CNN.com has posted a promo for Headline News' new morning program Morning Express with Robin Meade. View it here.

Notice they didn't include Ray D'Alessio so that means they have yet to name the morning sports anchor.

NTSAircheck is reporting that CNN Radio Anchor/Editor Stanley Nurnberger lost his battle with cancer last Thursday at the (young) age of 29. He joined CNN Radio in 2000.

TVNewser is reporting that layoffs have hit CNN primetime program Anderson Cooper 360°. Read more at their website.

Looks like CNN En Español is being broadcast now on CNN.com Live Video. It may be a one-time-thing but it's cool getting to see it here. Here you see Guillermo Arduino filling in for Daniel Viotto on Enceuntro con Daniel Viotto.

CNN International is celebrating CNN World Report's 20th Anniversary with an anniversary special airing this weekend.

Saturday, October 27th - 1830 GMT (Europe)

CNN Pressroom - Marketing and branding innovator Scot Safon has been promoted to executive vice president & chief marketing officer of CNN Worldwide, it was announced today by Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. Safon oversees branding; consumer and trade advertising; and marketing and promotion of the CNN portfolio of networks and businesses, including CNN/U.S., CNN Headline News, CNN International and CNN.com., and their news and information programming, personalities and events. He is based in Atlanta at CNN world headquarters and reports to Walton.

“Our marketing and promotion efforts reflect a quality, intelligence and point of view that set CNN apart,” said Walton. “As a creative executive, Scot sets the tone for that work. But he is equally important to me and to our organization as a strategist and leader. His influence and impact are felt, and welcomed, throughout CNN. I’m pleased to acknowledge his contributions to our continuing success.”

Formerly senior vice president of marketing and promotion, Safon joined CNN in 2002. He and his marketing and promotions teams executed award-winning campaigns supporting the debut of CNN’s The Situation Room, Anderson Cooper 360, the re-launch earlier this year of CNN.com and CNN’s continuing election coverage. Previously, Safon headed marketing for TNT, where he conceived and guided campaigns supporting the network’s signature original films and miniseries including George Wallace, Door to Door, James Dean, Pirates of Silicon Valley and Gettysburg. Safon also led marketing efforts for the successful “We Know Drama” positioning that he helped develop.

Earlier, Safon managed the CBS Television account for Backer Spielvogel Bates and Grybauskas/Beatrice in New York, where he began his career with D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Inc. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics and history from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Cornell University. Safon, who was named a “Brand Builder” by Television Week in 2006 for the Anderson Cooper 360 launch campaign, serves on the board of directors of Promax.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source 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; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

Kristie Lu Stout

Hugh Riminton

The original airdates on CNN Domestic:

TUESDAY 10/23
Part 1: 9-11 PM

WEDNESDAY 10/24
Part 2: 9-11 PM

The program will be re-aired on CNN Domestic:

FRIDAY 10/26
Part 1: 9 - 11pm
Part 2: 11pm - 1am

SATURDAY 10/27
Part 1: 7 - 9pm
Part 2: 10pm - 12 midnight

SUNDAY 10/28
Part 1: 7 - 9pm
Part 2: 10pm - 12 midnight

Keep in mind these schedules may change due to California wildfire coverage.

CNN Pressroom - For her services to journalism, Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent, today was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.

The award was announced earlier this year on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II official birthday, and Amanpour was one of a select number of public and private British citizens to be honored with this prestigious award. Established in June 1917 by King George V, the CBE is one of five medals that make up the “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire,” which recognizes outstanding contributions in the service of the country and the honoree’s profession.

Amanpour is among a small number of journalists to have been awarded a CBE. Her investiture today by Queen Elizabeth II took place in Buckingham Palace, where Amanpour was accompanied by her parents, husband and son.

“I am incredibly thrilled and very proud,” Amanpour said. “In the current climate, with so much weight put to sensationalism and tabloidism, for me personally this is a really nice moment because actual serious journalism is being recognized.”

“This is a wonderful honor for Christiane and a tribute to her outstanding dedication to the profession of journalism,” said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. “Everyone at CNN is extremely proud of the work she does and very excited for her on this important day.”

Amanpour, born of British/Iranian parentage, has reported on most crises from the world’s many news hotspots, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda and the Balkans.

