The Cable News Network was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and 25 other original members,who invested $20 million into the network. Upon its launch, CNN was the first station to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States.While the news network has numerous affiliates, CNN primarily broadcasts from its headquarters at the CNN Center in Atlanta, the Time Warner Center in New York City, and studios in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. CNN is owned by parent company Time Warner, and the U.S. news network is a division of the Turner Broadcasting System.
Early history (1980–1989)
CNN's first broadcast with David Walker and Lois Hart on June 1, 1980.
The Cable News Network was launched at 5:00 p.m. EST on Sunday June 1, 1980 by 25 original staff members. It first had an introduction by Ted Turner, who announced:
"We won't be signing off until the world ends. We'll be on, and we will cover the end of the world, live, and that will be our last event... and when the end of the world comes, we'll play 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' before we sign off."
Then the husband and wife team of David Walker and Lois Hart anchored the first newscast.Among the first segments was an interview of then-President Jimmy Carter by Daniel Schorr.
Since its debut, CNN has expanded its reach to a number of cable and satellite television networks, several web sites, specialized closed-circuit networks (such as CNN Airport Network), and a radio network. The network has 36 bureaus (10 domestic, 26 international), more than 900 affiliated local stations, and several regional and foreign-language networks around the world. The network's success made a bona-fide mogul of founder Ted Turner and set the stage for the Time Warner conglomerate's eventual acquisition of Turner Broadcasting.
After five years, CNN outgrew its home, a former country club on the outskirts of Midtown, Atlanta. Turner purchased the Omni International from developer Tom Cousins and moved CNN there. The complex was rechristened the CNN Center. As Omni International, the complex had never succeeded. Cousins sold it to Turner along with the Atlanta Hawks. CNN moved into the end of the tower that once housed The World of Sid and Marty Krofft. Turner was instrumental in the revival of Atlanta's downtown.
Moneyline premiered in 1980 of and was CNN's main financial show for over 20 years. As the show moved more towards general news and economic and political commentary, it was renamed Lou Dobbs Moneyline and then Lou Dobbs Tonight.
Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields
Evans and Novak was created in 1980, with Rowland Evans and conservative Robert Novak hosted their own TV news show and it became one of the cable network's best-watched discussion programs. Only a short time after, Al Hunt and Mark Shields joined the show, being renamed Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields.
In June 1982, a political debate, late night television show, Crossfire, was launched and was hosted by liberal Tom Braden and conservative Pat Buchanan. The idea of it was when the two of them debated on the a daily radio show in 1978. The show soon became popular and was elevated to prime time. In 1985 Buchanan left the show for a job as communications director in the Ronald Reagan White House. His replacement was conservative columnist Robert Novak, who already had a talk show on CNN and was at the time also a regular on The McLaughlin Group. In 1987, Buchanan returned to the show, replacing Novak. In 1989, Braden was replaced by Michael Kinsley, a liberal columnist for Time magazine, and magazine editor for The New Republic.
In June 1985, a primetime interview TV show was launched and was hosted by Larry King. Every night on Larry King Live, King interviews one or more prominent individuals, mainly celebrities, politicians, and businesspeople. The show is currently the highest rated and longest running TV show on CNN.It was the highest rated news show on television until 2001, when the O'Reilly Factor surpassed him and maintained at the top ever since.
Unlike many interviewers, Larry King has a direct, non-confrontational approach. His interview style is characteristically frank, but with occasional bursts of irreverence and humor. His approach attracts some guests who would not otherwise appear. King, who is known for his general lack of pre-interview preparation, once bragged that he never pre-reads the books of authors who appear on his show. Critics have claimed that Larry King asks "soft" questions in comparison to other interviewers, which allows him to reach guests who would be averse to interviewing on "tough" talk shows.
On February 24, 1987, King suffered a major heart attack and then had quintuple-bypass surgery. It was a life-altering event as previously, smoking was one of his trademarks and he was unashamed of his addiction. King was a three-pack-a-day smoker and kept a lit cigarette during his interview so he would not have to take time to light up during breaks. He now encourages curbing smoking to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
* Sports Tonight (CNN) 1980–2001
* Style with Elsa Klensch 1980–2000
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
On January 28, 1986, CNN was the only network to have live coverage of the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger to the public. However, NASA TV provided the live coverage to schools nationwide. The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after lift-off. Seven astronauts, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, were killed in the disaster.
Then President Ronald Reagan postponed the State of the Union Address that evening. He addressed the nation in the time of tragedy and grief from the Oval Office. On January 31, 1986 a, two days after the tragedy, CNN had live coverage of the memorial service for the Challenger crew members. The families, friends and colleagues were there at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
On October 14, 1987, an eighteen-month-old toddler named Jessica McClure fell down a well in Midland, Texas. CNN was quickly on the spot, and the event helped make their name. The New York Times ran a retrospective article in 1995 on the impact of live video news. "If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a moving picture is worth many times that, and a live moving picture makes an emotional connection that goes deeper than logic and lasts well beyond the actual event. This was before correspondents reported live from the enemy capital while American bombs were falling. Before Saddam Hussein held a surreal press conference with a few of the hundreds of Americans he was holding hostage. Before the nation watched, riveted but powerless, as Los Angeles was looted and burned. Before O. J. Simpson took a slow ride in a white Bronco, and before everyone close to his case had an agent and a book contract. This was uncharted territory just a short time ago."
