. To fully grasp the extent of these issues, we must examine all of them,” said David Doss, senior executive producer of Anderson Cooper 360°. “We are going to do our best to tackle these issues and offer viewers the complete story.”

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)

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; four Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s premium live news video service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and one Web site.

CNNI broke away from Larry King Replay at around 1055 gmt to bring breaking news of a video of kidnapped US soldier in Iraq. Todd Benjamin in London presented the short clip, which was broadcast without audio. LK didn't return, and Business International began at 1100 gmt, as scheduled, with continuing coverage.

Nigerian Minister of Information Frank Nweke Jr has accused CNN of fabricating a report broadcast last week on the capture of 24 Filipino hostages. Nweke says that the report by Jeff Koinange was "a paid job".

CNN and Koinange have flatly denied the charge in a written statement, maintaining that the network did not pay for any part of the report or any interviews. Additionally, CNNI have been seen to broadcast statements regarding the charges. This morning during Business International, Adrian Finighan presented a report on the charges, featuring Monday's interview between Jim Clancy and the Nigerian information minister. Adrian followed this report with a full statement upholding CNN's policy on reporting. It appears that this policy was read out, word for word, on all CNN networks on 13 February.

To read more about this, click here

Turner Broadcasting - During the week of April 16th, CNN will mark King’s golden anniversary with special programming marking career milestones.

Programming includes:

Larry King Live King Sized Week – A full week of A-list interviews including Oprah Winfrey and Katie Couric

CNN Presents: Larry King – 50 Years of Pop Culture - A two-hour retrospective special hosted by Anderson Cooper and Ryan Seacrest

Larry King Roast – Hosted by Bill Maher, featuring friends, colleagues and special guests

Larry King Live airs nightly Monday – Friday at 9 p.m. ET. Larry King Weekend airs Saturdays and Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

CNN Pressroom - Yearlong Undertaking Launches Feb. 17 across All Platforms with Series of Reports about Black Americans

CNN kicks off a provocative series of reports on people and issues often ignored by mainstream media, when it launches its “Uncovering America” project later this month. The yearlong effort – encompassing newscasts, prime-time programs and documentaries on CNN/U.S. and Headline News, as well as extensive features on CNN.com – will offer gripping in-depth reports on conflicts and controversies affecting minority groups including African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian-Americans and gays.

“Uncovering America” launches on Saturday, Feb. 17, with “MLK: Words That Changed a Nation,” a CNN: Special Investigations Unit hour in which Soledad O’Brien is granted rare access to the collection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s personal journals, speeches and other private writings – which shed new light on the people and the passions behind the Civil Rights movement. A special screening of the documentary on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Morehouse College in Atlanta will include Kyra Phillips moderating a panel discussion about the civil rights movement.

The effort unfolds during the ensuing week with:

· A special five-part series on Anderson Cooper 360° titled “Incarcerated in America.” Produced by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Shola Lynch, the series looks at the shocking impact of crime and punishment on inner-city communities. Anderson Cooper 360° airs each weekday from 10 p.m. to midnight (ET);

· A weeklong series from Monday, Feb. 19, through Friday, Feb. 23, on American Morning that includes reports about Michael Oher, a black football star at the University of Mississippi, who was raised by a white family; Chris Gardner, a father dedicated to stopping a cycle of deadbeat dads and the subject of the movie Pursuit of Happyness; the current and rising stars of politics and entertainment; and a look back at Pepsi Cola’s historic effort to break the color barrier with the hiring of black marketing and sales executives. American Morning airs each weekday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (ET);

· An unprecedented full day of programming across CNN/U.S. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, built around the theme of “Out in the Open,” in which anchors, reporters, analysts and guests discuss the realities of the racial divide that Americans often discuss privately but rarely acknowledge publicly. Paula Zahn Now has been blazing a trail for the past several months with “Out in the Open” debates that have broadened the discussion of discrimination and intolerance in the United States while introducing audiences to an array of interesting new thinkers on this important and divisive subject;

· A full week of profiles of emerging black leaders on Paula Zahn Now, including one of Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress. Paula Zahn Now airs each weekday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

· An ambitious journey down Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in which CNN Newsroom anchor T. J. Holmes stops at a different locale along the thoroughfare, introducing viewers to a range of people who illustrate the state of the “dream” today – 43 years after King’s famous speech;

· CNN Newsroom Kyra Phillips’ and Don Lemon’s interviews with a series of newsmakers working in areas of racial understanding, including teen-aged filmmaker, Kiri Davis, who replicated the landmark 1950s psychology “Black/White doll test” applied to young children to demonstrate the harm of educational segregation. On Monday, Feb. 19, Lemon interviews Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James about his philanthropic work and upcoming projects. The afternoon edition of CNN Newsroom airs each weekday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (ET).

