CNN Pressroom - Anderson Cooper will anchor Anderson Cooper 360° from Afghanistan the week of September 7th to mark the eighth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Cooper will be embedded with US troops fighting on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan. Cooper will be joined by CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who will be embedded with the US military and covering battle field trauma surgery. Terrorism expert and CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen will join Cooper in Afghanistan and CNN correspondent Michael Ware will also file reports from the field. Anderson Cooper 360° airs weeknights at 10pm ET on CNN and CNN International.

Pieces from throughout the week will culminate in an hour special premiering on Saturday at 8pmET and re-airing at 11pm and on Sunday at 2amET on CNN. Additionally, www.AC360.com will feature a multimedia look at Anderson Cooper 360° Afghanistan trip.

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, Cox Communications Provide Money, Manpower to KaBOOM! to Fix Katrina-Damaged Playground

CNN and Cox Communications New Orleans recently made a contribution to KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization that empowers communities to build playgrounds, to continue their long-term commitment to the renewal of the New Orleans community after Hurricane Katrina. CNN’s Fit Nation, a multi-platform initiative to stop obesity, will launch its first activity in 2008 at Pontiff Park in Metairie, La., to emphasize the benefits of a healthy lifestyle as the region continues its recovery from nearly three years ago.

As part of that contribution, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and other CNN employees will join volunteers from the community and Cox Communications New Orleans to rebuild the playground at Pontiff Park on Saturday, June 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (CT). The park design is based on drawings provided by children from the community who attended a KaBOOM! “Design Day” event in April.

Gupta will also tape House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta from the build site, interviewing local community leaders who come out to help. House Call is a program dedicated to the latest health and medical developments and airs on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30 to 8 a.m. (CT).

“I had the opportunity to see the destruction Katrina caused first-hand while I was reporting from New Orleans after the hurricane,” Gupta said. “I’m glad that Fit Nation can contribute to the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast region by creating a space for the community to use in achieving an active lifestyle.”

Hurricane Katrina damaged the park when five feet of water covered the grounds for nearly two weeks. The new playground will provide more than 10,000 children annually with a place to play in Jefferson Parish.

Video excerpts of the build will appear on www.CNN.com/FitNation, which also includes an interactive special section featuring fitness success stories, tips for staying fit and weekly updates from Gupta and CNN’s medical unit.

The playground build marks the first Fit Nation activity in 2008. CNN’s Fit Nation initiative began in 2006 as an ongoing multi-platform initiative to stop obesity and encourage healthier lifestyles. Over the past two years, Fit Nation and Gupta have traveled across the country engaging people in their own communities to get more active and develop local programs to meet the challenges of being overweight. In July and August, the Fit Nation mobile tour will visit cities across the United States, including Dallas, Seattle, Minneapolis, Minn., and Columbus, Ohio.

“Cox New Orleans continuously strives to better the communities it serves,” said Greg Bicket, senior vice president and general manager of Cox New Orleans. “Working with KaBOOM! has proved a perfect fit for the company’s local outreach efforts. Cox works to improve the quality of life in the greater New Orleans area and stresses the importance of employees’ active involvement post-Katrina in rebuilding, improving and renewing Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard and St. Charles parishes.”

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with CNN and Cox in this endeavor,” said Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder. “We’re optimistic that promoting healthy and active lifestyles through PSAs and other programming on CNN will produce positive change on multiple fronts. There’s no question that increasing the amount of time children play on a playground is a critical component to our goal of improving fitness and health.”

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,400 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, regional and national trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network – a national network of individual advocates for play. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is chief medical correspondent for the health and medical unit at CNN. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery, plays an integral role in the network’s medical coverage, which includes American Morning, the weekend show House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and coverage of breaking medical news. Based in Atlanta, he also co-hosts Accent Health for Turner Private Networks, contributes health news stories to CNN.com, writes a column for TIME magazine, is a contributor to CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. In 2007, Gupta’s first book, Chasing Life: New Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today, became a national bestseller.

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.

Cox Communications is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with 6.2 million total residential and commercial customers. The third-largest cable television company in the United States, Cox offers an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet and telephony services over its own nationwide IP network. Cox Business is a full-service, facilities-based provider of communications solutions for commercial customers, providing high-speed Internet, voice and long distance services, as well as data and video transport services for small to large-sized businesses. Cox Media offers national and local cable advertising in traditional spot and new media formats, along with promotional opportunities and production services. Cox Communications wholly owns and operates the Travel Channel. More information about the services of Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com, www.coxbusiness.com, and www.coxmedia.com.

CNN Pressroom - Multiplatform Effort Will Report on Science, Intervention and Resources for Parents on Wednesday, April 2

CNN will use its unparalleled newsgathering resources to report on the global impact and latest science of the developmental syndrome of autism for the first “World Autism Awareness Day.” Online as well as on CNN/U.S., CNN International, CNN en Español and Headline News, CNN will report on medical insights, information on treatments and intervention, and details about services available for those living with autism for the inaugural international awareness day on Wednesday, April 2.