Leadership under Tom Johnson (1990–2000)
Former 13 year publisher of the Los Angeles Times, Tom Johnson, was named CNN President.
The first Persian Gulf War in 1991 was a watershed event for CNN that catapulted the network past the "big three" American networks for the first time in its history, largely due to an unprecedented, historical scoop: CNN was the only news outlet with the ability to communicate from inside Iraq during the initial hours of the American bombing campaign, with live reports from the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad by reporters Bernard Shaw, John Holliman, and Peter Arnett.
Operation Desert Storm as captured live on a CNN night vision camera with reporters narrating.
The moment when bombing began was announced on CNN by Bernard Shaw on January 16, 1991 as follows:
“ This is Bernie Shaw. Something is happening outside.... Peter Arnett, join me here. Let’s describe to our viewers what we’re seeing...The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated.... We’re seeing bright flashes going off all over the sky. ”
The Gulf War experience brought CNN some much sought-after legitimacy and made household names of previously obscure, low-paid reporters. Many of these reporters now comprise CNN's "old guard." Bernard Shaw became CNN's chief anchor until his retirement in 2001. Others include then-Pentagon correspondent Wolf Blitzer (now host of The Situation Room) and international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour's presence in Iraq was caricatured by actress Nora Dunn as the ruthless reporter "Adriana Cruz" in the film Three Kings (1999). Time Warner later produced a television movie, Live from Baghdad, about the network's coverage of the first Gulf War, which aired on HBO.
CNN was criticized for excessively pushing 'human interest' stories and avoiding depictions of violent images; the result of all this being an alleged 'propagandistic' presentation of news. A report by FAIR quotes an unnamed CNN reporter as describing "the 'sweet beautiful sight' of bombers taking off from Saudi Arabia."
Coverage of the first Gulf War and other crises of the early 1990s (particularly the infamous Battle of Mogadishu) led officials at the Pentagon to coin the term "the CNN effect" to describe the perceived impact of real time, 24-hour news coverage on the decision-making processes of the American government.
John Kiesewetter explained:
"CNN has changed news. Before CNN, events were reported in two cycles, for morning and evening newspapers and newscasts. Now news knows no cycle. When a plane has crashed, or shots are fired in school, we expect to see it immediately on all-news channels. We don't depend on the Big Three broadcast networks. The turning point point came shortly after CNN's 10th birthday, when Bernard Shaw, Peter Arnett and John Holliman provided play-by-play of the 1991 Gulf War from a Baghdad hotel. The Gulf war proved how CNN had changed the world. U.S. military leaders chose their words carefully during televised press briefings, knowing that Sadam Hussein was watching CNN, too."
Both Sides with Jesse Jackson
Both Sides with Jesse Jackson was a political talk show, hosted by civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, that aired on Sundays. Each program began with a short taped report on the topic by CNN Correspondent John Bisney. The show ran from 1992 to 2000.
Capital Gang is one of cable news' longest running programs, focusing on discussion of the political news of the week. The original panelists were Pat Buchanan, Al Hunt, Mark Shields, and Robert Novak. When Buchanan left the network to run for president, Margaret Warner, Mona Charen, and later Margaret Carlson and Kate O'Beirne became regular panelists. The Capital Gang aired Saturday nights at 7 p.m. ET from 1988 to 2005.
Burden of Proof was a show that discussed legal issues of the day, hosted by Greta Van Susteren and Roger Cossack. It was started in 1995 and was canceled in 2001.
TalkBack Live was a talk show on CNN that lasted from 1994 until 2003. It aired from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time and was hosted at various times by Susan Rook, Bobbie Battista, Karyn Bryant and Arthel Neville.
In 1996, two major US news networks were created: MSNBC and Fox News. Although CNN's ratings were #1 and Larry King Live was still the most watched news show.
Although Johnson still was leading the network, Rick Kaplan served as president of CNN from 1997 to 2000. He is a personal friend of Bill Clinton, who was President of the United States during Kaplan's tenure. According to the Media Research Center, Kaplan's friendship, and political affinity, with Clinton affected the way the network covered the Monica Lewinsky scandal: "As the Lewinsky scandal broke, Kaplan leapt into action at CNN with two-hour specials attacking any and all Clinton critics. The programs included 'Media Madness,' which asked 'what the hell are you people doing' probing Bill Clinton’s sex life?; and 'Investigating the Investigator,' which described Ken Starr as 'suspect' over his 'religious and Republican roots.'"Conservative commentator John Fund wrote that "During Mr. Kaplan's CNN tenure, there were no obvious examples of his coming to Mr. Clinton's aid," but that CNN's "executives create a perception problem when they hobnob with politicians."