Her assignments have ranged from exclusive interviews with world leaders to reporting on the human consequences of natural disasters or covering events from the heart of war zones. She has received wide acclaim and numerous awards for her work, particularly for her extensive coverage of conflicts in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East. Amanpour’s recent work has focused on a series of highly acclaimed long-form programs including two award-winning documentaries: Where Have All The Parents Gone?, a powerful film examining the plight of the more than one million children orphaned to AIDS in Kenya, and In the Footsteps of Bin Laden, a two-hour exploration of the life of the world’s most-wanted terrorist. Most recently, she reported for CNN’s three-part documentary God’s Warriors.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source 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; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

Monday, November 5th, Headline News' morning program Robin & Company will become Morning Express with Robin Meade. Noted as "Your News in the Fast Lane", Morning Express will be promoted as the fastest morning news show on television.

Airs Monday – Friday, 6 – 10am ET

CNN Worldwide will make Planet in Peril, its sweeping four-hour investigation about threats to the world’s environment, available in its entirety through other platforms and services including the iTunes Store, Netflix and Amazon.com.

“Planet in Peril is essential viewing for anyone who cares about the environment,” said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. “To treat Planet in Peril as the groundbreaking documentary that it is, we felt compelled to make this investigation as available as possible in as many formats as possible.”

In addition to airing over two nights on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 24, on CNN/U.S. from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (ET/PT) and CNN International elsewhere in the world, Planet in Peril, filmed in a high-definition format, will be available through:

• iTunes as downloadable video for $1.99 per episode at www.iTunes.com. Each episode will be available the day after its airing – the first episode on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and the second episode on Thursday, Oct. 25;

• Netflix as a rental DVD. Netflix subscribers are able to place rental requests now for Planet in Peril with delivery scheduled after the program’s debut on CNN/U.S.;

• Amazon.com as a DVD. Visitors to www.amazon.com/planetinperil can place pre-orders today for the Planet in Peril DVD set in standard definition (SD) for $29.95, with delivery scheduled after the program’s debut. CreateSpace, part of the Amazon.com, Inc. group of companies and an inventory free on-demand publisher for DVD, HD DVD, digital content, CDs and books, will fulfill orders for each Planet in Peril DVD set;

• Sprint cell phone users through CNN Mobile Live available on Sprint TV. Users will be able to watch the live broadcast of Planet in Peril on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 24, on CNN Mobile Live from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (ET/PT); and

• Video-on-demand through cable providers. Planet in Peril has been made available for television on-demand platforms. Viewers should check their On Demand guides for availability.

CNN on Sunday, Oct. 21, offered exclusive, advance screenings of a 40-minute excerpt of Planet in Peril at Apple Stores in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and London. At the screenings, representatives involved in the documentary’s production, including CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin, and CNN producers and executives, were on hand to discuss the making of this four-hour documentary filmed across four continents and 13 countries.

In addition to the broadcast of Planet in Peril on CNN/U.S. and CNN International, special reporting relating to the investigation is available across multiple CNN Worldwide networks and platforms, including:

• Exclusive video trailer for “Until the Day Is Done”, the new song from R.E.M., matched to clips from CNN’s Planet in Peril, available at www.CNN.com/PlanetinPeril;

• A special, investigative section on CNN.com at www.CNN.com/PlanetinPeril, which includes a 20-minute excerpt from the documentary;

• Anderson Cooper 360° Daily Podcast, available for free on CNN.com and iTunes, features pre-released packages from Planet in Peril;

• One-minute special reports from a 20-part series anchored by Cooper for CNN Radio affiliates; and

• A Planet in Peril viewing guide from CNN Student News, providing parents and educators with a springboard for discussing the documentary with students.

For Planet in Peril, Cooper, Gupta and Corwin will focus on four main issues that threaten the planet and its inhabitants: climate change, deforestation, species loss and overpopulation. Planet in Peril, filmed across four continents and 13 countries, airs over two nights on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (ET/PT) on CNN/U.S. and at other times on CNN International.

