CNN.com announced today that CNN.com Live broadcasted its last day of programming today. All four CNN.com anchors (Reggie Aqui, Naamua Delaney, Nicole Lapin and Melissa Long) were let go as well today, as well as several members of the CNN.com Live production team.

WebNewser first broke the story earlier today and has a note from KC Estenson, Senior Vice President of CNN.com. In it, he says CNN.com Live is being closed in order "to create a unit focused on streaming major live events, producing video packages especially for CNN.com and increasing our overall on-demand offering."

Our best to the CNN.com anchors and staff being displaced during this time. No word on what will happen to Nicole's Young People Who Rock blog or other popular CNN.com Live features such as Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs Octavia Nasr's Mideast Voices.

CNN Press Release - CNN Worldwide, in partnership with Turner BroadcastingSystem, Inc. (TBS, Inc) and 21st Century Leaders, is hosting the fourth annual Leadership Unplugged: A CNN Experience, a week-long program developed exclusively by CNN employees to teach rising high school juniors and seniors in Georgia about media literacy, journalism and personal leadership. Leadership Unplugged takes place June 22-26, 2009, on the campus of Georgia Institute of Technology.

“My CNN colleagues and I are thrilled to offer these exceptional young people a forum to further develop their personal leadership styles, as well as learn more about some of the most critical challenges facing media professionals every day,” said Susan Grant, executive vice president of CNN News Services. “The opportunity to mentor Leadership Unplugged ambassadors is an honor for CNN executives and anchors alike, and we hope each of the students gains as much from the experience as we do each year.”

During the Leadership Unplugged program, 100 high school students - selected from a competitive pool of applicants from across the state of Georgia - will learn how news stories are presented on different platforms, as well as the impact social networking is having on the media landscape. The students will participate in workshops and discussion groups on a range of topics including diversity, ethics in media and audience engagement; and will attend panels and mentoring sessions featuring CNN executives, reporters and anchors including CNN’s Kyra Phillips and Tony Harris; HLN’s Richard Lui; CNN International’s Colleen McEdwards; and CNN.com’s Reggie Aqui and Melissa Long.

The curriculum for Leadership Unplugged is developed by CNN Student News, CNN’s cost-and-commercial-free news program for middle and high school students, and the classes and workshops are led by volunteer employees at CNN and TBS, Inc. After attending the classes and workshops throughout the week, the students work in teams to develop a story idea based upon the lessons they have learned. The week concludes with the student teams presenting their proposals before a panel of judges comprised of CNN and TBS, Inc. executives.

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.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

21st Century Leaders, Inc., is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire the next generation of Georgia leaders by empowering high school students with essential business and community leadership skills through programs connecting a diverse group of enthusiastic peers and passionate professionals.

CNN Press Release - The week of the election, CNN.com – the premier online destination for news and information about Election 2008 – will provide users with up-to-the-minute reporting, analysis and results, as well as the ability to customize their online experiences for the latest information on national, state and local races.

“While utilizing the full force of CNN’s vast resources, CNN.com will blanket the nation on Election Day and provide users with accurate, immediate information in a manner that’s both easy-to-understand and fully customizable,” said Mitch Gelman, senior vice president and senior executive producer of CNN.com. “On Election Night, there is no better place for Web users to find the election results that matter to them most, whether it’s on a national, statewide or county level.”

Leading up to and on Election Night, CNN.com users can customize their online election tracking through the site’s newly launched “Your Races” feature. At CNN.com/YourRaces, users are able to follow the latest developments in up to 35 different races at once, including presidential, congressional and gubernatorial contests, as well as key ballot measures. Additionally, the latest information about users’ top three races will “follow” them throughout CNN.com in a module on the right hand side of the Web page. Mobile users also can obtain instant results to the races that matter to them most – from the president to local district representatives – simply by entering a ZIP code into the “Your Races” field on the homepage of the CNN.com Mobile site.

The information-rich and easy-to-use CNN Election Tracker, found at CNN.com/Tracker, provides users with detailed state-by-state information related to the presidential election across several different categories, including polling, fundraising, ad spending and past election results. The Election Tracker also makes it possible for users to “mash-up” and compare the candidates’ campaign strategies across two of those categories through the “Power Play” interactive at CNN.com/PowerPlay. Additionally, the CNN Electoral Map Calculator at CNN.com/Map enables users to make their own predictions about which candidate will capture the electoral votes in each state, as well as compare different scenarios. As the polls close on Nov. 4, the CNN Electoral Map Calculator will automatically update, providing the latest Electoral College results in the battle for the White House.

CNN.com also is providing its users with the latest information about voting problems or irregularities through its Voter Hotline Map. Found at CNN.com/VoterHotline, the interactive map is powered by CNN’s own Voter Hotline which launched earlier this month. On this map, users can click each state to find out how many total complaint calls have been received; the top three counties in the state with the most complaints; and the top three types of problems reported in that state. To date, the hotline has received more than 18,000 calls with the expectation to handle hundreds of thousands of calls by Election Night. To report problems at the polls, call 1.877.GOCNN08 (877.462.6608).

