CNN Pressroom - Special on Thursday, May 31, Examines Absence of National Outrage in Wake of 27 Murders this School Year

An unfathomable 27 public school students in Chicago were killed during this past school year – 20 shot, seven stabbed or suffocated. Despite these alarming statistics, this streak of youth violence has received little attention outside of the city. Arne Duncan, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, claims that if the deaths had occurred in a white suburb, the outcry would be deafening, but, because it was inner-city violence, it has been ignored.

Anderson Cooper and correspondents David Mattingly, Keith Oppenheim and Gary Tuchman will examine what has led to this pattern of violence and try to shed light on who should be held accountable. The one-hour special, “24 Hours in Chicago,” recreates for its viewers a 24-hour stretch of time before one victim, Blair Holt, lost his life. The program airs during the first hour of Anderson Cooper 360° at 10pm on Thursday, May 31.

“One of our goals is to tell untold stories from around the world, and it is unconscionable that this particular story in Chicago happens to be among them,” said David Doss, senior executive producer of Anderson Cooper 360°. “We attempt to find out why there isn’t national outrage and also delve into how these tragedies occur in the first place.”

To that end, “24 Hours in Chicago,” examines the 24 hours prior to Blair Holt’s death. Holt, a 16-year-old son of a newly promoted Chicago Police captain, died of a gunshot wound on a public bus when he protected a friend from gang members shooting at a rival gang member. Mattingly weaves interviews from Blair’s parents, the surviving teenager, the shooter, detectives and school officials together into a story that ends with Blair’s violent death.

Cooper profiles a number of local youth programs designed to break the cycle of violence. In addition, Tuchman takes a critical look at where to place blame for such incidents, examining gun issues, poverty, gangs and a culture of violence. Oppenheim interviews a mother in one Chicago neighborhood forced to send her children to school on a street where bullets often fly.

Anderson Cooper 360° is an in-depth, comprehensive 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 video news service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and two Web sites.

Looks like Jeff is gone from the network as his bio has been removed.

Update: TVNewser.com has more details.

CNN Pressroom - Special Investigations Unit, Frank Sesno Considers Scenarios for Documentary Set to Air on Saturday, June 2

As Americans face the highest gasoline prices in the nation’s history, CNN special correspondent Frank Sesno investigates the obstacles to finding solutions for the world’s addiction to oil. At the dawn of another busy summer travel season, this hour-long documentary examines a hypothetical, yet plausible situation: A series of natural and man-made disasters interrupting the already strained oil supply chain.

CNN: Special Investigations Unit – We Were Warned, Out of Gas, will air on Saturday, June 2, at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. All times Eastern.

Sesno examines how major stresses on the international fuel supply chain could cripple domestic and international commerce, tourism and the multinational food supply web and how over-reliance on fossil fuels causes global climate change. Sesno speaks to global entrepreneur and innovator Sir Richard Branson, who intends to do something about both challenges, particularly when his Virgin Airlines fleet burns 700 million gallons of fuel annually, an increase in costs of about $1 billion dollars over the past three years.

“If fuel prices went to a $120.00 a barrel, which is not beyond the realms of possibilities, the short-term effect would be massive bankruptcies in quite a lot of industries,” Branson says in the documentary.

To meet the global challenge of energy security, Branson founded a renewable energy research corporation, Virgin Fuels, that is providing industry leadership in an apparent vacuum of government leadership. An exception may be Brazil, which produces fuels from sugar cane.

With rare interviews with famed automobile industry innovator Bob Lutz and former CIA Director James Woolsey, Sesno also explores the oil sands of Western Canada, the efficiency of hybrid automobiles and the American politics and international trade policies that maintain dependence on such a fragile balance.

CNN: Special Investigations Unit – We Were Warned, Out of Gas was executive produced by Steve Robinson; Heather O’Neill was producer. The vice president and senior executive producer of CNN Productions is Mark Nelson.

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 video news service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and two Web sites.

CNN Pressroom - CNN.com was honored this week with an EPpy Award by Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek magazines for the Best Use of Video in a Web Site with more than 1 million unique monthly visitors.