On CNN/U.S., chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will report on a range of issues related to autism spectrum disorder beginning on CNN’s American Morning at 6 a.m. through Anderson Cooper 360°.

Worldwide, it is estimated that as many as 35 million people have autism and face considerable challenges and often discrimination. In November 2007, the United Nations declared that April 2 would be an annual day to “encourage Member States to take measures to raise awareness about children with autism throughout society.”

“Bringing awareness and information to viewers and online users globally on topics of urgency and importance, like autism, is exactly what CNN does best,” said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. “And Sanjay Gupta as our daylong guide for our reporting on this issue is a real differentiator for CNN. It will give depth to our reporting that no other network can offer.”

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2007 that as many as 1 in 150 8-year-old children in multiple areas of the United States had an autism spectrum disorder. Parents must often navigate their own paths to find helpful therapies and finance expensive education and other services independently.

In anticipation of World Autism Awareness Day, CNN.com will offer expanded coverage of this mysterious neurological disorder. Viewers will be able to access news and information including the latest medical theories and research about autism as well as the stories of people who live every day with the condition. Through multimedia and interactive elements, as well as traditional stories and videos, viewers will be invited to expand their knowledge and understanding of autism.

Viewers and users are encouraged to share their firsthand accounts of life with autism through video, photo, audio or text submissions to www.iReport.com, CNN’s recently launched user-generated community Web site. Autism-related iReports are available at www.iReport.com/tags/autism; and iReport.com contributors also may gain recognition by having the material they submit to the site – once vetted and approved for use – appear on a CNN network or CNN.com.

On the weekend preceding World Autism Awareness Day, Saturday, March 29, and Sunday, March 30, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will devote the full broadcast of House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta to explain the latest medical thinking regarding early signs of autism. While most children are diagnosed with autism at about age two, studies suggest that earlier diagnoses may offer opportunities for critical behavioral interventions. Gupta will explain warnings signs that may be observable as early as 6 to 12 months of age, when early interventions may improve developmental outcomes. House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta airs Saturdays and Sundays at 8:30 a.m. Gupta’s investigation into issues related to insurance coverage and educational therapies for families living with autism will be featured on CNN Radio for affiliates. On CNN.com, the “Paging Dr. Gupta Blog” and “Paging Dr. Gupta” podcast will also feature helpful information for families on autism.

Also on Saturday, March 29, personal finance editor Gerri Willis will offer advice for parents on coping with the tremendous costs of autism for Open House. Open House airs Saturdays at 9:30 a.m.

Preliminary coverage plans for World Autism Awareness Day on Wednesday, April 2, include:

· American Morning will introduce CNN viewers to triplets – each with autism at varying severity – born to Lynn and Randy Gaston in Ellicott City, Md. Additional reports will feature adults living with autism and distinguish medical myths from realities associated with a range of therapies and treatments. CNN’s American Morning airs weekdays on CNN/U.S. from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

· On CNN en Español, En Familia, a 30 minute program that serves as a guide to parents, and Consulta Médica, a 30-minute prime-time program dedicated to personal health and fitness, will be focusing on the educational needs of children with autism, and addressing the latest controversies examining the link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder. En Familia airs each Monday at 11:30 a.m. and Consulta Médica airs each Tuesday on CNN en Español at 11:30 a.m.

· A one-hour global simulcast special We Have Autism, anchored by CNN International’s Colleen McEdwards, will air at noon and focus on the experiences of families living with autism around the world and feature an interview with Suzanne Wright, the co-founder of Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization for people and families living with autism. McEdwards will also report on people living with extreme symptoms of autism, with a focus on Tito, a young man who despite his severe autism, has become a high-functioning poet and author. CNN international correspondent Wilf Dinnick will report on Qatar’s state-of-the-art Shafallah Centre that assists autistic children. The nation of Qatar is credited with leading U.N. efforts to establish World Autism Awareness Day as a day of global awareness. Also for We Have Autism, international correspondent John Vause will report from China about life with autism under communism. U.S. affairs editor for CNN International, Jill Dougherty will report on a family with a child recently diagnosed as autistic as they seek the best help for their child. We Have Autism will air on CNN/U.S. and CNN International.

· Actor, author, parent and autism activist Jenny McCarthy, as well as Bobby Kennedy, Jr., senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council who believes that thimerosal in vaccines is responsible for autism, will be guests on Larry King Live. Larry King Live airs weeknights on CNN/U.S. at 9 p.m. and replays at midnight.

