CNN Press Release: CNN Provides Unrivaled Coverage of Midterm Elections Online, on Mobile and on Television

CNN today kicks off its special coverage of the midterm elections with the launch of the CNN Election Center App, marking the first time a major cable news brand has simultaneously launched an app for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone and iPod touch. Additionally, tonight at 7:30 p.m., lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer co-moderates a debate in Delaware between candidates, Chris Coons (D) and Christine O'Donnell (R), vying for Vice President Joe Biden’s former Senate seat. Pervasive across all platforms, CNN’s special coverage of the midterms – whether on your mobile phone, laptop or television – channels the full strength of CNN’s resources, including CNN.com’s political reporting team, the CNN Political Unit, CNN’s Washington and New York bureaus and journalists in the field, as well as CNN’s army of iReporters.

Throughout the election season, Blitzer and anchor Anderson Cooper will spearhead the network’s special coverage, while Larry King will continue to interview political newsmakers on his nightly program. Chief political correspondent and anchor Candy Crowley will add insightful and balanced reporting and interviews, and chief national correspondent and anchor John King will an upgraded Magic Wall to break down data state-by-state and to show the political pulse of the U.S.A.


On Mobile: CNN Election Center App for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone and iPod touch

The CNN Election Center App features important political news through text, video and photos, and also includes user-generated content capture and upload functionality through iReport, CNN’s user-generated news community. Users can access the latest headlines and video related to the Midterm Elections, as well as share stories with their friends via email, Facebook and Twitter, all directly from the app.

The app also gives users the ability to view the details of all House, Senate and gubernatorial races by zip code. In late October, the app will update to include relevant ballot measures by state, as well as allow users to find polling locations.

The app also incorporates robust user-participation elements, such as the Daily Vote and iReport Election Project. Each day leading up to the election, the app will feature a different ‘daily vote’ question for users to share their opinion and see how other users voted. Through the iReport Election Project, users are invited to participate in a rolling series of up to six challenges. Participants in the iReport Election Project also will be able to:

• Take a quiz to establish their political identity;
• Browse iReports related to the Midterm Elections;
• Capture and instantly upload user-generated photos and videos related to the Midterm Election; and
• Earn special badges to be featured on their iReport profile page
  

Through the app’s Races section, users can pre-select up to 15 races to ‘follow’ until November 2, allowing easy access to results on Election Day. Additionally, Android, and iPhone and iPod touch users can opt-in to have news alerts related to the Midterms automatically pushed to their devices.

Finally, on Election Day, the app will showcase real-time election results for House, Senate and gubernatorial races, and key ballot measures, listed alphabetically by state.

The CNN Election Center App is available for free from Android Market, BlackBerry App World and the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch. For more information about the CNN Election Center App, click here.


On Television

The Best Political Team is expanding to cover the November’s election. It includes: new hosts Kathleen Parker and Eliot Spitzer, anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien; senior political analysts Gloria Borger and David Gergen; political contributors John Avlon, Paul Begala, Bill Bennett, Donna Brazile, James Carville, Alex Castellanos, Erick Erickson, Roland Martin, Mary Matalin, Ed Rollins and Hilary Rosen; anchors T.J. Holmes and Don Lemon; national political correspondent Jessica Yellin;senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash and congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar; senior White House correspondent Ed Henry and White House correspondents Dan Lothian and Suzanne Malveaux.

Technology will once again be a key member of the Best Political Team, serving as a critically helpful tool in telling the complex story of the midterm elections. CNN will unveil new equipment installed in the New York studio’s Election Center to display virtual objects, building upon the innovations from 2008’s election coverage. Additionally, upgrades to the Magic Wall will enable anchors and correspondents to sort through a tremendous amount of data, both from traditional means and from social media, to better break down what is happening across the country.

In addition, CNN correspondents and political producers will fan out to crucial states between now and Election Day to produce content for both television and the web. Every day and through Election Day, and every hour into prime time, live on-air updates from the CNNPolitics.com desk in the Washington Bureau will provide viewers with the latest up-to-the-minute political news. The network will also rely on its extensive resources to take the temperature of the American public through CNN national polls and weekly CNN/Time Magazine state polls, as well as to tell the stories behind the issues driving this election cycle and the people behind politician’s public faces.


Online: CNN.com Election Center

Extending the reach of CNN’s Best Political Team far beyond television, the new CNNPolitics.com has introduced the CNN.com Election Center, the premiere online destination for the midterm elections. Featuring the latest information about the most important issues and races, the Election Center includes a plethora of information to satisfy everyone from the political novice to the junkie through subsections including:

• “The Basics,” a 101 explaining why the Midterms matter and what’s at stake;
• “The Races,” providing users with detailed, state-by-state information, including data maps, Races to Watch and graphics that show the balance of power in the House and Senate;
• “The Issues,” a breakdown and explainer about the biggest impact issues of the Midterms;
• “My Election,” customizable election tracker showcasing local headlines, information on relevant state contests and fundraising data. As Election Day nears, users can find their polling location and follow up to 15 races and/or ballot measures; and activate a module featuring results for the three races most important to them, which will “follow” users throughout CNN.com along the right rail of the page.
• “Polling Center,” featuring the most comprehensive polling data of any news organization in the political landscape where users can access and sort select public polls covering national trends, issues, and selected House, Senate and gubernatorial races.

CNN is also offering more information about each of the candidates through a partnership with Project VoteSmart. In addition to biographical and campaign fundraising information, users can explore voting records, interest group ratings and the candidates’ positions on the issues simply by clicking on the candidate name in the Results section a week prior to the elections.

