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.

Piers Morgan will tonight mark his one year anniversary at CNN with Chelsea Handler stepping in to interview the talk host.

In the video below, Morgan explains how his show has evolved from the original idea of a talk show with a celebrity focus to more of a news program.



Piers Morgan is interviewed by Chelsea Handler tonight from 9:00pm (eastern) on CNN Domestic and CNN International.

Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin will once again ring in the new year on CNN and CNN International. Details from CNN below.

CNN Press Release: Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin will again co-host CNN’s celebration of the New Year’s Eve celebration on Saturday, Dec. 31, from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (ET). The odd-couple will ring in the new year for CNN’s "New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin” live from NYC’s Time Square.

"Get ready, America. Pull up a chair and a box of your finest wine, because you've never seen a New Year's Eve show like this,” said Griffin. “By the time I'm done with him, Anderson's hair is going to be even more gray. In fact, the night is going to be so wild, his hair is actually going to turn brown again."

“Kathy Griffin scares me. I’ve said this often to CNN management directly and through my attorneys,” said Cooper “She continues to appear by my side on New Year’s Eve, so clearly no one is listening to me”

CNN correspondents will provide reports from celebrations across the country and around the world. Isha Sesay will join Cooper and Griffin from the crowds in Times Square and Gary Tuchman will report live from Central Park for the annual Midnight Run. Correspondent John Zarrella will be live in Key West, Florida and Brooke Baldwin from Nashville, Tennessee. The show will simulcast on CNN International. After Anderson and Griffin sign off from Times Square at 12:30a.m. (ET) CNN’s Brooke Baldwin and Marty Savidge will take over from Nashville and count down to midnight, central time.

Leading up to “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin” will be “Best and Worst of 2011,” an Anderson Cooper 360° special, which will air at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.(ET). The special will count down to the new year by looking back at 2010, anchored by Tom Foreman, who will shine a spotlight on the highs and lows of the past twelve months in politics, pop culture, the economy, entertainment, and much more. A re-air of Piers Morgan Tonight will air at 9 p.m. (ET).

CNN is noting its special coverage of President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday. Coverage begins 5:00pm (eastern) on The Situation Room. CNN will stream the President's address online and CNN's mobile apps.

CNN Press Release: Special Programming of President Obama’s Address to a Joint Session of Congress; coverage begins at 5 p.m. on CNN. AC 360° and Piers Morgan Tonight to follow the Presidential Address.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, CNN will broadcast special coverage of President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. with a special edition of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. The President’s address on job creation is scheduled to air at 7 p.m. CNN lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer, along with chief national correspondent John King from Capitol Hill, will anchor the network’s coverage. CNN International will simulcast the President’s speech.

AC 360° at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. and Piers Morgan Tonight will follow at 9 p.m. and will feature special coverage and analysis of the presidential address. CNN will replay the president’s address at 11 p.m.

CNN.com will live stream the address in the new CNN video experience and the address will be available live on the CNN Apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. CNNPolitics.com will feature in-depth reporting and The Political Ticker will incorporate live blogging during the speech.

All Times Eastern.

CNN is noting its August numbers. Details from CNN below.

CNN Press Release: CNN GROWS AN IMPRESSIVE +55% IN M-F PRIMETIME IN AUGUST COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO

CNN’s AC360 TOPS MSNBC AT 8PM IN P25-54 AND IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND THE DEMO AT 10PM

CNN TOPS MSNBC IN TOTAL DAY IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND AMONG KEY DEMO 25-54

In August, CNN continued to post significant year-over-year ratings gains, growing more than any cable news network, increasing +55% in M-F primetime (232k vs. 150k). In addition, CNN tied for second with MSNBC in M-F primetime among P25-54 (232k vs. 232k).

CNN outperformed MSNBC in total day (6a-6a) among both total viewers (540k vs. 429k) and in the key demo 25-54 (189k vs. 143k). CNN grew the most in other key dayparts as well, increasing +63% in total day (189k vs. 116k) and +48% during the daytime in the key demo (173k vs. 117k) compared to last year.