“Over the first full year of offering free online video, CNN.com experienced triple-digit growth in the numbers of video streams served,” said David Payne, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com. “When breaking news occurs, we're finding that more and more people are telling their friends that they saw it first on CNN.com.”

The 2007 EPpy Awards mark the 12th consecutive year of the program, which honors the best Web sites in the media world, including newspapers, television, cable, radio stations and magazines. The EPpy Awards were presented Thursday, May 24, at an awards luncheon at the Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show at the Radisson Hotel Miami.

CNN.com twice previously won EPpy awards in 2004 as the Best Overall Network, TV/Cable-Affiliated Internet Service and for its coverage of the war in Iraq.

For its latest award, CNN.com was recognized for giving users access to high-quality video content in a wide-screen format featuring the most popular news stories of the day. In addition, the award honors CNN.com for CNN Pipeline, a premium live video news service that puts users in control of multiple live video streams, CNN’s video archives and on-demand news clips from CNN’s unmatched newsgathering operation around the world.

The award comes only days after CNN.com announced plans to make the multiple live video streams and archived content currently available on CNN Pipeline accessible for free to all of its users starting on Sunday, July 1.

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.

Kevin Corriveau

CNN Pressroom - Lola Ogunnaike, who served as a top culture reporter for The New York Times, will join CNN's flagship morning news program, American Morning, beginning Tuesday, May 29. Based in New York, Ogunnaike will report on pop culture and entertainment news as part of American Morning’s daily news coverage.

“Lola is as smart and thoughtful as she is fun and engaging – a combination we’re sure will connect with our audience,” said Ed Litvak, executive producer of American Morning. “Her years of experience doing sharp, insightful entertainment coverage will make her a great addition to our team.”

Ogunnaike has been covering entertainment news since 1999. Prior to joining CNN, Ogunnaike spearheaded The New York Times’ entertainment coverage, including profiles of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey and Sting for the paper’s “Arts and Leisure” section. Before that, she was a features reporter at the New York Daily News, where she covered breaking news on celebrities and entertainment.

Previously, Ogunnaike was a contributing writer for Vibe magazine, where she was responsible for monthly music features and cover stories. She has also had her work published in Rolling Stone, New York, Glamour, Details, Nylon, the New York Observer and V Magazine. On air, she has made regular guest appearances on American Morning and Headline News’ Showbiz Tonight as well as NBC’s Today Show, MTV and VH1. Ogunnaike received her master’s in fine arts degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Virginia.

From the international and national stories making headlines to health, business, consumer and entertainment news, American Morning provides the most news in the morning on television. The program broadcasts weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (ET) on CNN/U.S. Ed Litvak is the show’s executive producer.

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 video news service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and two Web sites.

CNN Pressroom - Content Available on Subscription-based CNN Pipeline Moving to Free Service on CNN.com

CNN.com this summer will unveil significant enhancements, creating a fully integrated online news experience. As part of the site’s redesign, the live, streaming and archived video content accessible through the subscription-based CNN Pipeline service since December 2005 will be available for free at CNN.com starting on Sunday, July 1.

The goal of CNN.com’s latest evolution is to make it easier for online consumers to get more news in more ways than ever before. After nearly 18 months of offering CNN Pipeline through subscription, CNN.com will begin offering users free of charge even more of the great video they expect – live and on-demand. As with the current CNN Pipeline service, CNN.com will provide access to its video archives and up to four streams of live content but without the need to download a video player.

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.

It seems that Adrianna Costa is out at Headline News. Her photo has been removed from the Robin & Company website, and her bio has been removed from the Anchors & Reporters section of CNN.com.

We don't have any other details as of yet, as to where she's headed or her replacement at CNN, but once we do we will pass them along to you.

Update (2:00 PM): A CNN/O reader posts that during the show this morning, Robin mentioned that Costa has left CNN to work with another network on a reality show.

CNN Today was this morning, at 2300 gmt, coming from both Hong Kong and Atlanta, with Shakuntala Santhiran and Suzanne Simons anchoring from both locations respectively. Staffing in Hong Kong is particularly low at the moment, with Hugh Rimington in Baghdad and Andrew Stevens away. Kristie Lu Stout has been presenting World News Asia in the evenings HK time recently.

