Amanpour. And CNN NewsCenter Debut On CNN International
CNN International’s rejigged European prime time schedule kicked off on Monday with the return of Christiane Amanpour fronting her namesake program and the debut of Isha Sesay’s CNN NewsCenter.
Hamid Karzai was Amanpour’s first guest. The Afghan President was also the first guest when Amanpour. first launched in 2009. Amanpour also managed to secure the first interview with new World Bank president Dr. Jim Yong Kim. Other guests appearing on the program this week include U.S. Ambassador to the U.N, Susan Rice and Israel’s Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak.
Amanpour. airs live weekdays at 1900 GMT with several replays throughout the following day. A scoped aircheck of the first program is in the video below.
CNN NewsCenter is a new 30 minute daily program that is described by CNN as “the definitive destination for an intelligent, complete global picture of the day's news.”
Hosted by Isha Sesay from the CNN Domestic newsroom, the program airs live at 1930 GMT weekdays. Early reaction on our forum was mixed, but leaning towards positive on first viewing:
ginnyfan:"Like everything so far, opening is like a white lighter version of WR/W1 style, much better. Also great they broadcast from newsroom."
Axl0706:"Don't like the tacky music but everything else seems to be good! The white/black/red-color combination they are using is very pleasant. If they keep focussing on hard news every day, I think it will be a success."
Newser:"… it's IDesk meeting CNN Newsroom which could be called 'CNN Isha is in the Center' and would be a great fit for an international version of HLN if it existed." excel99: " ... It's better than PMT in the slot, and it's better than Backstory full of filler. It is also only day 1. Things could change over time. But in terms of substance I was disappointed - that slot needs something like the 'original W1'. The news, in full, not with loads of analysis or features, but not just headlines. Short concise reports on all the issues of the day. If CNNi have forgotten, go and watch a 30 minute AJE bulletin ..."
Gman:"Like the show, like the concept but not the gimmicks. Is the whole walking into the newsroom thing at the beginning going to be used every episode or was it just for the premiere?Graphics and music so much better than WR (in my humble opinion...). I've always liked Isha as a host of pure news programs - it's much more her style ..."
A scoped aircheck of the debut edition is in the video below.
CNN International rolled out the first 30 second promo for Amanpour. on Monday. The show returns to CNNI's schedule from April 16 (April 17 for viewers in Asia).
Teaser Spots For Amanpour. Begin On CNN International.
Teaser spots for the relaunch of Christiane Amanpour's weekday show have started rolling across CNN International. The 5 second spot (seen below) started running on Thursday - one day after CNN International released most of the details of the show's relaunch.
Amanpour to Become Centerpiece of New CNN International Lineup Launching this Spring
CNN Press Release - Liza McGuirk named Executive Producer of Amanpour
Christiane Amanpour returns to CNN Worldwide this spring and will broadcast her signature program, Amanpour, in primetime in Europe and throughout the world in more than 200 countries as the centerpiece of a new CNN International lineup, it was announced today by Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director of CNN International.
Each weeknight on CNN International, Amanpour will deliver the definitive international news and interview program that CNN’s worldwide audience has come to expect of the preeminent global journalist. Amanpour will air weekdays at 3 p.m. and replay at 5 p.m. (ET) on CNN International. The half-hour show will air twice during European primetime, providing viewers with an additional opportunity to tune in for a distinct take on the challenging issues facing the world.
Liza McGuirk, an award-winning producer who has more than two decades of experience in television journalism both producing and reporting, will be the executive producer of Amanpour. McGuirk will be based in New York along with Amanpour.
In the unique relationship announced in December, Amanpour’s primary role is as global affairs anchor for ABC News blazing a trail in international reporting for American viewers, in addition to her new program on CNN International reaching a vast global audience. She will continue her courageous reporting in war-torn countries for all ABC News programs, platforms and online, including her unmatched ability to land major and rare exclusive interviews with world leaders - including last year’s only interviews with Moammar Gadhafi and Hosni Mubarak. As global affairs anchor for ABC News, her ongoing assignments range from the uprisings in the Middle East to Iran's nuclear program to the Eurozone crisis. Amanpour will also report on new conflicts, natural disasters and humanitarian crises, anchor four primetime specials on ABC and continue Around the World with Christiane Amanpour, her recently launched video series for ABCNews.com and Yahoo News.