Since AC 360 launched on August 8 at 8 pm, the program has delivered 219k in the key demo 25-54, a +74% increase over year ago programming (126k), a +44% increase vs. last month’s 152k and a 30% increase vs. CNN’s 8pm programming during the second quarter (168k). (For the month, CNN topped MSNBC in the key demo at 8 pm and in the key demo and total viewers at 10 pm – see below).

On Sunday, August 28 during Hurricane Irene coverage from 6a-Noon CNN easily topped FNC and MSNBC in the demo with CNN averaging 650k, FNC followed with 583k and MSNBC had 201k. From 9a-5p on Sunday, CNN averaged 577k, FNC had 510k and MSNBC posted 184k. Meanwhile in primetime, CNN also outperformed the cable news competition with 343k, FNC averaged 256k and MSNBC’s 218k. On Saturday from 9a-5p CNN also topped the competition among the key demo adults 25-54 averaging 647k, FNC had 564k and MSNBC posted 210k.

While CNN saw a +55% increase in overall M-F primetime vs. a year ago (232k vs. 150k), MSNBC was flat (232k vs. 233), and FNC grew 7% (578k vs. 541k). CNN’s signature programs surged with double-digit gains in both the key demo 25-54 and in total viewers in August.

CNN’s AC 360 at 8 pm topped MSNBC in the key demo (219k vs. 199k) in August. The show also increased an impressive +74% in P25-54 vs. a year ago – 219k vs. 126k; MSNBC decreased -25% (199k vs. 265k) and FNC’s O’Reilly Factor was up +5% (679k vs. 644k). In total viewers, AC 360 was up +47% (662k vs. 451k); MSNBC was down -15% (817k vs. 964k) and FNC increased +7% (2.910m vs. 2.719m) compared to last year.

At 9 pm, Piers Morgan Tonight increased +52% in the key demo (227k vs. 149k) compared to a year ago – while MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show was up less than half that recorded by CNN, up +21% (279k vs. 230k) and Hannity was down -3% (532k vs. 549k). Among total viewers Piers Morgan Tonight increased +37 (750k vs. 547k), MSNBC was up +12% (925k vs. 829k) and FNC was down -1% (2.088m vs. 2.116m) vs. a year ago.

At 10 pm, AC 360 topped MSNBC’s The Ed Show/Docs by +21% in the key demo (267k vs. 220k) and in total viewers (750k vs. 731k) in August. CNN had strong ratings gains at 10pm, increasing 55% in the key demo (267k vs. 172k) and 34% in total viewers (750k vs. 560k) vs. a year ago. MSNBC’s The Ed Show/Docs was up only +8% (220k vs. 204k), while FNC remained relatively flat, +1% (457k vs. 452k) compared to a year ago. In total viewers vs. a year ago, AC 360 was up +34% (750k vs. 560k), while MSNBC grew +37% (731k vs. 534k) and FNC increased just +2% (1.821m vs. 1.780m).

John King USA at 7 pm was up more than MSNBC and FNC in August, increasing +67% in the demo 25-54 (174k vs. 104k) and grew +46% among total viewers (531k vs. 364k).

At 5 pm, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer increased +37% in the demo (173k vs. 126k) and +34% among total viewers (711k vs. 532k) compared to last year. CNN also topped MSNBC’s Hardball in both demographics.

At 6 pm, Sit Room was up +54% in the demo (179k vs. 116k) and up +41% in total viewers (615k vs. 437k) vs. a year ago. The Situation Room also topped MSNBC Live at 6 pm in the demo (179k vs. 161k).

In August, CNN Newsroom (9a-5p) bested MSNBC’s programming during the day time (9a-5p) in total viewers (587k vs. 371k) and in the key demo (173k vs. 101k). This represents a 58% advantage over MSNBC in total viewers and a 71% lead in the demo.

CNN reached a cumulative audience of 100.6 million viewers in August, FNC followed with 87.4 million and MSNBC trailed with 80.1 million.