· Special weekend editions on Saturday, Feb. 17, and Sunday, Feb. 18, of House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Open House and In the Money. House Call, which airs from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. both days on CNN/U.S., offers segments ranging from obesity and AIDS in African-American communities to access to health care to bone marrow shortages among blacks. Open House, which airs on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. on CNN/U.S. and on both days at 5:30 p.m. on Headline News, explores the affect of Atlanta’s rapid growth on neighborhood racial gaps and profiles a woman who says she experienced discrimination in obtaining a mortgage and a Harlem-based architect Michael Henry Adams. In the Money, which airs on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. on CNN/U.S., provides segments exploring diversity in the workplace and the correlation of skin tone, height and gender with salary.

· Special guests on Headline News and “Leaders in the Black Community” vignettes on Robin and Company. Robin and Company airs each weekday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ET);

Online, CNN.com offers a wide-ranging look at the state of equality today with its special section, “Uncovering America: The Road to Equality,” available at www.CNN.com/roadtoequality. “The Road to Equality” features video and written commentaries to examine the most pressing needs in addressing equality in this country as well as graphic elements to reveal the demographic divides across the nation.

CNN.com extends an invitation to users to send in their thoughts in video and text about equality, racism and related topics through CNN Exchange, CNN.com’s destination for user-generated content. Submission forms are available at www.CNN.com/exchange.

The special section also provides a link to “MLK: Words that Changed a Nation,” CNN.com’s interactive report exploring the once-private papers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Throughout the month, CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s premium live news video service, has invited a variety of guests and commentators to discuss issues related to black history. In addition to being streamed live on CNN Pipeline, these interviews also will be available on-demand at www.CNN.com/video.

To help CNN affiliates with their Black History Month coverage, CNN Newsource has produced 20 vignettes – one for each weekday – on subjects such as the birth of hip-hop and jazz, Jim Crow laws and the Buffalo Soldiers and people including James Brown, W.E.B. Du Bois, Althea Gibson, Coretta Scott King and Gen. Colin Powell.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; four Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s premium live news video service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and one Web site.

At 0939 gmt, CNNI interrupted World Sport in progress to bring some breaking news. Adrian Finighan, presented from the London newsroom as opposed to the studio (where World Sport was coming from live, with Don Riddell) brought live pictures from the rooftop of CNN's Baghdad bureau, which was showing a massive plume of smoke after a huge explosion near Haifa Street. World Sport resumed at 0946.

Adrian continued to bring updates on this breaking news in the next hour, with a live report from Arwa Damon at 1000 gmt. And rather than going to an ad break during the re-run of Saving Your Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta (where's Larry King Replay? It wasn't broadcast yesterday either), Adrian returned with an update of the death toll.

At 0750 gmt, CNNI was observed to have dispensed with normal programming to bring a Live Event - a live speech from Iranian president Mahmud Amhadinejad, in Tehran to mark Revolution Day. Coverage of the speech continued through the top of the hour, at 0800 gmt. The 0830 gmt airing of Revealed was also shunted for continuing coverage of the live speech.

The speech ended at 0843 gmt, and Shihab Rattansi, live in Atlanta summarized and spoke to a journalist in Tehran by phone.

After taking at break at 0850 gmt, Shihab returned with the continuing extended World News, with other news stories.

As scheduled, World News, with Shihab, started at 0900 gmt.

Erica Hill returns to Prime News as mentioned by Christi Paul on Friday's broadcast.

I've had confirmation from a respected source at CNNI that flagship programme Insight has indeed disappeared from the schedules...for the time being. Instead of a 30-minute weekday programme, Jonathan Mann has been appearing on other programmes such as Your World Today, providing short in-depth reports which would usually have appeared within the Insight programme. He has also appeared on other CNN networks such as Headline News.

I'm told this is an experiment to replace Insight with a series of shorter reports repeated throughout the news day on CNNI. A final decision has not been taken on the programme or these segments.

I've came across some updated (I think) CNN Schedules for 3 of their 4 networks. Check out the following links below for a PDF version of the schedule.

CNN En Español
CNN/US
Headline News - A CNN Network

Keep in mind that these may or may not be updated, and current schedules can be found at CNN.com.... except for CNN/I their schedules on the site can't seem to be updated! (I won't even show you the printable schedule I found, it was out of date since like 2002!)