CNN Press Release - In a wide-ranging interview, American Morning anchor John Roberts will talk with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) about Iraq, immigration, the 2008 campaigns, her tenure thus far as the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the National Summit on America’s Children.

The interview will air during the Monday, May 21, edition of American Morning, though portions of it will run during the 4 p.m. hour of today’s edition of The Situation Room.

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 video news service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and two Web sites.

* Adrian Finighan, usually of CNN Today and Business International from London, is in Atlanta this week and has been co-hosting Your World Today. CNN/I's London anchors are occasionally seen in Atlanta, with recent examples being Max Foster and Richard Quest. However, it would appear to have been much longer since a Hong Kong-based anchor was anchoring from Atlanta.

* Sanjay Gupta's new series Project Life premiered on CNN/I on Wednesday evening. This is another 15-minute programme, following on from Becky Anderson's "The Spirit Of…". Project Life is on each Wednesday at 1815 gmt, in place of the last 15 minutes of Your World Today. It also repeats at the weekend. It would appear that this series is exclusive to CNN/I, unless anyone can tell me otherwise

Did anyone happen to catch Larry King on Headline Prime's Glenn Beck last night? I happened to catch the first half of it because I missed the first 2 showings and caught the Midnight, ET showing, and I was exhausted, so I just went to bed after the first half. I think it was better than Katie Couric's interview during Larry's 50th Anniversary Celebration week.

Hopefully they'll run it again on Prime Weekend so I can catch it in its entirety.

I wonder if either of them mentioned Larry King going to Headline News at Noon?

CNN.com updated Nicole Lapin's bio photo recently.

Also, to coincide with Nicole's new Pipeline series Young People Who Rock, CNN.com has launched a new blog to feature these stories. It also features a new photo of one of CNN's most popular new anchors.

From the Daily Show on May 8th, and also broadcast as part of the "Global Edition" aired on CNN/I this weekend.

Update: Looks like Viacom had this video removed. Sorry guys!

Isha Sesay was presenting the Insight segment during Your World Today at 1645 gmt on CNN/I. YWT was being hosted by Jim Clancy and Hala Gorani, the latter speaking with Isha after the segment.

Isha is usually seen hosting World News at the weekends on CNN/I. However, she has recently been used for other things, including hosting Inside Africa, reporting from Nigeria during the elections and co-hosting Your World Today recently.

Some time back CNN/I ditched Insight in the 30-minute weeknightly format, and turned it into an insert within programmes such as Your World Today and World News. Jonathan Mann has remained the host. It appeared that this was for a trial period to judge the viewer reaction.

What is your view on the changes to Insight? Hit "Comment" and let us know.

At 0844 gmt this morning, CNN/I came out of a commerical break and into breaking news, interrupting World Sport which was live in progress from London.

Max Foster was live outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster with news of Tony Blair's impending announcement of his retirement as leader of the Labour Party, and as Prime Minister. Live footage was shown of Blair's vehicle convoy heading for RAF Northolt, from where he was to fly to his constituency of Sedgefield in north-east England.

CNN stayed with live shots of Blair entering his jet, the jet journeying to the runaway, and the plane taking off.

Regular programming resumed at 0905 gmt, with Larry King Replay in progress.

During Business International at 1000gmt, CNN/I went back to live coverage of Blair as he arrived in Sedgefield, and travelled to the Labour Club there. Adrian Finighan was anchoring from the London studio, with Max Foster at Parliament and Robin Oakley in Downing Street.

CNN/I brought live coverage of Blair's speech, when he announced he will step aside on 27 June.

Continuing live coverage from Max Foster in Westminster replaced World News Asia at 1100 gmt and part of World News at 1200 gmt. This then continued with Michael Holmes in Atlanta, with more on the story.

As an aside, the CNN/I digital downlink on the Astra 19.2ºE satellite is having some problems today. For a couple of hours, the signal has broken up intermittantly, sometimes disappearing completely with a "bad signal" message appearing. This is transmitted, and is not a local reception problem. It suggests a reception problem at the site of uplink to the satellite.

Thanks to Bill for the heads up!