CNN Continues to top MSNBC in Weekday Daytime 25-54

CNN Signature Programs Surge with Double Digit Gains in P2+ and 25-54 in July

CNN Press Release - In the M-F Primetime daypart, CNN increased more than FNC or MSNBC versus year-ago, building by +15% in total viewers (662k) and +40% among 25-54 viewers (215k). This compares to gains of +12% in total viewers and +14% among 25-54 for MSNBC and declines of -6% in total viewers and -11% among 25-54 for FNC.

CNN also continued to surpass MSNBC in July during the M-F 9a-5p daytime daypart among both total viewers (504k) and the demo (144k), holding an advantage of 33% and 27%, respectively.

CNN Programs Surge with Double Digit Gains among both total viewers and 25-54 viewers in July

• CNN Newsroom at 3p increased 21% among total viewers (578k) and 28% among demo viewers (157k).
• The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer at 6p increased 10% among total viewers (573k) and 11% among 25-54 viewers (167k).
• John King USA increased 18% among total viewers (500k) and 25% among 25-54 viewers (156k).
• Piers Morgan increased 9% among total viewers (715k) and 37% among 25-54 viewers (217k).
• Anderson Cooper 360 increased 32% among total viewers (760k) and 56% among 25-54 viewers (283k).
• CNN reached a cumulative audience of 101.9 million in July, followed by HLN with 90.9 million, Fox News with 86.7 million and MSNBC with 85 million.

CNN Digital

In July, traffic and video usage on CNN.com was up over last year with 1.2 billion global page views and 89.1 million global video views.

Proving that users come to CNN.com for breaking news, the World section saw double-digit growth in July with 105.9 million page views (25% over last month and 59% last year), related to coverage of the massacre in Norway. The top two stories on CNN.com overall were related to news of Norway, one with 8.7 million page views and the second with 6 million.

Also showing steady increases in July was CNN.com’s Opinion section with 21 million global page views, 34% over last month and 160% over last year. CNN contributor LZ Granderson had the top story on bratty kids with almost 1 million page views followed by Bob Greene’s op-ed on the missing Indiana boy with more than 900 thousand page views.

CNN is noting its Q2, 2011 numbers. Details from CNN below.

CNN Press Release: CNN POSTS STRONG YEAR-OVER-YEAR QUARTERLY RATINGS GAINS – INCREASING +29% IN PRIMETIME AND +21% IN TOTAL DAY IN THE KEY DEMO; GROWS MORE THAN ANY OTHER CABLE NEWS NETWORK VS. A YEAR AGO

AC 360 is Up +43%, Piers Morgan Tonight Grew +16% and In the Arena Increased +21% Q2 vs. a Year ago

CNN BESTS MSNBC IN TOTAL DAY AND DAYSIDE AMONG TOTAL VIEWERS AND THE DEMO 25-54 DURING SECOND QUARTER 2011

In June, CNN’s Sister Network HLN Tops MSNBC in Total Day, Primetime and Every Hour thru 11 pm, Outperforms FNC at 2p, 3p & 4P

Other than HLN, CNN is the Only Network to Grow in M-F Primetime in Total Viewers in June; FNC Down More than any other Cable News Net in M-F Prime Total Viewers

Second Quarter 2011:

For the second quarter 2011, CNN’s M-F primetime (8-11p) and total day (6a-6a) ratings grew more than MSNBC and FNC in both total viewers and in the key demo 25-54 vs. the second quarter a year ago. In addition, CNN topped MSNBC in both total day and dayside among total viewers and the key demo during the second quarter 2011.

Primetime:

In M-F prime, CNN was up +16% in total viewers (725k vs. 625k) and +29% in the key demo (235k vs. 182k) compared to Q210, while MSNBC’s growth was less, increasing only 3% among total viewers (924k vs. 894k) and 13% in the demo 25-54 (277k vs. 245k). Fox News continued to lose viewers vs. the same quarter a year ago, declining -6% in M-F prime total viewers (2.151m vs. 2.293m) and down -14% in the demo 25-54 (506k vs. 585k).