The debut of Planet in Peril, shot and produced using state-of-the-art high-definition equipment, follows the September launch of CNN-HD, the network’s high-definition news channel. Crews for Anderson Cooper 360°, an in-depth, comprehensive news program that takes a full 360-degree look at the world’s events, produced Planet in Peril.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source 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; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media

ICN has a great preview of the San Francisco preview of Planet in Peril.

By the way, check out CNN Domestic this week as the CNN bug at the bottom left has turned green. Also, CNN.com's domestic site bug at the top right has turned from CNN.com to CNN Planet In Peril.

CNN Pressroom - Veronica De La Cruz, most recently a news anchor for CNN.com, has joined CNN’s flagship morning news program, American Morning, as an Internet correspondent, beginning Thursday, Oct. 18. Based in New York, De La Cruz will report on the hottest news from online sources and blogs and guide viewers through the most popular and essential stories from CNN.com and i-Reports, the network’s user-generated content initiative.

“Veronica has demonstrated an enviable ability to connect with audiences on television as well as on the Internet,” said Ed Litvak, executive producer of American Morning. “Her enthusiasm and connections to CNN’s online audience make her a welcome addition to American Morning.”

For CNN.com, De La Cruz anchored CNN.com Live, CNN Pipeline and “Now in the News,” a fast-paced hourly Web- and wireless-exclusive news update. In that time, she anchored live coverage of major breaking stories including the death of former President Ronald Reagan, the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict and Hurricane Katrina. She also provided briefings on CNN/U.S. and Headline News about the most popular stories on CNN.com and served as a substitute anchor for both networks.

De La Cruz joined CNN in 2003 after working as an anchor, reporter and producer at KYMA-TV in Yuma, Ariz. There, she anchored and produced a one-hour morning newscast as well as anchored a half-hour show at noon. She produced reports and did live shots for the evening newscasts. During her tenure at KYMA-TV, De La Cruz covered numerous stories on U.S.- Mexico border issues, the nation’s nursing shortage and the plight of the migrant farm worker. She also produced a series on the homeless, with whom she continues to do extensive volunteer work. She also serves as a spokeswoman for Lions Health First Foundation, which provides preventive health screenings for senior citizens and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Before KYMA-TV, De La Cruz worked as a music journalist for SonicNet/Digital Planet and Eruptor Entertainment’s “Living Giant.” She began her broadcasting career hosting “Direct Drive,” a show she created for the Digital Entertainment Network.

Before beginning her career in journalism, De La Cruz spent a decade of her life as a competitive figure skater. She is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and mentors aspiring broadcast-journalists at the Associated Press Television-Radio Association’s Academy.

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 program’s executive producer.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source 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; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

Check this out... www.youtube.com/cnn or www.youtube.com/user/cnn ... is this a sign of things to come??? We'll let you know when we do.

CNN Pressroom - Situation Room to Run 4-7p.m., Lou Dobbs Tonight Moves to 7 p.m. as Network Girds for Intense Election Year

Leveraging the ratings successes and buzz around two of its signature political programs, CNN will flip the time periods of Lou Dobbs Tonight and the third hour of The Situation Room. Under the new schedule, The Situation Room becomes a single, three-hour program from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. (ET), leading into Lou Dobbs Tonight at 7 p.m. (ET).

The new schedule creates a four-hour block of breaking news plus political analysis and opinion. CNN's lead political anchor, Wolf Blitzer, will kick off the evening then hand off to Lou Dobbs. The new lineup debuts Monday, Nov. 5, one year from Election Day 2008.

CNN also announced that Blitzer, who led the network’s Emmy Award-winning Election Night 2006 coverage, will anchor the network’s caucus and primary coverage, Democratic and Republican conventions and Election Night coverage. He will also moderate three important upcoming presidential debates: a Democratic candidates debate in Las Vegas on Nov. 15, the Congressional Black Caucus debate in South Carolina on Jan. 17, and the final Democratic debate before Super Tuesday in Los Angeles on Jan. 31.

“As the countdown to Election Day 2008 begins, we're capitalizing on the momentum of two of our most talked-about and fastest-growing political programs,” said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. “Wolf and The Best Political Team on Television have turned The Situation Room into a must-see stop for anyone serious about politics, while Lou has become one of the most influential political journalists of our day through his fearless reporting and commentary on issues of vital interest to America’s middle class.”