In 1998, CNN, in partnership with corporate sister Time magazine, ran a report that Operation Tailwind in 1970 in Vietnam included use of Sarin gas to kill a group of defectors from the United States military. The Pentagon denied the story. Skeptics deemed it improbable that such an extraordinary and risky atrocity could have gone unnoticed at the height of the Vietnam War's unpopularity. CNN, after a two-week inquiry, issued a retraction.. The story's producers were summarily fired, and one of them has been highly critical of CNN's handling of the story, saying that CNN bowed to pressure from high-ranking officials to kill the story.
Post Tom Johnson (2001–2003)
In 2000 and 2001, CNN hired many key people such as Anderson Cooper, Aaron Brown, Paula Zahn, and (re-hiring) Lou Dobbs. Also the leadership of the network changed. Kaplan left CNN in 2000, and moreover Tom Johnson retired in 2001 from head of CNN after 10 years. Directly after his retirement lead to the network decline.
NewsNight with Aaron Brown
Created in 2001, NewsNight with Aaron Brown focused on investigative journalism and had a strong emphasis on interviews. It included segments such as The Whip (which quickly previewed segments from four reporters at large), On The Rise, and Segment 7. The Morning Papers segment, known as The Rooster, featured a brief preview of compelling or interesting headlines from the next day's newspapers around the world. The segment concluded with the weather forecast in Chicago as provided in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The primetime show before Larry King Live, Paula Zahn Now was never very popular. It competed against the O'Reilly Factor which had the best ratings on cable news.
Created in 2002, Connie Chung Tonight was a short lived show that was canceled a year later. It was hosted by Connie Chung.
The Point w/Greta Van Susteran
Although Van Susteran was on CNN for over a decade, she got her own primetime show in 2001, but The Point w/Greta Van Susteran was canceled after one year.
A debate show at the 10:30 p.m. slot, hosted by Tucker Carlson and Bill Press, The Spin Room was canceled after a few months to be replaced by Greenfield's show.
Created in 2001 and hosted by Jeff Greenfield, Greenfield at Large was also short lived. It took the 10:30 p.m. slot.
Prime time lineup in 2003
These schedule till 2005, since 'post' Iraq War coverage
6 p.m. Lou Dobbs Tonight Lou Dobbs
7 p.m. Anderson Cooper 360° Anderson Cooper
8 p.m. Paula Zahn Now Paula Zahn
9 p.m. Larry King Live Larry King
10 p.m. NewsNight Aaron Brown
CNN breaking the news about the September 11 attacks in 2001.
CNN was the first network to break the news of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Anchor Carol Lin was on the air to deliver the first public report of the event. She broke into a commercial at 8:49 a.m. ET and said:
“ This just in. You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. CNN Center right now is just beginning to work on this story, obviously calling our sources and trying to figure out exactly what happened, but clearly something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island of Manhattan. That is once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center. ”
Daryn Kagan and Leon Harris were live on the air just after 9 a.m. ET as the second plane hit the World Trade Center and through an interview with CNN correspondent David Ensor, reported the news that U.S. officials determined "that this is a terrorist act." Later, Aaron Brown anchored through the day and night as the attacks unfolded. Brown had just come to CNN from ABC to be the Breaking News anchor.
Sean Murtagh, CNN vice-president for finance & administration, was the first network employee on the air in New York.
September 11, 2001 was Paula Zahn's first day as a CNN reporter. She mentioned this as a guest clue presenter on a 2005 episode of Jeopardy!.
Amongst the criticisms levied against CNN, as well as the other major US news channels, is the charge that CNN took a lenient approach to the Bush administration, particularly after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. At the 2002 Newsworld Asia conference held in Singapore, the executive vice-president and general manager of CNN International, was quoted as saying: "Anyone who claims the US media didn’t censor itself is kidding you. It wasn’t a matter of government pressure but a reluctance to criticize anything in a war that was obviously supported by the vast majority of the people. And this isn’t just a CNN issue — every journalist who was in any way involved in 9/11 is partly responsible."
In April 2003, Eason Jordan, CNN's chief news executive, wrote an op-ed in the New York Times stating that he had lobbied the Iraqi government for 12 years in order to maintain a CNN presence in Iraq. He also admitted to withholding what would be considered newsworthy information of the government's atrocities, citing fears that releasing news would potentially endanger the lives of Iraqis working for CNN in Baghdad, some of whom had already been subject to beatings and torture. Critics take particularly strong exception to the handling of the Bush administration's rhetoric leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. CNN’s own veteran reporter Christiane Amanpour characterized the behavior of the news media as "self-muzzling" and as "cheerleaders for the Bush war drive against Iraq". An editorial in the German publication Süddeutsche Zeitung compared CNN war coverage to "live coverage of the Super Bowl", and the Qatar based Al Jazeera news network has criticized CNN for portraying U.S. soldiers as heroes.