Total Day and Dayside:

In total day, CNN increased +13% in total viewers (494k vs. 439k) and grew +21% in the key demo 25-54 (173k vs. 143k) compared to last year; MSNBC increased 11% in total viewers (442k vs. 397k) and only 15% in the demo (157k vs. 136k); and FNC was off -1% in total day/total viewers and down -6% in total day/demo 25-54 vs. the second quarter last year.

Also in total day, CNN topped MSNBC in both total viewers and the demo 25-54 this quarter, with CNN averaging 494k in total viewers, a 12% advantage over MSNBC’s 442k, and in the demo 25-54, CNN posted 173k, a 10% lead over MSNBC’s 157k during the second quarter 2011.

During dayside programming (9a– 5p) CNN Newsroom easily outperformed MSNBC each hour, with MSNBC placing either 3rd or 4th throughout the day during the second quarter. For the quarter, among dayside total viewers, CNN averaged 554k, 56% more than MSNBC’s 356k and posted 169k among adults 25-54, a 59% advantage over MSNBC’s 106k. Fox News was down -2% in total viewers and was off -14% during its dayside programming.

Second Quarter 2011 Program Highlights:

CNN’s AC 360 outperformed MSNBC’s The Ed Show/Docs at 10p in both total viewers (843k vs. 805k) and the demo (304k vs. 260k) with AC 360 growing +43% in the demo while MSNBC increased +27% and FNC was down -17% compared to a year ago.

CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight increased +16% in the demo 25-54 (207k vs. 178k) vs. the second quarter a year ago. Since launching on January 17, Piers Morgan Tonight is up 15% in total viewers and 38% in the demo versus the same period last year.

CNN’s 8 pm program In the Arena was the only show to grow (among CNN, MSNBC and FNC) in both total viewers and the demo compared to the second quarter a year ago. During the quarter, ITA increased +14% in total viewers (545k vs. 477k) and was up +21% in the demo (168k vs. 139k), while MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell decreased -12% in total viewers (946k vs. 1.071m) and was down -5% in the key demo (253k vs. 267k) compared to last quarter. The O’Reilly Factor lost -4% of its total viewer audience and -12% in the demo 25-54. HLN’s Nancy Grace was up +19% in total viewers and +9% in the demo for quarter.

John King, USA also grew the most this quarter compared to MSNBC and FNC – posting double-digit growth - up +20% in total viewers (540k vs. 450k) and +32% in the demo (188k vs. 142k). MSNBC was up only 7% in total viewers and 10% in the demo while FNC was up 3% and down -3% respectively.

The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer topped MSNBC in the demo at 6 pm (187k vs. 154k) and grew among total viewers by +15% (605k vs. 526k) and +19% (187k vs. 157k) in the demo vs. the second quarter 2010. At 5 pm, the Sit Room also topped MSNBC in the demo (192k vs. 169k) and increased +15% in total viewers and +19% in the demo vs. a year ago.

Cumulative Audience:

CNN reached a cumulative Q2 2011 average monthly audience of 100.4 million, Fox News followed with 83.2 million and MSNBC trailed with 80.3 million.

June 2011:

In June, fueled by coverage of the Casey Anthony trial, CNN’s sister network HLN topped MSNBC in M-F primetime, total day and every hour of dayside in both total viewers and in the key demo 25-54 (except 9a in 2+). In addition, HLN was #1 outperforming FNC at 3p and 4p in both total viewers and the demo and at 2p in the demo 25-54. (HLN’s complete June ratings release will be released separately.)

Other than HLN -- CNN was the only network to show M-F primetime growth in June among total viewers –– increasing +5% (690k vs. 660k), MSNBC was down -5% (831k vs. 872k) and FNC off -16% (2.026m vs. 2.414m). HLN increased a staggering +84% in M-F prime time total viewers in June.