“Lou Dobbs Tonight has experienced dramatic ratings growth over the last two years, rising 18 percent this year in the P25-54 demo. Lou Dobbs Tonight has become the most-watched program on the network outside of Larry King Live.

In little more than two years on the air, The Situation Room has become the top political destination on cable news, beating all competition at 4 p.m. in the month of September and showing double-digit growth year-over-year in all three of its hours.

“I'm honored to lead CNN’s political team during this extraordinary election year, and I'm thrilled that The Situation Room will be whole again,” Blitzer said. “The three-hour block makes more sense for The Situation Room because at 6 p.m. there is so much news still developing, particularly news out of Washington and the political world. We can cover that breaking news in our unique style while still presenting a comprehensive look at all the top political developments of the day.”

I can’t wait to hit prime time,” Dobbs said. “Our program is tailor-made for people who’ve heard the headlines, think most of the news defies logic and want to understand what’s really happening in, and to, this country.”

Blitzer also anchors Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ET). Lou Dobbs Tonight re-airs on weekends at 6 p.m. (ET)

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source 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; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

CNN Pressroom - CNN Only Online News Brand to Generate More than One Billion Total Usage Minutes in Single Month

The CNN Digital Network has staked a new high ground in September, topping not only all “Current Events and Global News” sites but also beating out all other “News and Information” sites including Internet stalwarts Wikipedia and the Weather Channel.

CNN has stood as the No. 1 site in the Current Events and Global News subcategory since 2005, according to Nielsen//NetRatings’ Home and Work Panel data, but this latest leap takes it performance to the top of a new level. CNN’s performance follows a major overhaul of CNN.com that includes new and innovative story-telling paradigms.

According to Nielsen, the network also registered more than 1 billion total usage minutes for the month. To date, the CNN Digital Network is the only Current Events and Global News destination ever to achieve 1 billion total usage minutes within a month, according to NetRatings data available back to January 2004. CNN last achieved that milestone in January 2006 and March 2006.

In September, the CNN Digital Network topped a billion total usage minutes with 1.022 billion minutes, 31 percent more than Wikipedia.com with 781 million minutes and 37 percent more than Yahoo News with 746 million minutes. Among other related sites, the MSNBC Digital Network had 679 million minutes and the Fox News Digital Network had 375 million minutes.

In the subcategory of Current Events and Global News, the CNN Digital Network maintained its No. 1 position for share of online news with 17 percent, compared to Yahoo News with 12 percent. For September, it also claimed the greatest share of online news in the broader News and Information category.

September also marked the second month in a row that the CNN Digital Network attracted more than 30 million unique users in a single month, registering 30.9 million unique users.

CNN.com is the world's No. 1 destination for online and wireless news, garnering the greatest audience share among current events and global news sites. Launched in 1995, CNN.com draws from the resources of CNN Worldwide and its many partners to provide consumers with the most enriching, immediate interaction with news anywhere, seamlessly combining articles, videos, images, interactive features and user-generated content. CNN.com’s news video offering – both live and on-demand – is unparalleled on the Web. CNN.com’s recent awards include an Edward R. Murrow award, a National Headliner award and two EPpy awards.

Look closely (around the 0:20 mark), you'll see Campbell Brown making an appearance in this promo.

Exclusive Trailer for CNN’s Upcoming Documentary Planet in Peril Features Unreleased ‘Until the Day Is Done’

Trailer Available on CNN.com beginning Oct. 10; Included in AC360 Podcast Beginning Thursday, Oct. 11; and Featured in Planet in Peril, Airing Oct. 23 & 24

“Until the Day Is Done”, the new song from R.E.M., will debut on Anderson Cooper 360° on Wednesday, Oct. 10, in advance of their widely anticipated forthcoming album due for release next spring. The song will be matched to clips from CNN’s Planet in Peril, which features footage from areas around the world where environmental crises are not a theory but are happening in real time, and will play over the documentary’s closing credits. Coinciding with its debut on Anderson Cooper 360°, the video trailer will be available at the Planet in Peril section of CNN.com at www.CNN.com/PlanetinPeril. The four-hour documentary airs in two parts on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (ET/PT) and will air worldwide on CNN International in more than 200 countries and territories.