· “Finding Amanda,” a one-hour Anderson Cooper 360° special, features a few of the approximately 600,000 American adults who live with autism. Gupta will introduce viewers to Amanda Baggs of Burlington, Vt., and others, who share with him how they experience the world – from their perspective. “Finding Amanda” will premiere on CNN/U.S. at 11 p.m. and replay at 2 a.m.

· Showbiz Tonight will feature a report on a groundbreaking documentary, Autism: The Musical, set to debut on HBO on Tuesday, March 25. Showbiz Tonight airs on Headline News weeknights at 11 p.m. and replays at 2 a.m.

· CNN Newsource will offer affiliates custom liveshots with medical correspondent Judy Fortin between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on April 2 about how families with older children living with autism cope with their challenges. Fortin’s package features a Grayson, Ga., family with a 12-year-old autistic child.

Additional programming focused upon autism will be announced closer to April 2.

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.

All times Eastern.

CNN Pressroom - ‘Critical Condition’ Installment Reveals Gaps in Health Care Coverage in U.S., Examines Debate over Issue

CNN Productions plans to produce a series of one-hour documentaries in 2008 under its successful Broken Government brand. As it did in the 2006 midterm election, the series seeks to offer clarity to the political topics receiving close attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign.

The first documentary in the series, Broken Government: Health Care Critical Condition, is reported by CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Critical Condition will premiere on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 11 p.m., immediately following the CNN/Los Angeles Times/POLITICO Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate and will replay on Saturday, Feb. 2, and Sunday, Feb. 3, at 11 p.m. All times Eastern.

In Critical Condition, Gupta focuses on the gaps in health care coverage experienced by the more than 45 million Americans who lack adequate health insurance. These include consumers with health insurance still vulnerable to bankruptcy by medical bills and the uninsured who cannot afford healthcare. Gupta also examines various health care plan proposals and the pros and cons of universal health care coverage in other countries.

Other Broken Government documentaries in the 2008 series will feature CNN’s Rick Sanchez taking an in-depth look at inconsistent and ineffective U.S. immigration policies; chief technology and environment correspondent Miles O’Brien investigating the impact of government policies on the environment; and a documentary on the government failures at the federal, state and local levels that continue to plague those impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Additional programs in the series will be announced later in the campaign season.

Carol Kinstle is the executive producer and the director of CNN’s health and medical unit. Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer of CNN Productions.

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 Launches ‘Fit Nation Challenge’ at Finish Line of Tour de Georgia on Sunday, April 22, in Atlanta

Harvard researchers revealed recently that for every hour of regular exercise Americans add to their regimen, they add two hours to their life. With that in mind, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta this week encourages Americans to take his “Fit Nation Challenge” and pledge to gain one million hours of life. Related “Fit Nation” segments and materials will appear across CNN/U.S. and Headline News programming, including Anderson Cooper 360º, American Morning and Robin & Company, as well as on CNN.com.

CNN’s cross-country “Fit Nation Challenge” launches on Sunday, April 22, in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park at the finish line of the Tour de Georgia, a seven-day state-wide bicycle race. Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and Olympian and world class runner Jeff Galloway will also be on hand to support the challenge.

This year, the Fit Nation tour includes a custom-designed airstream trailer that serves as a venue where visitors can share their health lifestyle choices through video, online interaction and on-site activities such as a fit photo, health trivia and cycling. Other tour stops this year include:

· April 27-29: French Quarter – New Orleans;

· May 5 – 6: Celebrate Culture Festival – Denver;

· June 2 – 3: Rock & Roll Marathon – San Diego; and

· June 29 – July 1: Taste of Chicago and the 5K Race to the Taste – Chicago.

After constant reporting on the obesity epidemic, Gupta launched Fit Nation in 2006 as an ongoing multi-platform initiative to stop obesity and encourage healthier lifestyles. With former President Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, Maria Shriver and others, Gupta traveled across the country engaging people in their own communities to get more active and develop local programs to meet the challenges of being overweight.

Fit Nation segments are featured on House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, which airs on Saturdays and Sundays at 8:30 a.m.; American Morning, which airs every weekday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.; Headline News’ Robin & Company, which airs every weekday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.; the afternoon edition of CNN Newsroom, which airs every weekday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and Anderson Cooper 360°, which airs each weeknight from 10 p.m. to midnight. All times Eastern.

In addition, an online report (www.CNN.com/fitnation) features tools for users to log their extra hours of life, podcasts from the Fit Nation events and user-generated iReports to allow users to share success stories and submit health tips.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is chief medical correspondent for the health and medical unit at CNN. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery, plays an integral role in the network’s medical coverage, which includes American Morning, the weekend show House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and coverage of breaking medical news. Based in Atlanta, he also co-hosts Accent Health for Turner Private Networks, contributes health news stories to CNN.com, writes a column for TIME magazine, is a contributor to CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and authored his first book this year, Chasing Life: New Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today.

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.