At 10 pm, AC 360 topped MSNBC The Ed Show in both total viewers (753k vs. 725k) and the demo (259k vs. 244k), with MSNBC slipping to 4th place. At 8 pm, In the Arena was even among total viewers compared to a year ago (458k vs. 457k) and was off only -7% in the demo, while FNC and MSNBC had much more significant ratings losses. FNC’s O’Reilly Factor was down -12% in total viewers and -22% in the demo and MSNBC’s Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell lost -23% of its total viewer audience (843k vs. 1.092m) and -19% in the demo (226k vs. 280k) compared to Countdown with Keith Olbermann a year ago.

In head-to-head comparisons with MSNBC’s daytime non-opinion programming CNN Newsroom averaged 423k vs. MSNBC’s 310k (+36%) and in the demo 25-54, CNN held a 39% advantage (129k vs. 93k).

On Sunday, June 26, CNN’s special documentary “Nepal’s Stolen Children” which is part of CNN’s Freedom Project, a global initiative to end human trafficking averaged 271k in the demo 25-54, outperforming MSNBC’s 245k and FNC’s 189k at 8 pm.

CNN reached a cumulative June 2011 audience of 90.6 million, FNC followed with 77.4 million, HLN had 76.2 million, topping MSNBC’s 75.1 million.

Earlier this week, Piers Morgan told The Hollywood Reporter that his show has been a work in progress:

"I think that it’s all been trial and error thus far, and I like the errors more than the successes. The successes are pleasing for a few seconds and then you move on. It’s when things don’t work out quite how you thought that are very interesting."

In that case, we think Piers would have found his (taped) Friday program interesting, after CNN failed to edit out his false start on the Edie Falco interview.

CNN announced their schedule for April 29th Royal Wedding coverage today :

12am-1am Piers Morgan Tonight replay
1am-2am Anderson Cooper 360° replay
2am-3am CNN International (live)
3am-4am CNN International (live)
**4am-10am** ‘A Royal Wedding’ - CNN Worldwide live coverage
10am-11am CNN Newsroom
11am-12pm CNN Newsroom
12pm-1pm CNN Newsroom
1pm-2pm CNN Newsroom
2pm-3pm CNN Newsroom
3pm-4pm CNN Newsroom
4pm-5pm CNN Newsroom
5pm-7pm The Situation Room
7pm-8pm John King, USA
8pm-10pm Piers Morgan Tonight
10pm-12am Anderson Cooper 360°

Broadcasting & Cable's Ben Grossman sits down with Piers Morgan for one of his most comprehensive interviews since launching Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN. (H/t: ICN)

How’s the show going?

It’s been a roller-coaster ride. Some days you get a run of very serious news, or you’re doing big set pieces with celebs. It’s getting the balance right. We’ve made some experimental calls on guests. I would’ve put good money on the Kardashians rating well, and they didn’t. I think the CNN audience, particularly when there are big news stories going on like the Middle East, they don’t like if you interview people they think are pointless. I think all of us felt a little surprised that was the case.

...

What do you need to get better at?

Probably interrupting guests. Larry King said that, and I think he’s right. Other than that, the promos said I might be dangerous. What I meant is, I wanted to be unpredictable. What I don’t ever want to do is be boring. It’s a fine line between being challenging and going too far where you piss off your guests so much you don’t get any bookings, and you need to straddle it carefully. A lot of journalists sit back and say I should be harder. But it’s a long game.

...

Do you need a Jay Leno-Hugh Grant moment to get your ratings moving?

Yes. I need to get some big gets. But that's my background, I need to get some scoops. But everyone needs that. Unless you are Bill O'Reilly because you have built such a formidable persona that you don't need that. Letterman and Leno don't really need them. But I'm the new boy, we're trying.

Check out the full Q&A session here.

It was a weekend tease that started a short-lived guessing game for Piers Morgan's twitter followers:

BREAKING NEWS: Just landed a guest for this week that will get EVERYONE watching....

Monday morning the guest was revealed to be former CNN 9pm host, Larry King.