At 2052 gmt, CNNI relayed CNN/US which was quoting sources saying that former Playboy playmate and heiress Anna Nicole Smith had died. Charles Hodson in London broke away from this coverage for a break at 2058 gmt. World News Europe with Fionnula Sweeney in London began as scheduled at 2100 gmt.

At 2138 gmt, CNNI broke away from World Sport live in progress with Patrick Snell in Atlanta, for a Live Event - the press conference from Hollywood, Florida, offically confirming the death of Anna Nicole Smith.

After this, at 2144 gmt, Fionnula Sweeney in London handed over to CNN/US, and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer in progress, with contributions from Dr. Sanjay Gupta and John Zarrella, with continuing coverage of this story.

At 2200 gmt, CNNI broke away for the start of Business International, unusally tonight with Hala Gorani in Atlanta.

In a change to the regular programming, and in light of tonight's news, CNNI simulcast Larry King Live at 0200 gmt, in place of CNN Today.

Shortly after Your World Today resumed at 1900 gmt, breaking news coverage began of an impending agreement between Hamas and Fatah, from the talks in Mecca, to stop fighting. This coverage, anchored from Atlanta by Hali Gorani, with Ben Wedeman on the phone from Jerusalem, caused the cancellation of the 1930 gmt live showing of World Business Today, from London.

At 2000 gmt, World News Europe started with Fionnula Sweeney in London, continuing with this breaking news coverage.

A couple of other notes:

• During the week, CNN devoted a large amount of time to the leaked video showing a friendly fire incident, with American forces attack a British convoy. When CNNI first started showing the video, the words "shit" and "fuck" were clear left in both in audio and text form, on screen. Later, they were bleeped out. It's not clear if this was an error originally, or an editorial decision.

We now have an easier address for you to use when accessing our site. Now you can use http://www.cnnobservations.com or http://cnnobservations.blogspot.com/. We appreciate your support of our site since it opened. Stay tuned!

-Dustin
www.dustinsoper.com

We've added a few new wallpapers to our downloads section at the right, as well as updating that section so you can scroll through the wallpapers without taking up a lot of space on our right side. Enjoy! Hit the comment button below to let us know what you think.

CNN/U.S. now has an audio feed to their network stream. If you have Windows Media Player installed, click here to listen to CNN/US.

CNN Headline News' Chuck Roberts just announced that it is his colleague (filling in for Linda Stouffer) Kathleen Kennedy's last day with the network. She celebrated her 15th anniversay with the network and says she's going to spend time at home with her kids for the interim.

I wonder if this was on her own or because her show with Thomas Roberts was dropped earlier last year. We'll keep you apprised on the developments.

According to CNN, what is the difference between Chief and Senior in titles?

Christiane Amanpour - Chief International Correspondent
Jim Bittermann - Senior European Correspondent
Matthew Chance - Senior International Correspondent
Dr. Sanjay Gupta - Chief/Senior Medical Correspondent (I see Chief on the website and on CNN, but when he's on Headline News' Robin and Company they list him as Senior)
Jamie McIntyre - Senior Pentagon Correspondent
Nic Robertson - Senior International Correpsondent
Ali Velishi - Senior Business Correspondent
Ben Wedemen - Senior International Correspondent

What is the difference between Senior and Chief here... anyone know? I could only think that Senior is a pretty high position but Chief is even higher... I don't know.

Once again, this afternoon's World News Asia at 1200 gmt came live from Atlanta, presented by Shihab Rattansi.

The 1400 gmt edition of World News Asia was presented by Todd Benjamin, live in London.

Not quite sure why this is yet, other than possible staffing issues in HK. However, it may also just be a Monday thing, as it has previously happened on some Mondays only.

Those eagle-eyed CNN viewers out there will have spotted early-90s CNNI sports anchor Graeme Joffe making a return appearance this weekend on CNNI. He was featured in a Femi Oke-hosted report on the impending boxing fight involving Muhammad Ali's daughter. Joffe now works for a South African radio station, and provided his thoughts on the upcoming bout.

Graeme Joffe, pictured left in 1992 and picture right now, was a CNNI sports anchor and one of the early presenters of World Sport.

For an example of Joffe's work, although I'm sure not a good example, click here.

Gary Tuchman

A new documentary series is soon to air on CNN International. Taking a look at the issues and concerns that don't always make it to the screens, World's Untold Stories will spotlight the important matters that get overshadowed in day-to-day newscasts.

World's Untold Stories premieres on CNNI Friday 16 February 2007.

