Press Releases: 10/1/08

CNN (2)

CNN to Offer In-Depth, Multi-Platform Coverage of Vice Presidential Debate

CNN will marshal its resources and political expertise for the vice presidential debate between Democratic nominee Sen. Joe Biden (D-De) and Republican nominee Gov. Sarah Palin (R- Ak) on Thursday, Oct. 2. Debate-focused programming begins at 4 p.m. and continues until midnight to provide in-depth coverage and analysis before and after the debate. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Campbell Brown, Anderson Cooper and Lou Dobbs will anchor coverage from the state-of-the-art CNN Election Center in New York and will be joined by additional members of the “Best Political Team on Television” live on the ground from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

CNN will have continuous coverage throughout the day and will have special debate-focused editions of The Situation Room from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Lou Dobbs Tonight from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Campbell Brown: Election Center from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The vice presidential debate will air from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with a special edition of Anderson Cooper 360° from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.

Throughout the evening, chief national correspondent John King will report from the “Magic Wall,” breaking down demographic and delegate data. CNN correspondents Dana Bash, Candy Crowley, Suzanne Malveaux, Jessica Yellin and senior political analyst Bill Schneider will be live on location in St. Louis. Senior analysts Gloria Borger, David Gergen and Jeffrey Toobin will offer insight along with CNN political contributors Paul Begala, Donna Brazile, James Carville, Alex Castellanos, Roland Martin, Ed Rollins and Leslie Sanchez.

CNN special correspondent Soledad O’Brien will again moderate a focus group in Columbus, Ohio. The group will be comprised of a selection of voters from the hotly contested state. During the debate, the participants will operate electronic dial testers that will allow television viewers and CNN.com Live users to see the group’s reactions in real time. In addition, viewers watching the broadcast in high-definition will see exclusive scorecards gauging positive and negative information from our panel of commentators.

Online, CNN.com will provide live updates as news-making moments happen during the debate. CNNPolitics.com, the site’s political news gateway, will feature complete coverage and analysis before, during and after the debate. Up-to-the-minute analysis and fact checks of candidate statements will be available from the CNN Political Unit on the Political Ticker, the Internet’s No. 1 political news blog according to Nielsen Online. Users may engage in real-time conversation about the debates on The Forum, CNN.com’s recently launched destination for social and political self-expression.

In addition to live streaming the debate in its entirety, CNN.com Live offers users the ability to watch real-time commentary from bloggers on both sides of the political spectrum. CNN.com Live anchor Melissa Long will host hour-long pre- and post-debate shows including analysis from the “Best Political Team on Television.”

For its post-debate coverage, CNN.com will offer users the ability to watch the entire debate online through video on-demand and full text transcripts. Additional post-debate coverage will include Report Cards for each candidate featuring “grades” from CNN political analysts, as well as debate performance ratings from CNN.com users and a searchable video transcript of the debate. A special edition of the AC360 podcast, including the entire debate and featuring a special introduction from Anderson Cooper, will be available on iTunes Friday, Oct. 3.

iReport.com, CNN’s unfiltered user-generated news community, is inviting iReporters to share their video analysis of the debate, as well as the ways and places people are watching the debate around the country.

In addition to airing live on CNN/U.S., the first vice presidential debate will air simulcast on CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Airport Network.

CNN Radio will carry the full debate live for its affiliates. At the conclusion of the debate, CNN Radio will provide a half-hour program with post-debate analysis.

CNN Newsource will provide its affiliates access to on-site reports from correspondents Sandra Endo, Susan Roesgen and RunningMate correspondent Samantha Hayes.

The Election Express Yourself, the network’s customized Airstream trailer designed to give Americans across the nation an interactive political experience, will make a stop at the vice presidential debate site. The airstream trailer will be located near the courtyard outside the new Danforth University Center on the Washington University campus, from noon to 9 p.m.

In an effort to help educators and parents discuss the political process with students, CNN Student News, CNN’s cost-and-commercial-free educational program for middle and high schools, is offering several free resources, including a downloadable one-sheet, a “Debates Viewing Guide,” and a video explainer about presidential and vice presidential debates. These online tools can be accessed by visiting www.CNNStudentNews.com.

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CNN Digital No. 1 in Unique Visitors, Total Minutes, Page Views on Debate Day

Traffic Record Reached for ‘Political Ticker,’ No. 1 Political News Blog According to Nielsen Online

As online users sought up-to-the-minute news and information on the day of the first presidential debate, the CNN Digital Network broke away from its competitors, securing the No. 1 spot among Current Events and Global News Sites across key Nielsen Online usage metrics, including unique visitors, total minutes and page views.

On Friday, Sept. 26, the CNN Digital Network obtained the No. 1 spot across multiple metrics, including:
· Unique visitors: 7.7 million
· Total minutes: 70 million, besting No. 2 MSNBC Digital by 70 percent
· Page views: 71.2 million page views, beating No. 2 MSNBC Digital by 89 percent.

(Source: Nielsen Online)

On Saturday, Sept. 27, the CNN Digital Network again ranked No.1 with 32.8 million total minutes and 38.4 million page views. (Source: Nielsen Online)

CNN.com Live, the network’s multi-stream, live video news service, served 1.1 million live video streams, representing an increase of 271 percent over the benchmark period and ranking Friday, Sept. 26, as the second-highest day on record for the live video news service. (Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst, Global)

CNNPolitics.com, the online gateway to the network’s up-to-the-minute political coverage, generated 12 million page views on Friday, while The Political Ticker – the No. 1 political news blog according to Nielsen Online – set a record for its highest trafficked day ever with 4.8 million page views on Friday, Sept. 26. Continuing its momentum, the Political Ticker garnered 4.2 million page views on Saturday, Sept. 27, accounting for the blog’s second-highest day on record. This is the second time in a month that the Political Ticker has generated record page views. (Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst, Global)