Users also can access the CNN Election Center on mobile devices by typing http://m.cnn.com/election into their mobile browser. Additionally, by entering a ZIP code into the “My Election” field on the mobile version of the Election Center, users can obtain instant results to the races that matter to them most.


In Your State

CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer, Candy Crowley and John King will continue to moderate debates during the closing days of this election season in various bellwether states. Those debates include a showdown in Delaware moderated by Blitzer tonight and two Sunshine State debates in the coming weeks. Crowley will moderate the Florida three-way senate debate on Oct. 24 followed by King moderating the Florida gubernatorial debate on Oct. 25. King already returned to his hometown for a Boston gubernatorial race debate on Sept. 21.

In addition to these debates, CNN’s Election Express has been rolling through the country with dozens of correspondents and producers reporting from campaign sites along the way. The CNN Election Express is a state-of-the-art mobile newsroom, equipped to handle all major HD and Standard Definition (SD) formats to cover news stories with unparalleled depth and speed. For the CNN teams in the field, the Election Express serves as a complete workspace, combining the capabilities of a studio, editing room and production facility with those of a satellite truck.


Around the World

Viewers from around the world also will also have the opportunity to follow the mid-term election as CNN International simulcasts many hours of CNN’s coverage.

CNN Pressroom - Chief national correspondent John King will anchor a live one-hour special election program at 10 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13, from the CNN Election Express in Pennsylvania. King has traveled with the bus across Pennsylvania this week connecting with that state’s voters, volunteers and campaigns.

The special programming, called “Route 2008,” will feature CNN’s multi-touch wall which can provide in-depth analysis into the demographics of Pennsylvanians and what drives their vote. Saturday’s program will air live from the Pittsburgh area. Sunday’s program will originate from the CNN Election Express, which will be stationed at Messiah College near Harrisburg, Pa., the location of The Compassion Forum. The program will air immediately following CNN’s broadcast of The Compassion Forum and will feature analysis from commentators across the faith and ideological spectrum.

The Compassion Forum is a presidential candidate forum, sponsored by Faith in Public Life and anchored by CNN’s Campbell Brown and Newsweek’s Jon Meacham with a focus on faith, values and other current issues. Presently serving as CNN’s Pennsylvania “mini-bureau,” the CNN Election Express has allowed the network to maintain a full-time presence in the weeks leading up to the Aprilprimary.

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’s Campbell Brown to Co-Moderate with Newsweek’s Jon Meacham April 13 ‘Compassion Forum’

CNN will serve as the exclusive broadcaster of a presidential candidate forum on faith, values and other current issues at Messiah College near Harrisburg, Penn., on Sunday, April 13, at 8 p.m. (ET) CNN Election Center anchor Campbell Brown and Newsweek editor and Newsweek.com election anchor Jon Meacham will moderate what is being billed as The Compassion Forum, which will take place nine days before the Pennsylvania primary.

Organized and sponsored by Faith in Public Life, the 90-minute forum will consist of wide-ranging and probing discussions of policies related to pressing moral issues that are bridging ideological divides now more than ever, including poverty, global AIDS, climate change and human rights. It will feature Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the same stage to talk about these topics as each candidate sits down individually with the moderators. The program will also stream live at www.CNN.com.

Leading up to The Compassion Forum, chief national correspondent John King will anchor live special coverage beginning at 10 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 12, and then again on Sunday, April 13, immediately following the forum. Special coverage on Sunday will feature analysis from commentators across the faith and ideological spectrum. King will be stationed at CNN’s Pennsylvania “mini-bureau,” the CNN Election Express bus, which has allowed the network to maintain a full-time presence in these weeks leading up to the April 22 primary. “Ballot Bowl” will also originate live from Pennsylvania and air throughout the weekend, bringing the candidates’ significant events directly to viewers in long-form, not soundbites.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Faith in Public Life directly or fill out the form located at http://www.messiah.edu/compassion_forum/media/credentials/form.html.

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 - State-of-the-Art Mobile News Bureau Key Component of CNN’s 2008 Election Coverage

The CNN Election Express once again rolls along the nation’s highways as it travels from election hot spots to campaign battlefields as part of CNN’s unmatched coverage of the 2008 presidential campaigns and breaking news. The state-of-the-art mobile news bureau is equipped to cover news stories with unparalleled depth and speed by combining the capabilities of a studio, editing room and production facility with those of a satellite truck.

A Prevost H-45, the CNN Election Express accommodates up to 20 people in its newsroom and is the first and only fully High-Definition mobile news production vehicle. This 45-foot bus is wired for WiFi and boasts robust Internet connectivity, four HD cameras, ten LCD monitors and one 42-inch plasma screen. The CNN Election Express also maintains a tracking BGAN transmission platform that allows the bus to transmit video while in motion. A top-of-the-line editing system and video production server provide full post-production capabilities.

“For our America Votes 2008 coverage, we have put on the road what is possibly the most technologically advanced news production vehicle in the world,” said Sam Feist, CNN’s political director. “With the vast capacities of the CNN Election Express, CNN takes voters directly to the most important stops of the campaign in ways other news organizations can only imagine.”

The next stops for the CNN Election Express include Iowa for the state’s upcoming caucuses, New Hampshire for the nation’s first primary elections and visits to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Los Angeles for CNN’s remaining presidential primary debates.

To date, the CNN Election Express has served as the studio for interviews with top presidential candidates including Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). The studio configuration includes a lighting grid with full power to allow quick set-up for interviews. The video equipment on board can also be used outside for interviews and live shots.

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.