(It's not clear yet if this will air on CNN/US)

CNN Pressroom - With the increased emphasis on terrorism, security and cultural tension around the world, CNN has appointed Paula Newton to fill the newly created role of international security correspondent, it was announced today by Tony Maddox, senior vice president for CNN International newsgathering. Newton, an international correspondent for CNN since 2005, will be based in the network’s European headquarters in London.

This new post will enable CNN to widen its coverage of the issues surrounding the threat of global terrorism, including the implementation of anti-terrorism measures, tensions within communities and immigration as well as the impact these issues have on the daily lives of people worldwide.

“This role has been created in recognition of the growing significance of international terrorism in the global news agenda,” Maddox said. “London is on the frontline in the war on terrorism, and we want to use CNN’s strong newsgathering and production infrastructure in London to explore this issue.”

As international security correspondent, Newton will report for all of CNN’s services investigative stories involving terrorism, security, immigration and cultural conflict. The mandate is to primarily cover Britain and Europe but will also touch on issues in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere.

Newton is a seasoned political reporter whose career has combined coverage of the wars in the Middle East, Kosovo and the Balkans with political affairs reporting from the major G8, NATO and Commonwealth Summits. She joined CNN following a 12-year career with the Canadian broadcaster CTV. Her high profile roles at CTV included Moscow bureau chief and national affairs correspondent in Ottawa. She also worked as the Atlantic affairs reporter in Halifax and Quebec affairs correspondent in Montreal and occasionally anchored some of CTV’s flagship new shows.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; four Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s premium live news video service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and one Web site.

CNN Pressroom - Users Watched More than 600 Million Free Videos, Viewed More than 16 Billion Pages on CNN.com Last Year

CNN.com, the Internet’s leading provider of news and information, claimed the greatest average monthly share of online news among all Current Events and Global News sites in 2006.

CNN.com, with 15 percent of online news usage, garnered a higher average monthly share of online news than both second-ranked Yahoo! News, which had a 13 percent share, and third-ranked MSNBC.com, which had a 10 percent share.*

“During 2006, CNN.com reasserted its dominance as a leading online news source, providing users with incomparable access to the best news and information and the most compelling on-demand video,” said David Payne, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com. “Coming off such a strong year, we face the challenge to take the online news experience to a whole new level. As we move into 2007, our online consumers will find CNN.com more than capable to meet the challenge.”

For such major news as the midterm elections, the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the death of Steve Irwin and the execution of Saddam Hussein, millions of online users turned to CNN.com. In 2006, online news users spent an average 975 million Gross Usage Minutes (GUM) on CNN.com each month, topping other news sites, including Yahoo! News which was second with 856 million average monthly GUM. Source: Nielsen//NetRatings U.S. Home/Work Panel, January-December 2006 data, Current Events and Global News subcategory.

CNN.com’s other achievements in 2006 include:

· Averaging 1.4 billion page views each month in 2006, with its peak month coming in November with 1.6 billion page views. Source: Webstats Internal Log Files data;

· Serving more than 600 million free videos in 2006, an average of 51 million each month. Driven by video viewing surrounding the execution of Saddam Hussein, December stood as the site’s peak month last year with 67 million free videos served. Source: Webstats Internal Log Files data;

· Serving 7.7 million videos on Dec. 30, 2006, – the day after Saddam’s execution – making it the site’s No. 1 day for free video. Source: Webstats Internal Log Files data; and

· Ranking No. 1 among mobile news providers for every month from January 2006 through November 2006. Source: Telephia.

“The phenomenal reach of our digital assets and the quality content that CNN.com provides as the number one online news source has led to unprecedented growth for our digital advertising business,” said Greg D’Alba COO of CNN Ad Sales and Marketing. “Combining our impressive digital portfolio with CNN’s powerful on-air networks, our ad sales team is able to develop fully-integrated packages for our clients that deliver all the advantages of CNN’s brand across multiple platforms.”

As the first Internet site dedicated to 24-hour news coverage, CNN.com attracts an average of 23 million unique users each month. Launched in 1995, CNN.com draws from the resources of CNN Worldwide to provide relevant, up-to-the minute news and information. CNN.com features the latest multimedia technologies, from video streaming and user-generated content to audio packages and searchable archives of news features and background information.

* Source: Turner Research based on data from Nielsen//NetRatings Home/Work Panel, Internet applications and proprietary channels excluded, January – December 2006. Share of Online News Usage = News Site Unique Visitors X Time Per Person / Sub-Category Unique Visitors X Time Per Person.