“We are delighted to see Amanpour return to the heart of CNN International’s lineup,” said Maddox. “Christiane has proven herself time and time again to be the leading international journalist in television news and with Liza’s commitment to producing compelling television, Amanpour will showcase the very best CNN has to offer.”
“I’m thrilled that Christiane’s powerful, utterly original journalistic voice will once again be heard around the world, and I look forward to helping her shape an important program at a time of great global change,” said McGuirk.
Amanpour will be at the center of a dynamic new lineup featuring existing programs International Desk, Quest Means Business, Connect the World with Becky Anderson and Piers Morgan Tonight as well as a new weekday news program anchored by CNN’s Isha Sesay, who also appears on Anderson Cooper 360°.
With the launch of Amanpour, CNN International is once again offering Europe’s primetime audience a destination program featuring one of the world’s most distinguished journalists. Known for her tough questions and extraordinary depth of knowledge, Amanpour will focus on international stories shaping the news agenda, delivering sharp analysis to an audience of more than 280 million households in more than 200 countries around the world with CNN International.
Amanpour and McGuirk have previously collaborated on a number of projects for CNN, including the award-winning 1999 documentary about Iran, Revolutionary Journey. In June 2008, McGuirk launched the Sunday morning news and discussion program Fareed Zakaria: GPS, which was nominated for an Emmy after just months of being on air. Most recently she served as the executive producer of Parker Spitzer. She also worked at CBS News for eight years, including four years producing and writing segments for the late 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley. McGuirk reports to Mike McCarthy, senior vice president of programming for CNN International.
Amanpour spent more than 25 years reporting from around the globe for CNN. Most recently, she was CNN's chief international correspondent and anchored Amanpour on CNN International from September 2009 to April 2010. In the summer of 2010, Amanpour joined ABC News and became host of ABC News’ This Week, where she was the only Sunday morning anchor nominated for an Emmy award. Her body of work has earned nine News and Documentary Emmys, four George Foster Peabody Awards, two George Polk Awards, three duPont-Columbia Awards, the Courage in Journalism Award, an Edward R. Murrow award, an inaugural Television Academy Honor and nine honorary degrees.
CNNI’s new European primetime lineup (All times Eastern): 1 p.m. International Desk; 2 p.m. Quest Means Business; 3 p.m. Amanpour; 3:30 p.m. new Isha Sesay-anchored show; 4 p.m. Connect the World with Becky Anderson; 5 p.m. Amanpour (encore); 5:30 p.m. World Sport; 6 p.m. Piers Morgan Tonight.
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.
Christiane Amanpour Returning To CNN International
Christiane Amanpour is returning to CNN International early next year, where she will host a nightly global affairs program.
Amanpour left CNN in 2010 to host ABC's This Week. Her return to CNN had been speculated in recent months and weeks with reports first emerging from The New York Post in October this year.
It's reported that Amanpour will still remain at ABC News and split her time between the American broadcast network and CNN International.
CNN statement on Amanpour's return:
Christiane Amanpour will return to CNN with a nightly news broadcast on CNN International, the network announced Tuesday.
Amanpour, who left CNN in 2010 to become host of ABC's "This Week," will remain a global affairs anchor for ABC News as part of a "unique arrangement," CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton said.
"Christiane Amanpour has been synonymous with international reporting and with CNN for many years," Walton said. "We could not be happier that through this unique arrangement with ABC News her experience and global perspective are returning to a nightly news broadcast for our international audience."
Amanpour said in a statement that she is excited about the opportunity.
"This role is groundbreaking, bold and very different! I am thrilled and honored," she said.
A note from CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton to Staff:
December 13 2011 Jim Walton's Note to Staff:
This afternoon we announced that Christiane Amanpour is returning to CNN to host an evening newscast on CNN International beginning in 2012. In a unique arrangement with ABC News, Christiane will continue to report for their news programs, as well. We could not be happier than to welcome back to the CNN organization the leading international journalist working in television news, who also happens to be our longtime colleague and friend. I wanted to share the news with you as it is breaking.
"Thank-you, CNN, for the honor to serve, and thank-you all for watching"...
Christiane Amanpour has signed off from her daily CNN International program for the final time, and, at the same time, ended a remarkable 27 year career at CNN.
Below is video of Christiane's final thoughts, and a brief retrospective of her CNN career, from the close of her final show.
Flashback: On March 19 - a day after the news that she was leaving CNN broke - Christiane reflected on her time at the network with the following note to her colleagues.