CNN Press Release: "The new 9pm" Piers Morgan will interview the former 9pmET CNN host, Larry King, later this week as part of Hollywood Week on "Piers Morgan Tonight."

Says Piers: "'I can't think of many people I'd rather interview than Larry King, and I'm sure people will be fascinated by the dynamic between us, for obvious reasons."

King hosted "Larry King Live" for more than 25 years, before stepping down last year. The live interview comes in the wake of a much talked about King interview last week on London's Radio 4.


Meanwhile, Inside Cable News lists three reasons why Piers Morgan booking Larry King as a guest this week is a bad idea.

CNN Press Release: CNN PRIMETIME GROWS COMPARED TO 4TH QUARTER AVERAGE; SURPASSES MSNBC DURING DAYTIME. Piers Morgan Tonight Off to a Strong Start; Parker Spitzer Gaining Ground Post Olbermann. 105 Million People Viewed CNN in January; 15 Million More than Fox News. CNN.com Traffic Spikes in January 2011.

In January, CNN”s M-F primetime grew compared to the network’s 4th quarter average, increasing 10% among total viewers (697k vs. 631k) and 10% in the key demographic adults 25-54 (204k vs. 186k).

Launch-to-date (January 17-28) Piers Morgan Tonight at 9p is off to a strong start, averaging 978k total viewers and 279k in the demographic adults 25-54. This represents a 50% increase compared to CNN’s 9p 4th quarter average among total viewers (654k) and 65% more in adults 25-54 (169k). PMT topped MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow show since launch among younger 18-49 viewers (217k vs. 198k).

Since Keith Olbermann left MSNBC, Parker Spitzer has gained ground, increasing +54% in the key demo 25-54 (163k vs. 106k), while MSNBC’s Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell dropped -21% vs. the prior week (232k vs. 292k) – omitting Tuesday’s State of the Union coverage.

In January, CNN topped MSNBC during the daytime (9am-5pm) in both total viewers and the key demo 25-54. In head-to-head comparisons with MSNBC’s daytime non-opinion programming, CNN had a 40% advantage among total viewers (456k vs. 325k) and a 64% lead among adults 25-54 (123k vs. 75k). MSNBC placed fourth every hour during the daytime in the demo 25-54, except at 4pm where they placed third behind CNN Newsroom.

Also in January, State of the Union with Candy Crowley at noon had its best month ever among total viewers (717k). CNN’s Sunday show line up topped MSNBC in both total viewers and in the demo from 10a–2p (Fareed Zakaria GPS, Reliable Sources and State of the Union with Candy Crowley).

CNN reached a cumulative audience of 105 million viewers in January, FNC lagged behind with 90 million, and MSNBC averaged had 87 million.

(Of note: Data comparisons to a year ago (January 2010) were not used due to last’s years highly elevated news cycle resulting from the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath.)


CNN Digital

Traffic:

In January, CNN.com was up globally 10% year over year:

Breaking News: The shootings in Arizona and the protests in Egypt drove traffic to CNN.com in January.

Arizona: CNN’s global coverage of the shootings in Arizona yielded 44 million page views on the day of the shootings (Saturday, January 8, 2011), a 48% gain over typical Saturday traffic. CNN.com also registered more than 2.7 million video starts, a 63% jump from typical Saturday video usage.

Egypt: In the first 3 days of the protests in Egypt, CNN.com globally generated 121 million page views, an increase of 11% over the prior 4-week average, and 11 million video starts, a 78% increase over the prior 4-week average.

Blogs: With 116 million page views in the U.S. in January, the CNN Blog network was up year over year by 164%.

Rounding out the top five were This Just In, The Political Ticker, The Marquee Blog, The Chart and Nancy Grace.

In the first week of Piers Morgan Tonight, the show’s blog generated 1.2 million page views, placing it among the top 5 blogs for the week.

(Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst. Prior 4-week averages include weekends of 1/22, 1/15, 12/18 and 12/11)


Mobile:

CNN Mobile is No. 1 in Mobile in News and Current Events for 4 years or 48 consecutive months.