“Our goal with this project has always been to convey the facts about environmental change in a way that isn’t a lecture or a warning, but a powerful look at how we’re all interconnected, both to each other and to our environment,” said David Doss, senior executive producer of Anderson Cooper 360° and Planet in Peril. “Being able to highlight some of our footage with a song by one of the most acclaimed bands in the world is another way to engage in our audience in this vital dialogue.”

“With Planet in Peril, Anderson Cooper and his team have done an amazing job capturing global eco-devastation," said Michael Stipe of R.E.M. “The images in the film are beautiful, while at the same time heart-breaking and frightening. We are honored to have our song included in this monumental project."

Planet in Peril brings viewers the stories behind the statistics, as CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin focus on four main issues that threaten the planet and its inhabitants: climate change, deforestation, species loss and overpopulation. Planet in Peril was filmed in 13 countries over nearly a year.

“Until the Day Is Done” will be included on R.E.M.’s new album due Spring 2008. In the meantime, R.E.M.’s live CD/DVD, the first ever of their 27-year career, is due out Tuesday, Oct. 16, on Warner Bros. Records. Titled R.E.M. Live, the 22-track audio and visual package captures singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills performing live at a dynamic show at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, on Feb. 27, 2005.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source 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; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

Veronica De La Cruz has moved to CNN's New York Bureau to be the .com corresopndent for CNN's American Morning.

I just ran across this great interview Time Magazine did with Jack Cafferty back in September.

Some of the highlights:

On something he shouldn't have said:

"I called Donald Rumsfeld a war criminal the night before the midterm election. The president of the network and the executive producer of the Situation Room and two or three other management gerbils assaulted me en masse, immediately as I got off of the air, saying, 'You can't say that.'"

On Anna Nicole Smith coverage:

That's why I asked [CNN anchor] Wolf Blitzer on the air, Is Anna Nicole Smith still dead? Because we'd done two hours on this peroxide never-was, passing apparently from some kind of drug overdose in some seedy hotel room in Florida. It's like, who cares? Nobody cares.

Read more here.

As mentioned previously we had some great stuff coming down the pike, and we've launched the biggest section tonight, the forums! We've launched a Message Board for everyone to start posting their "observations" about CNN and its various networks.

We also have an expanded Downloads section coming in the next few days as well. Stay tuned!

Hit the Comment button and let us know what you think!

-Dustin

CNN's Lou Dobbs returns to work on Lou Dobbs Tonight at 6pm ET tonight, as announced on the air this past Friday by substitute anchor Kitty Pilgrim. Dobbs returns to the network after being gone for a short recovery from a tonsilectomy.

Chicago Sun-Times - Andy Roesgen, who joined Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 as a free-lance reporter, isn't the only new Roesgen in town.

His sister, Susan Roesgen, has been named a Chicago-based correspondent for CNN. For the past two years she was reporting from New Orleans for CNN.

I wonder what this means for the Chicago Bureau? Will Susan replace Jonathan Freed or Keith Oppenheim?

CNN En Español will be broadcasting games of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Postseason. This will feature all games except for tiebreakers, and will also not include pre- and post-game programming.

This will not be a special broadcast using CNN En Español callers for the game, it will simply be a simulcast of sister-network TBS' feed with a Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) feed team providing the audio.

The broadcast schedule can be found here.

That Robin Meade is tricky. She mentioned on-air that a member of the Robin & Company team was leaving and that if you received the newsletter you'd know who it was...... well, it made people think it was one of the "final four" left on the show. Just to re-assure everyone, it isn't.

From the newsletter:

the goodbye factor - jack, our sweetheart of a camera operator in the
studio finally gets some sleep. he's switching shifts after something like five
years of putting up with us crazies. my favorite jack moment: when he heard us
talking on set about an elton john outburst. jack runs up, waving his hands
checking the lights, and blurts out "it was like e.j. was drunk on donuts!?
problem was.....we were on the air. and so was he and his 'drunk on donuts'
comment! maybe we'll capture him on camera today.

News To Me now has a show page, and they've finally removed John Roberts' photo from the This Week At War page, making me wonder if they're going to announce an official replacement anchor for that show anytime soon.

CarolLinReporting.com has now launched, and TVNewser.com has a great article about Carol and her life after CNN.