Ed Henry

Brian Todd

Zain Verjee

After a break of quite some time, maybe as long as five months according to what she said today, Femi Oke has returned to presenting the weather for CNN/I from CNN Center. Femi has spent some time in Africa reporting for Inside Africa in recent months, and appears to have taken a break since then. She mentioned during her weather forecast during World News Europe at 1925 gmt this evening that she had recently returned from a trip to Belgium.

CNN Pressroom - Headline News Program, Hosted by Eric Lanford, Highlights Best of Week’s Videos, Images on Web

News To Me, the first cable news program comprised of user-generated video, will debut on Headline News on Saturday, May 19, at 12:30 p.m., it was announced today by Ken Jautz, executive vice president, CNN Worldwide. The program, hosted by award-winning actor/producer Eric Lanford, will showcase the most compelling videos, pictures and stories traversing the Internet. The program will air on Headline News each Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (all times Eastern).

“News To Me is the next step in our commitment to innovative, fresh programming,” Jautz said. “User-generated content enables us to integrate our audience into the newsgathering process, and Eric’s experience and engaging personality are a great fit for this new endeavor.”

Everyday, Web users are bombarded with viral video and photographs, including countless clips of user- generated content— but most go unviewed due to the sheer volume of material. In a half-hour program each week, News To Me highlights the best that citizen journalism has to offer.

With content ranging from serious to humorous, Lanford updates viewers on current events through the eyes – and lenses – of citizen journalists. Lanford also interviews many people who have submitted CNN I-Reports, compelling content captured by CNN viewers with personal cell phones, cameras or other devices. By speaking directly with I-Reporters, Lanford gains insight into what it felt like at the scene as they captured their footage.

Viewers can submit material through a “Send Your I-Report” link at CNN.com or by e-mail at ireport@cnn.com. Submitted I-Report material undergoes the same extensive vetting process CNN employs for all content that goes on air or online.

So far this year, Headline News is on track to have its best total day and prime-time year in more than a decade. Two years after a major prime-time overhaul, Headline News continues to post strong ratings trends with some of the strongest news and views shows on cable news including Glenn Beck, Nancy Grace and Showbiz Tonight.

Eric Lanford, recipient of 12 Southeast Emmy awards, also serves as the host of the segment “The Lighter Side with Eric Lanford” for Storyline, a TBS public affairs magazine program. Lanford was also a producer for TBS Superstation’s Feed Your Mind, an award-winning children’s show, during which he traveled the world in search of unique, unreported stories. Lanford began to work with CNN as the news anchor for College Television Network, which aired on college campuses every day and was seen by more than one million students worldwide.

Headline News, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, updates viewers constantly, 24 hours each day, with complete and concise national newscasts throughout the day and a compelling slate of legal, entertainment and talk programs during Headline Prime at night. The “Need to Know” network delivers fast-paced, lively and engaging news, using the best resources of CNN Worldwide. Headline News is designed especially for viewers who want relevant and comprehensive news in a way that suits the urgency of their schedules.

From Tonight's The Situation Room... good for a laugh.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: No. Did you see that? There were two of me on that wall. How is that for frightening? Richard, let me ask you a question. It has to do with security down there. How did Mickey Rooney get anywhere near the queen of England.

QUEST: Now, let's talk about that for a moment.

CAFFERTY: Yeah. Let's do.

QUEST: Well, you see, Mickey Rooney was invited to the queen's garden party at the embassy, which as Wolf will know is a magnificent building. Leutian (ph) Mansion.

CAFFERTY: Answer my question. Is Mickey Rooney the best we could do for a celebrity to meet the queen? I mean, he didn't even know the protocol.

QUEST: You are wrong there, Jack. Once again, you've dug your own hole and you've jumped in it. The queen was delighted to meet Mickey Rooney whom she last met at the premier of "National Velvet" in 1944. Even you might remember that, Mr. Cafferty.

Anderson Cooper will be hosting a book signing at the Turner Store in the CNN Center in Atlanta on Friday, May 18th from 12:00-2:00 PM. He will be signing his book, Dispatches From The Edge and it can be purchased in the Turner Store that day for 20% off the list price.

So it seems that Jennifer Westhoven hasn't left the network, as she's on Robin & Company this morning.

Robin & Company also featured a video report from CNN Radio's Lisa Goddard. I don't believe I've seen a video report from a CNN Radio personality on the networks before.