"To My Family at CNN,
I am stunned and humbled by all your words and thoughts and good wishes. I have been bobbing on a tide of poignancy, enveloped in the amazing outpouring of love and affection from my friends and family at the place I call home. For nearly 27 years it has not just been a privilege but an unparalleled pleasure...a great, rollicking, earth-shaking, world-shaping adventure...to be part of CNN, which is not just a company but an institution that has changed the very way we live.
From the beginning the excitement was overwhelming as Ted Turner strode around declaring "I WAS CABLE BEFORE CABLE WAS COOL." And then boldly exhorted the establishment arrayed against him to "Lead Follow or get out of the way". He led, we followed and the rest had to get out of the way! From being shut out of the first White House stake-outs 30 years ago to the barely met payrolls, CNN and all of us, the army of true believers, did what no-one ever imagined one organization could do, pioneering, transformative, indispensable to this day.
From the very first day I walked into the newsroom at Techwood, September 1983, I have been proud to climb the ladder CNN put in front of me, every hard-won step of the way. Not just proud, but thrilled to bits. I feel truly fortunate to belong to the most supportive, amazing, dedicated and inspiring people from the leadership to my colleagues in every corner of the company. I never get tired of recalling the heart-stopping events we have all covered and brought to the world, from the Wall coming down, to the first Gulf War. To Bosnia where I became myself as a reporter, where I learned how to use my voice, where I learned what it means to have someone's back and for them to have yours; where we risked our lives...and sometimes our sanity...forged the closest of bonds and never never wavered from the mission: to report the truth, no matter how difficult and dangerous; to be the eyes and ears of our viewers in the United States and around the world, to tell people's stories and be a constructive and positive force in society, a force that tries to make a difference.
That's what CNN is, that is what I am so proud to have been part of, proud to have helped shape. And happy to have had so much fun all along the way.
That's the mission I have been trying to continue with my phenomenal team at our eponymously named program here. So why am I leaving? In my heart I am not. This has been the most difficult of decisions. I am simply taking the next challenging and difficult but exciting step. I believe more than anything that knowledge and familiarity with important international news and events abroad are fundamental to Americans today. This rare chance to take international news to a broader base here in the United States is one that I felt I could not turn down. I will take everything I have learned, and loved, here at CNN and put it into action!
And the network I love will have you, your hard work, your heart, your vision and your faith. Keep doing CNN's important work, without which the world would most definitely be a poorer place. Never forget who you are. Never forget what CNN is. Never forget how we all together changed the world.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you all, and I say only "au revoir," not goodbye
Christiane"
Ms. Amanpour now heads to a post as host of This Week on ABC, beginning in August.
John King's Comments about Christiane Amanpour's move to ABC
as told to Mediaite via CNN Publicity - “You know she’s also a fellow University of Rhode Island graduate and I didn’t know that when I went to the University of Rhode Island. But, I met Christiane when I worked at the Associated Press and she worked for CNN back in the very first Persian Gulf War, we were both over in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for several, many months during the war back then. She is a friend, as well as a colleague, soon to be a former colleague. I wish her the best.
You know, there are a lot of questions. Christiane does not have a lot of experience covering American politics and so how does she fit in on ABC on Sunday morning? I’ll leave that to them to figure out. It is an interesting pick, it is an unorthodox choice, I think that’s just self-evident, that’s not any special analysis from John King. I’ll watch how it plays out with everyone else.
She is friend, a dear friend, I wish her the best and I have no bad feelings towards ABC. I just think it’s an Interesting choice for them, they really decided to go in a new direction. We’ll see how it plays out. And I would tell everybody out there, put her on your DVR and watch Candy Crowley on State of the Union.”
After more than twenty-five years at CNN, eighteen of those as an International Correspondent, Christiane Amanpour is leaving CNN at the end of April to head to a post as host of This Week on ABC beginning in August.
Amanpour joined CNN in 1983 as an entry-level assistant on the CNN international assignment desk at the network's World Headquarters in Atlanta, GA. She worked from there to become a correspondent in the New York bureau before becoming an International Correspondent in 1990. Her weekday interview program, Amanpour, on CNN International premiered in September 2009.
In 2007, Amanpour earned the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her "“highly distinguished, innovative contribution” to journalism.
