Press Releases: 01/16/09

CNN (2)

CNN Enlists iReporters to Capture ‘The Moment’ of Obama’s Oath

Network to Use Microsoft Photosynth and User-Generated Photos to Create 3-D Image of Inauguration

CNN Worldwide plans to create the most unique view of the exact moment U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at noon (ET). Using Microsoft Photosynth technology, CNN and Microsoft Corp. will produce the first “synth” of a major historical moment.

Photosynth, part of the Microsoft Virtual Earth product family, enables users to create synths, detailed 3-D environments of photos that are identified by minute similarities and then fused together. In this case, the initial images comprise those captured on cell phones, cameras and mobile devices by inauguration attendees of the moment Obama is sworn in as president. From the vast sweep of the crowd to a close-up on the new president’s raised hand, every angle of this historic moment will be frozen in time. To see examples of synths, visit http://photosynth.com.

CNN is inviting people witnessing “The Moment” to take part in a special iReport assignment by e-mailing their pictures to themoment@CNN.com. The photos will post immediately to iReport.com, CNN’s user-generated news community, and shortly after the oath of office, viewers and users can see the resulting synths on-air and online. In staying with CNN’s long tradition of using technology to reinvent political coverage, the network will feature the synths on the Magic Wall. The use of Photosynth within the multi-touch environment will be made possible by the strong relationship among CNN, Perceptive Pixel and Microsoft.

Visitors to CNN.com will also be able to explore the images captured in this transformative moment on either their PC or Mac. Photosynth will allow CNN.com visitors to glide around the Capitol, thus virtually experiencing the occasion from every angle. For more details on sending in photos and to view the synths on Inauguration Day, visit www.CNN.com/themoment.

“We’re pleased to partner with CNN to bring this historic event to life through the eyes of those attending the inauguration,” said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president, Microsoft. “Microsoft Photosynth technology enables an immersive experience for CNN to share with all of its viewers.”

“As the nation watches this momentous moment on Tuesday, CNN, through this partnership with Microsoft, will again make television history,” said David Bohrman, CNN’s senior vice president and D.C. bureau chief. “From the YouTube debates to the Magic Wall, CNN has proven itself as the network which embraces technological tools to engage viewers and allow them to witness news events in ways never before imagined.”

On Jan. 20, CNN’s The Inauguration of Barack Obama begins at 5 a.m. (ET) and continues into Wednesday, Jan. 21, with continuous live coverage of the day’s events, including the swearing-in ceremony, parade and official inaugural balls. Throughout the special programming, viewers can expect to see the synths their pictures helped create.

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CNN to Launch Special Inauguration Coverage during MLK Weekend

Anchors Wolf Blitzer, Campbell Brown, Anderson Cooper, John King, Larry King and Soledad O’Brien, joined by members of the Best Political Team on Television, will kick off CNN’s live, special coverage of the inauguration of Barack Obama during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Starting on Saturday, Jan. 17, CNN will provide viewers with live coverage of pre-inauguration events and offer in-depth reports and analysis of the moment just days away.

Beginning at 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Blitzer will anchor The Obama Express, documenting Obama’s journey from Philadelphia to Washington. Blitzer, joined by Cooper, King, O’Brien and CNN political analyst Roland Martin, will broadcast from atop the Newseum, a key vantage spot on Pennsylvania Avenue and the site of CNN’s special The Inauguration of President Barack Obama coverage. CNN correspondents will report live from spots along the train route, and CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley will accompany the president-elect on board the train itself. Correspondents will blanket the nation’s capital, reporting on a variety of issues, including the preparations underway and the crowds of people already staking out their inauguration spots.

Evening programming continues with special, live editions of CNN Newsroom with Don Lemon from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Larry King Live from Washington from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 18 marks the premiere of State of the Union with John King, which airs Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For this special edition, King will broadcast live from the Newseum, where he will be joined by members of the Best Political Team on Television. Special guests include President-elect Barack Obama, senior Obama adviser David Axelrod, Bush White House press secretary Dana Perino and Bush White House counselor Ed Gillespie.

The day’s programming continues with a live edition of Fareed Zakaria – GPS from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., a live special Inauguration of Barack Obama from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and CNN Newsroom from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Prime-time programming includes State of the Union with John King from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., Larry King Live from Washington from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. and another live edition of Inauguration of Barack Obama from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

On Monday, Jan. 19, CNN will mark the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. by reporting on the historic inauguration within the context of King’s dream. The day will begin with a special edition of American Morning. From 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., Kiran Chetry and John Roberts will anchor live from the National Mall, the very spot where hundreds of thousands of people gathered to listen to King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., anchors Soledad O’Brien and Don Lemon, with Roland Martin, will host From MLK to Today, also from the National Mall. The special programming will focus on how far the nation has come from the day King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the day Barack Obama will stand on the steps of the U.S. Capitol as the first African-American president of the United States. In addition to analysis from members of the Best Political Team, From MLK to Today will include reaction from a variety of individuals reflecting on what this moment means to them.

CNN will continue special, live programming from Washington until midnight with The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., another edition of From MLK to Today from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Campbell Brown: No Bias. No Bull from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., Larry King Live from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Anderson Cooper 360º from 10 p.m. to midnight.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, The Inauguration of Barack Obama kicks off with Chetry and Roberts anchoring a special edition of American Morning live on Capitol Hill from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.

From 10 a.m to 4 p.m., Blitzer and Cooper, along with senior political analysts Gloria Borger and David Gergen, will anchor special programming form atop the Newseum, which will include the historic swearing-in of the new president, his inaugural address and the kick off of the parade. King will use the network’s Magic Wall from the Newseum, and also reporting from the Newseum, Campbell Brown will cover the day’s events and will moderate a panel with members of CNN’s Best Political Team on Television. Other members of the team will fan out across the nation’s capitol to cover every angle of the inauguration, including reaction from politicians and spectators who traveled to Washington.

The Inauguration of Barack Obama will continue with a special edition of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., which will include continuing coverage of the parade, as well as a recap of the day’s happenings. From 7 p.m. to midnight, Brown and Cooper will lead CNN’s prime-time coverage, live from Washington with special editions of Campbell Brown: No Bias. No Bull and Anderson Cooper 360º which will include live reporting from the 10 official inaugural balls. Larry King hosts a special edition of Larry King Live from Washington from midnight to 1 a.m.