David A Rosenthal, former Science correspondent and contributor to CNN programme Science and Technology Week, has died at the age of 58. Mr Rosenthal died on 16 March after a long illness, but news of his death is only now being circulated publically.

Rosenthal started contributing to CNN in 1989 and continued doing so until 1994. He served a long career under the US military, and was an avid DXer and amateur radio enthusiast.

Melissa Long has been in for Fredricka Whitfield this weekend on CNN Newsroom.

Holly Firfer / Jeff Flock / Sandra Fryhofer
David Haffenreffer / Mike Hanna / Leon Harris
Kathleen Hays / Bill Hemmer / Kara Henderson

I really like In The Money with Ali Velshi and Christine Romans. Christine is great, a perfect fit for the show. A couple of observations:

- At a commercial break around 2:46 PM CT, they showed the In The Money website, which still had photos of Jack Cafferty, Jennifer Westhoven, and Alan Wastler on it.

- It looks like the New York studio opens up into the New York newsroom. This may be something new, or something that has happened for a while now and I just haven't noticed it. I really like this look.

Watching this show makes me miss CNNfn.

From a friend:

Some interesting programme notes for this weekend on CNN International:

- Becky Anderson's new programme The Spirit of... premiered today at 1315 gmt. It is also repeated at 1815 Saturday and 0915 Sunday. Breaking from the norm, this programme is only 15 minutes long. The preceeding World News, which starts at the top of those hours, is also truncated to 15 minutes, which is a rare occurance indeed

- On Sunday, CNN/I will be coming live from Paris for coverage of the French Presidential elections. Hala Gorani will be anchoring. Coverage is slated for 1800 to 2100 gmt continuous, although there may be more that just those three hours through the night.

CNN International's Richard Quest has been all across the CNN platforms today covering the Queen's visit to the United States. He was on CNN Newsroom this morning and afternoon, Your World Today, and most recently The Situation Room.

No word if Robin Meade did her Richard Quest imitation on Robin and Company this morning. *ha*

Thomas Roberts has left CNN Headline News, TVNewser confirms today. This now leaves Headline News with two spots to fill (one previously vacated by Renay San Miguel), both on the weekend spots.

Do you think they'll bring back Christina Park or Catherine Calloway full-time or maybe hire Virginia Cha full-time to anchor these spots?

Associated Press - Larry King's interviewing style appealed to former first lady Nancy Reagan because she didn't have to break a sweat.

During CNN's weeklong celebration of King's 50 years in broadcasting, Reagan was a call-in guest Wednesday to Katie Couric's turn-the-tables interview of the 73-year-old King. Couric asked what it was about his technique that works.

"You just feel at ease with Larry," she said. "He is a very easy interviewer for me, and I'm sure for everybody."

It may not exactly be what CNN wanted to hear, given that the network has taken criticism through the years for softballs lobbed on King's show.

"I once said to Larry, I think we were having dinner at your house, Larry, how can you go from one subject to another and so - seemingly so effortlessly?" she said. "I mean, I just don't know how you do it.

"And he said, `I'm curious. I'm just curious,"' she said. "And I suppose that is right. He is curious."

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

CBS' Lesley Stahl interviews Lou Dobbs on the set of his popular show Lou Dobbs Tonight for this week's 60 Minutes which airs Sunday at 7:00 PM ET on CBS. CBSNews.com has a preview...

Photo Courtesy CBSNews.com

CNN's Gulf Coast Correspondent Susan Roesgen is filling in for Kyra Phillips today on the afternoon edition of CNN Newsroom.

Looks like the hosts are shuffling again on CNN's In The Money. Christine Romans is replacing Jennifer Westhoven and Alan Wastler with Ali Velshi on the show.

This must have just changed as a couple of weeks ago on the CNN Ali V Podcast, Jennifer came on at the end of the show asking people to join her with Ali Velishi on In The Money.

Update: Makes me wonder if Jennifer Westhoven is still with the network. She hasn't been on Robin & Company at all this week. Stephanie Elam has been filling in for her.

Jennifer did show up on the CNN Ali V Podcast (published 04/30/07) doing the intro/outro to the podcast and mentioning that you could catch Ali Velshi on American Morning weekdays.