Since joining CNN, Amanpour has earned an inaugural Television Academy Honor, nine News and Documentary Emmys, four George Foster Peabody Awards, two George Polk Awards, three duPont-Columbia Awards, the Courage in Journalism Award, an Edward R. Murrow award and other major journalism awards as well as honorary degrees from The American University of Paris, Georgetown University, New York University, Smith College, Emory University and the University of Michigan.
In a statement released today, Amanpour said “I’m thrilled to be joining the incredible team at ABC News. Being asked to anchor “This Week” and the superb tradition started by David Brinkley, is a tremendous and rare honor and I look forward to discussing the great domestic and international issues of the day, I leave CNN with the UTMOST respect, love and admiration for the company and everyone who works here. This has been my family and shared endeavor for the past 27 years and I am forever grateful and proud of all that we have accomplished.”
Amanpour graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor of arts in journalism.
Look for CNN International to announce a new prime time schedule in the next few weeks.
Below, you will find a statement from CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton:
"I have some news for you about Christiane Amanpour. ABC News will announce today that she is joining that organization to headline one of its programs. You may have seen media speculation concerning this move; out of respect for Christiane, we have reserved comment until now, when we all agree that the time is right to share her plans.
Over the years, Christiane and I have talked about her professional goals and personal interests, and more recently about the excitement of a new opportunity at this point in her career. While I don’t presume to speak for her, as her colleague and friend for more than 25 years I know that this decision has not been an easy one. Since 1990 when Christiane became a CNN international correspondent, she has covered the defining news events of our time. Her work burnished our news brand and gave it authority. In turn, the CNN imprimatur opened doors for her around the world and provided a global platform for the intelligent, courageous, principled reporting that is her signature. CNN and Christiane helped make each other great.
She will depart her CNN International show at the end of April. We’ll announce changes to the CNNI programming schedule in the coming weeks; today is about honoring our friend. For her hard work these many years on behalf of CNN; for going where the story was, wherever in the world that might be; for her passion, character and generosity; and most of all, for her extraordinary journalism, Christiane has our gratitude, respect and sincere best wishes."
Statement from Wolf Blitzer, anchor The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (via Twitter):
I want to wish Christiane Amanpour all the best as she gets ready to leave CNN for ABC News. She'll host "This Week."
Update (03/19): Christiane's letter to her CNN friends and colleagues:
To My Family at CNN,
I am stunned and humbled by all your words and thoughts and good wishes. I have been bobbing on a tide of poignancy, enveloped in the amazing outpouring of love and affection from my friends and family at the place I call home. For nearly 27 years it has not just been a privilege but an unparalleled pleasure...a great, rollicking, earth-shaking, world-shaping adventure...to be part of CNN, which is not just a company but an institution that has changed the very way we live.
From the beginning the excitement was overwhelming as Ted Turner strode around declaring "I WAS CABLE BEFORE CABLE WAS COOL." And then boldly exhorted the establishment arrayed against him to "Lead Follow or get out of the way". He led, we followed and the rest had to get out of the way! From being shut out of the first White House stake-outs 30 years ago to the barely met payrolls, CNN and all of us, the army of true believers, did what no-one ever imagined one organization could do, pioneering, transformative, indispensable to this day.
From the very first day I walked into the newsroom at Techwood, September 1983, I have been proud to climb the ladder CNN put in front of me, every hard-won step of the way. Not just proud, but thrilled to bits. I feel truly fortunate to belong to the most supportive, amazing, dedicated and inspiring people from the leadership to my colleagues in every corner of the company. I never get tired of recalling the heart-stopping events we have all covered and brought to the world, from the Wall coming down, to the first Gulf War. To Bosnia where I became myself as a reporter, where I learned how to use my voice, where I learned what it means to have someone's back and for them to have yours; where we risked our lives...and sometimes our sanity...forged the closest of bonds and never never wavered from the mission: to report the truth, no matter how difficult and dangerous; to be the eyes and ears of our viewers in the United States and around the world, to tell people's stories and be a constructive and positive force in society, a force that tries to make a difference.
That's what CNN is, that is what I am so proud to have been part of, proud to have helped shape. And happy to have had so much fun all along the way.
That's the mission I have been trying to continue with my phenomenal team at our eponymously named program here. So why am I leaving? In my heart I am not. This has been the most difficult of decisions. I am simply taking the next challenging and difficult but exciting step. I believe more than anything that knowledge and familiarity with important international news and events abroad are fundamental to Americans today. This rare chance to take international news to a broader base here in the United States is one that I felt I could not turn down. I will take everything I have learned, and loved, here at CNN and put it into action!