With 14.5 million monthly unique visitors in the U.S. in December 2010, CNN Digital on mobile beat the nearest competitor, Fox News Digital, by 33%. (Source: Nielsen Mobile MediaView – Dec. 2010 – latest data available) (Source: Nielsen Mobile Mediaview, December 2010)


Social Media:

In January, CNN continued to make strides in social media

iReport: iReport increased its registered users base to 738,929 through the end of January. During the month of January, CNN’s iReport received 329 submissions related to the Arizona shootings with 21 vetted for use on CNN. iReporters also submitted nearly 586 iReports in January related to the protests in Egypt, with 53 vetted for use on CNN.

Facebook: CNN leads all news sites in Facebook fans with more than 1.7 million fans. In January, CNN added 100,000 more fans.

Twitter: Key CNN and HLN Twitter accounts* reached 11 million followers in January with @cnnbrk as CNN’s largest account with 3.7 million followers, with over a million more followers than second place’s @NYTimes

YouTube: The CNN YouTube Channel had over 1.6 million video starts in January, up 79% vs. the prior 4-week average

CNN Press Release - Katie Nelson Thomson has been named a senior broadcast producer of CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, effective immediately.

Thomson joins CNN from ABC News where she spent 15 years working primarily with legendary journalist Barbara Walters, delivering and producing award-winning interviews for 20/20 and The Barbara Walters Specials. She has produced interviews with the last four presidents, celebrities, and top newsmakers of the day including Barbara Walters' interview with Monica Lewinsky which was seen by more than 70 million viewers and was the highest-rated news event ever broadcast by a single network.

"I'm thrilled Katie Thomson is joining the Piers Morgan Tonight team. She brings unmatched experience and leadership in the booking and producing of big-name interviews and she will be instrumental in helping lead a talented team of bookers and producers," said Jonathan Wald, executive producer of Piers Morgan Tonight.

Thomson has produced exclusive profiles of Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Taylor, Martha Stewart (before and after her conviction), the parents of JonBenet Ramsey, Colin Powell and Queen Noor of Jordan after King Hussein's death. Thomson has also produced interviews with every American president since Jimmy Carter and many world leaders, such as Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Benjamin Netanyahu, King Abdullah and Queen Rania.

While at 20/20, Thomson was part of Barbara Walters’ Peabody-Award winning interviews with Christopher Reeve after the accident that left him paralyzed, candidate profiles during the presidential elections, the funeral of Princess Diana, and Patrick Swayze's last interview. Thomson also worked on ABC’s Emmy award-winning coverage of the September 11th terrorist attacks including the first interviews with Rudolph Giuliani, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President George W. Bush after the tragedy.

Before joining ABC, Thomson was a Producer for CNN's Larry King Live, where she produced exclusive interviews with world leaders including Slobodan Milosevic, Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher; and an unprecedented joint interview with Yitzhak Shamir, Yasser Arafat and King Hussein. She also produced the Al Gore / Ross Perot NAFTA Debate which set a cable ratings record.

Prior to CNN, Thomson was a London-based producer for the BBC, working on several current affairs programs and acting as a studio producer for the British general elections. Thomson graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University and started her career as a researcher and writer for the public affairs talk shows The McLaughlin Group and John McLaughlin’s One on One in Washington, DC.

She currently resides in New York City with her daughter.

UPDATE: Rod Stewart is bumped from this week. Amended line up is below.

Monday, January 24th - Former New York City Mayor and possible Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani

Tuesday, January 25th - Special State of the Union Coverage

Wednesday, January 25th - Best-selling author and Pastor Joel Osteen, and his wife Victoria Osteen

Thursday, January 26th - Reality Stars Kim and Kourtney Kardashian

Friday, January 27th - Golden Globe Winner Colin Firth


CNN Press Release: After a highly anticipated first week with a blockbuster line up featuring Oprah Winfrey, Howard Stern, Condoleezza Rice, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney, Piers Morgan Tonight announces week two.