Beginning on Monday, Nov. 3, CNN.com Live, the site’s live, multi-stream video news service, will provide users access to a wide variety of content, including the candidates’ final campaign stops and stump speeches, live and in their entirety. The streaming video service also will feature special replays of the recent presidential and vice presidential debates, convention speeches and special CNN programming profiling each candidate.

On Election Day, CNN.com Live will provide live reports from polling stations across the country. As polls close, special Election Night coverage is anchored by Melissa Long live from the CNN Election Center in New York and Reggie Aqui, Naamua Delaney and Nicole Lapin from CNN Headquarters in Atlanta. Election Night coverage includes real-time election results, and live analysis from CNN correspondents and contributors. Also, as the races are called, CNN.com Live users can watch all acceptance and concession speeches in their entirety from candidates for president, vice president, the House of Representatives, the Senate and governor.

Just as it has throughout the entirety of the campaign, the CNN Political Ticker - the Internet’s No. 1 political news blog according to Nielsen Online, will provide up-to-the-minute analysis from the “Best Political Team.” Also, through The Forum, CNN.com’s destination for social and political self-expression, users are empowered to engage in real-time discussions with The Forum’s other registered members – and also invite their Facebook friends to join in the conversation through the recently launched Facebook Connect.

In addition to providing detailed coverage and thorough analysis through its political news gateway at CNNPolitics.com, CNN.com will showcase a countdown clock for the first state poll closings; provide detailed exit-poll data across numerous categories such as age, gender, key issues and race; and closely track the “balance-of-power” in the Senate and House races.

CNN.com is the world's No. 1 destination for online and wireless news, garnering the greatest audience share of total minutes 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, four EPpy awards and the Online News Association’s award for general excellence.

• Melissa Long in for Betty Nguyen on CNN Saturday Morning and CNN Newsroom.

• Christine Romans is back on Your$$$$$ after being gone on Maternity Leave.

• Brooke Baldwin is in for Linda Stouffer's Headline News segments on Sunday.

Naamua Delaney and Melissa Long from CNN.com Live filled in this weekend on CNN International's World News.

Abbie Bordreau - Investigative Correspodent
CNN Domestic

Kiran Chetry - Co-Anchor American Morning
CNN Domestic

Nammua Delaney - Anchor
CNN.com Live

Melissa Long - Anchor
CNN.com Live

Kyra Phillips - Co-Anchor CNN Newsroom
Correspondent CNN Special Investigations Unit
CNN Domestic

CNN.com Live Anchors Melissa Long and Reggie Aqui co-hosted the YouTube Debate Preview on CNN.com Live Video this evening. CNN.com Live is going to be streaming comments and coverage online during the commercial breaks on CNN Worldwide. Melissa is live in St. Petersburg.

Prime News with Erica Hill anchor Erica Hill from Headline News is in St. Petersburg, FL as well tonight, as was mentioned in her daily newsletter from Prime News with Erica Hill.

Senior Political Analyst Gloria Borger and American Morning co-host John Roberts are in to offer their analysis on the debate as well.


Anderson Cooper is hosting the CNN/YouTube Debate that is airing now on CNN Domestic, CNN.com Live, Headline News and CNN International.

Post-Debate: He is now hosting after-debate coverage (a special edition of Anderson Cooper 360°) which included Chief National Correspondent John King, Anchor Campbell Brown, Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin, National Correspondent Joe Johns, Correspondent Tom Foreman, American Morning co-host John Roberts and Headline News' Prime News with Erica Hill anchor Erica Hill.

(On a personal note, I think it was great to see Erica Hill from Headline News included in this debate coverage.)

CNN.com Live Anchors Melissa Long and Reggie Aqui are broadcasting post-debate coverage on CNN.com Live Video.


CNN en Español: CNN en Español is replaying the debate right now, in the place where Encuentro con Daniel Viotto replays and it is also being streamed on CNN.com Live.


Broken Government: Campbell Brown's first special for the network, Broken Government: Campaign Killers, which dives into the ruthless world of campaign political attack ads. That begins at 11:00 PM Eastern.

Political Ticker: You can get more information about the debate, and the updates after from the CNN Political Ticker at http://www.cnn.com/ticker.

Post-Debate Interviews with John Roberts: John Roberts will have post-debate interviews Thursday morning (November 29) on American Morning beginning at 6:00 AM Eastern on CNN Domestic.

Domestic Re-Air Schedule: The debate will re-air Thursday morning (November 29) at 12:00 AM and 3:00 AM Eastern and Saturday night (December 1) at 8:00 PM Eastern on CNN.

Soledad O'Brien - Special Correspondent, CNN/U.S.

Melissa Long - Anchor, CNN.com Live

Melissa Long - Anchor, CNN.com Live

John Roberts - Anchor, American Morning
CNN/U.S.

Richelle Carey - Correspondent, Prime News with Erica Hill
Anchor, Prime News Breaks
Headline News

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