And the network I love will have you, your hard work, your heart, your vision and your faith. Keep doing CNN's important work, without which the world would most definitely be a poorer place. Never forget who you are. Never forget what CNN is. Never forget how we all together changed the world.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you all, and I say only "au revoir," not goodbye
This should be sending some sort of shiver down the spines of the higher-ups at CNN today.
Since the launch of her daily show (seen as a 60 minute compilation show every Sunday on CNN Domestic) in September last year, CNN International has been pushing their Chief International Correspondent as the main face of the network. Along with a strong promotional push online, you'll be hard pressed to watch 30 minutes of CNN International without seeing some sort of promotion for Amanpour.
If Amanpour were to bail out of CNN, it would be a major blow to the network. It would probably be felt most at CNN International - where executives spent well over 18 months researching and implementing a new European prime time schedule with Amanpour front and center.
In a recent profile in The New York Times' "Domains" feature, Amanpour addressed her future plans:
"I feel that I am on the cusp of something new in my life. I just don’t know what it is right now."
Whether or not hosting ABC's "This Week" turns out to be the next step for Amanpour remains to be seen. She is still yet to make any comment on the story, as is CNN.
CNN International will launch its new broadcast center in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The new studios and bureau will become the fourth such operation for the network, joining existing centers in Atlanta, London and Hong Kong.
As well as launching the new broadcast center, CNN International will debut the network's first ever live news show to be broadcast from the region. Titled 'Prism', and hosted by veteran correspondent Stan Grant, the program will take one issue each night and dissect the story from multiple angles.
Ahead of the Tuesday launch, Monday's edition of 'Amanpour' was taped from the new studios in Abu Dhabi.
Three pictures showing part of the newsroom of the new Abu Dhabi bureau were released by CNN today.
Finally, Stan Grant presents a four minute tour of the new Abu Dhabi outfit for this month's 'Inside The Middle East'.
On Monday night, CNN Productions received the prestigious President’s Award at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards for CNN’s “longstanding commitment to long-form documentaries.” Accepting the award (from L-R) are Mark Nelson, vice president and sr. executive producer for CNN Productions; Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor, 'Amanpour;’ Jon Klein, president, CNN/U.S. and Soledad O'Brien, anchor and special correspondent.
'AMANPOUR' PREMIERE EXAMINES THE FATE OF AFGHANISTAN WITH KARZAI AND HOLBROOKE
CNN Press Release - Christiane Amanpour today announced the guest line-up for her new interview show 'AMANPOUR.’ which debuts live on CNN International around the world on Tuesday September 21/22. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke will discuss the issues underlying the powder keg that is Afghanistan -- the war there, the growing power of the Taliban, the fraud charges surrounding the recent election, and the tough road ahead.
Amanpour talks with two key players in a pivotal political drama that affects millions of people and that is grabbing world headlines.
“The impact of the situation in Afghanistan is felt far beyond its own borders,” said Amanpour. “It is emblematic of the type of issues I plan to tackle in this show. I want to dig deep into issues that stir the global conscience. I want to provide a forum for audiences to do the same. I hope to stimulate global dialogue about issues that deserve real debate, not just on public platforms but in the global living room.”
Over the next few weeks, Amanpour will also interview a range of political leaders, cultural icons and global influencers, to offer viewers a deeper examination of the major news stories and urgent issues around the world.
Among them are South African President Jacob Zuma; Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair; Queen Rania of Jordan; Israeli Deputy PM and Minister of Justice Dan Meridor; Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat; former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; Human Rights Council Report on Gaza War Richard Goldstone; and HRH Haakon and Mette-Marit, Crown Prince and Princess of Norway.
“This show is a global conversation on pressing issues of the day and how they affect people” said Amanpour. “As the show develops, we want to directly involve the audience to create a real-time global interaction that will add an exciting new facet to the power of the interview.”
CNN Press Release - CNN continues to deliver more newsmakers with a stellar lineup of A-list interviews, including:
Today, Sept. 17: Wolf Blitzer has an exclusive interview with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai about U.S. troop presence in the country, the accusation of fraud in the recent presidential election and other important issues. The interview airs today in The Situation Room beginning at 4 p.m. (ET).