Monday, January 24th - Former New York City Mayor and possible Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani

Tuesday, January 25th - Special State of the Union Coverage

Wednesday, January 25th - Reality Stars Kim and Kourtney Kardashian

Thursday, January 26th - Rock and Roll legend Rod Stewart

Friday, January 27th - Golden Globe Winner Colin Firth

CNN Photo Release - CNN's Piers Morgan interviews former U.S. Secretary Of State Condoleeza Rice during a taping of Piers Morgan Tonight on Monday, January 10, 2011 in New York. The show is slated to air on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 9pm ET.

Photo: Lorenzo Bevilaqua/CNN

CNN Press Release - In addition to premiere guest Oprah Winfrey, announced at last week’s Television Critics Association in Pasadena, Piers Morgan Tonight unveils a blockbuster first week of guests featuring the biggest names in television, film, politics, and comedy. Following Ms. Winfrey on January 17 is Sirius Radio star Howard Stern, Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Comedian and Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais, and George Clooney.

Guests confirmed in following weeks include former New York City Mayor and possible Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, Former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Kid Rock, Rod Stewart, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, and Donald and Melania Trump.

Piers Morgan Tonight debuts January 17th at 9pm ET on CNN and is a nightly, hour-long, prime-time interview show featuring the most interesting, important, and entertaining people in the world.

Jonathan Wald is the executive producer of Piers Morgan Tonight.

(Photo provided by PMT Digital Producer Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak on Twitter) features Billy Bush from Access Hollywood.)

CNN International has advised CNN Observations of their new weekday schedule for the week commencing January 17 - Piers Morgan Tonight's launch week.

As previously noted, Piers Morgan Tonight will air 3 times a day across CNN International. The first airing is a simulcast with CNN Domestic at 0200 GMT (2100 eastern). The program will also air in the Asian and European primetime at 1200 GMT (2000 Hong Kong) and 2000 GMT.

With the addition of Piers Morgan Tonight, the delayed broadcast of The Situation Room has been dropped from the weekday schedule - although the "best of" The Situation Room is still scheduled for its usual weekend airing. World One, which airs weeknights at 2000 GMT, will move to 1000 GMT.

Alex Welperin over at TVNewser is reporting that Daytime talk Diva Oprah Winfrey will be the first guest when Piers Morgan Tonight launches January 17th at 9:00 PM ET.

Morgan will announce the news at the Television Critics Association Winter press tour in Los Angeles Thursday afternoon.

You can check in with the show's website at CNN.com/piers.

Update: Photo provided by CNN. Video below:

According to the Guardian newspaper, Conor Hanna, the Deputy Editor at the UK's Daily Mail newspaper, is the latest staff addition to Piers Morgan's CNN program. (h/t: Inside Cable News)

"Hanna is joining CNN in what is termed as "a senior TV executive position". In reality - as Monkey revealed a couple of weeks ago - he'll be working for Morgan, who is due to take over the channel's interview spot from Larry King."

Piers Morgan Tonight is due to debut on CNN in January 2011.

CNN Press Release - Steve Krakauer, senior editor of Mediaite.com has been named digital producer of CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight,” set to debut in January 2011 it was announced today by the show’s executive producer Jonathan Wald.

“Steve has been a leading voice in the digital world, reporting on cable news, politics and pop culture. He’ll be a great addition to the CNN team and will be instrumental in driving “Piers Morgan Tonight” beyond its one hour of television and into a more active online experience,” said Wald.

Most recently, Krakauer was senior editor of Mediaite.com, the media news, opinion and rankings website where he covered media and television, conducting interviews with industry leaders, launching multimedia web shows and breaking news. He helped launch the site in July 2009, which is now ranked in Technorati's Top 10 blogs. He was previously an editor at TVNewser.com, and was part of the NBC page program. Krakauer has appeared as a guest on NBC, Fox News and MSNBC. He was named a "rising star" by the New York Times in April 2010. He graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School in 2006.

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.