Today, Sept. 17: Chris Lawrence has an exclusive interview with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden during his visit to Iraq, addressing how ready Iraq is to take over its own security and concerns over Iran's influence in the region. The interview airs today throughout CNN’s programming.
Sunday, Sept. 20: John King’s wide-ranging interview with President Barack Obama will air during the 9 a.m. (ET) hour of State of the Union with John King.
Sunday, Sept. 20: In Fareed Zakaria’s exclusive interview with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, the Russian president laid out his problems with the U.S. missile defense shield plans. The interview airs on GPS at 1 p.m. (ET).
Monday, Sept. 21: Christiane Amanpour launches Amanpour. on CNN International with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke discussing the issues underlying the powder keg that is Afghanistan -- the war there, the growing power of the Taliban, the fraud charges surrounding the recent election, and the tough road ahead.
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 hosted a luncheon on Wednesday to celebrate the launch of Amanpour on CNN International and CNN Domestic. Below are some photos from the event.
Tony Maddox (Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of CNN International), Christiane Amanpour (Chief International Correspondent; Host, Amanpour), Kathy O’Hearn (EP of Amanpour), Jon Klein (President of CNN Domestic)
Gayle King (O Magazine Editor) and Ray Kelly (New York City Police Commissioner)
Bart Feder (Senior Vice-President of Current Programming, CNN Domestic) and Darius Walker (Bureau Chief - New York)
New CNNI Changes and European Primetime Shows Launch Next Week!
Monday will bring forth a number of changes to CNN International and it's lineup of shows. CNN Today, World News, World News Asia, and Your World Today will all become World Report. Guillermo Arduino's weekly World Report show will become World View.
European primetime programming will have two new shows added to its lineup, World One, hosted by Fionnuala Sweeney, and Amanpour hosted by Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
'World One', hosted by Fionnuala Sweeney, is a fast-paced international news bulletin, designed to keep viewers across the day's major stories. 'World One' delivers everything you need to know about the world's biggest stories in a punchy half-hour format. The programme will showcase the network's best news reports and deliver the latest news headlines from across the globe. Every day, 'World One' will showcase a special segment that brings you closer to one part of the world and 'In Focus' will be a deeper look at an international news story. With Fionnuala's expertise and extensive knowledge of international affairs, 'World One' is designed to become appointment viewing for anyone who wants to keep on top of the news.
Amanpour
On 21st September (22nd in the Asia Pacific region), CNN International launches its centrepiece, the highly-anticipated 'Amanpour' programme. This interview programme, hosted by the internationally renowned and multi-award-winning journalist Christiane Amanpour, will aim to set the agenda for a new global conversation. Each half-hour show will focus on a single topic; often news-driven, often provocative, bringing to bear Christiane's vast journalistic experience and depth of knowledge honed from a quarter of a century reporting from around the world, alongside some of the major influencers and newsmakers of the day.
More information is forthcoming and will be posted as it becomes available.
Dispatch (Aug. 6, 2009): CNN to Broadcast ‘Witness to War’
CNN Press Release - 'Witness to War', airing at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (ET/PT) on Saturday, Aug. 8,sees a team of six CNN correspondents provide an unique, first-hand account of the horrors of conflict - from civil war, to the war on terror and the recent offensive in the Swat valley - in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The unparalleled one-hour documentary allows them to draw on their years of experience living and working in the region, as they answer several critical questions, including: What effect does the ever-present violence have on people's psyches? What danger does the constant conflict pose to the world? And, how difficult is it to report from a region where journalists are often targets?
They also investigate the human cost of conflict, discussing the stories they covered and the people they met that most profoundly affected them. They look at the reality of life in refugee camps, examine how children are impacted by the instability, and perhaps most importantly, discuss whether there’s any hope for the future.
Next week, CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour will helm a new Amanpour Reports, another CNN Productions two-hour event documentary, Generation Islam, on the battle for the hearts and minds of the youth of the Muslim world. The special debuts on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 9p.m. and 12a.m. (ET/PT), with weekend replays at 8p.m. 11p.m.
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 Press Release - Two-hour Documentary Investigating the Battle for Muslim Hearts and Minds Debuts on August 13
This summer, CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour will helm a new Amanpour Reports two-hour event documentary, Generation Islam, on the battle for the hearts and minds of the youth of the Muslim world. The documentary will debut on Thursday, August 13 at 8p.m. and 11p.m. ET and PT.
Additionally, Christiane Amanpour begins a new daily interview program, Amanpour, airing globally at 3p.m. ET on CNN International, with a weekly 60-minute edition airing on CNN/U.S. on Sundays at 2p.m. ET, beginning in September.
“CNN is one of the few remaining television networks still committed to delivering enterprise reporting, in-depth documentaries, and comprehensive news and analysis from around the world,” said Jon Klein, president CNN/U.S. “And in Christiane we’ve got the master of all those forms. As a war correspondent she redefined international reporting, while her documentaries have transfixed tens of millions of viewers around the world and earned the most prestigious awards in journalism.”
Fresh from her extraordinary reporting from inside Iran during the Iranian elections, Amanpour takes viewers to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Gaza for Generation Islam. The documentary premieres just one week prior to Afghanistan’s national elections, as the U.S. intensifies its war efforts in Afghanistan, and as the Obama Administration seeks to forge a new relationship with Muslim nations.
Viewers of the documentary will see and hear from young Muslims who are potentially vulnerable to manipulation by Muslim extremist groups. More than half of the people living in the crowded Gaza strip are under the age of 18, and nearly 45 percent of the population in Afghanistan is under the age of 14. Amanpour speaks to several Americans living and working in Afghanistan and Gaza, who are providing alternatives to young Muslims who are prime recruits for Muslim fundamentalists160;
With the story of one child and his family, Amanpour illustrates what’s at stake. Last year, as nearly one thousand Afghan civilians were accidentally killed by U.S. forces, the Taliban began in earnest to re-establish its influence among people crushed by poverty and war. Just one year ago, a starving twelve year-old Nassim appeared on the doorstep of an orphanage run by American Marnie Gustafson in Afghanistan. Nassim had survived beatings, slave labor and a harrowing month-long journey having been cast out of his home after his father took a new wife. Nassim’s 15-year-old brother Alahdad may have suffered an even worse fate. Alahdad was taken in by a fundamentalist madrasa near Herat, Afghanistan, a region considered Taliban country.
Viewers will also learn about Palestinian obstetrician gynecologist Izzeldin Abuelaish in Gaza, whose home was bombarded during the 2009 war between Israel and Hamas. His three daughters were killed by Israeli shells. Dr. Abuelaish invites Amanpour to meet some of the children in his family who survived. Despite his tragic loss, he continues to work for peace. Dr. Abuelaish has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Amanpour also meets 35 children at a Gaza pre-school, many of whom have lost their homes or a parent in the war with Israel. Teachers notice behavior problems from these youngsters that seem related to their exposure to war and violence160;
Dr. El-Sarraj, an expert in Muslim extremism, tells Amanpour that up to one third of the children surveyed there say that they want to be a martyr. “Palestinian boys, even at age five, feel like they need to defend their families and their society, becoming disheartened when they can’t,” says Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj is a psychiatrist and founder/president of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program and a commissioner of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights.
“President Obama and many others are concerned that the next generation of Muslims could be lost to religious extremists,” says Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer, CNN Productions. “Viewers will see and learn about some Americans who are winning the battle against extremism.”
About CNN Productions Generation Islam is produced by CNN Productions, the most award-winning documentary unit in cable network news. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recently announced that it will honor CNN Productions with the President’s Award at its ceremonies in September. Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer for CNN Productions; Kathy Slobogin is managing editor for CNN Productions. Andrew Tkach and Melissa Dunst are senior producers; Heather O’Neill and Jen Christensen are producers; Jody Gottlieb is the executive director for CNN Productions.
Christiane Amanpour has reported on crises from many of the world’s hotspots and war zones during 26 years at CNN. Her assignments also include exclusive interviews with world leaders on the human consequences of natural disasters and global politics. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the coveted Paul White Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, four George Foster Peabody Awards, a Courage in Journalism Award and a number of Emmys and duPont awards. She is a member of the board of directors for the Committee to Protect Journalists and was named an honorary citizen by the City of Sarajevo for her “personal contribution to spreading the truth” during coverage of the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia.
About CNN Worldwide 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 International’s rejigged European prime time schedule kicked off on Monday with the return of Christiane Amanpour fronting her namesake program and the debut of Isha Sesay’s CNN NewsCenter.
ginnyfan: "Like everything so far, opening is like a white lighter version of WR/W1 style, much better. Also great they broadcast from newsroom."
