The New CNN en Espanol…

The New York Times’ Larry Richter writes about changes to CNN en Espanol…

NEW programs, new talent, new sets, a fancy new studio in Miami and a new logo featuring an outsize, stylized tilde. In an effort to broaden its appeal to Hispanic viewers in the United States, CNN en Español, the Spanish-language branch of the cable news giant based here, is undergoing a fundamental reconfiguration of both its content and image.

Gone is the repetitive traditional half-hour hard-news block that has been the Spanish network’s sustenance since it began broadcasting 14 years ago this week, replaced by informational, magazine-style shows meant to reinforce the new slogan “Live the news.” Three of those programs made their debuts last week: a business, investment and money-management show called “CNN Dinero”; a late-night wrap-up called “Conclusiones”; and a live, three-hour morning show called “Café CNN.”

Janet Rolle Tapped as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for CNN Worldwide

Jim Walton’s memo to staff announcing the hiring of Janet Rolle as EVP and CMO for CNN Worldwide…

To: CNN Staff
From: Jim Walton

=======================================================

I have been watching our coverage of the Japan earthquake and tsunami since last night, and am impressed not just by how quickly we were on the story, but also with the accuracy and sensitivity of our reporting. CNN’s global perspective and reach advantage are demonstrated again and again in times of international breaking news events, but I am always proudest of the human dimension of our journalism and the professionalism and commitment of the men and women of CNN who bring these stories to the wider world. This responsibility comes first, even on days when I had planned to share other important news about our organization. This is one of those days.

Later today we will announce that Janet Rollé is joining CNN Worldwide as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. This is a key leadership and execution role within our organization, and we’ve taken the time necessary to make what I consider is a very strong hire for CNN. Janet’s years of experience, her intelligence and her enthusiasm to be part of CNN convince me that she will make important contributions here as a thought-leader, innovator and steward of the CNN brand. She’s eager to roll up her sleeves and I look forward to introducing her to you.

The press release announcing her hire is copied below. When Janet joins us in the coming weeks, please extend to her a warm welcome. Today, the earthquake and its aftermath, along with events in the Middle East and all the other news breaking around the world today, is our focus. Janet understands, as do I. And we appreciate your contributions to the work of CNN.

TJ Holmes Done with American Morning…

Holmes just issued this tweet…

Signing off on @cnnam. Today is my last day with this show. Thank you all for your support. Hope you will continue to support this show.

This begs the obvious question: Has CNN found a permanent replacement for that show? If so, who? If not, who’s next going to fill in for an extended period?

Update: CNN says Christine Romans is sitting in with Kiran Chetry next week.

Scarborough for Senate?

Here we go again. The Hill’s Bob Cusack writes about GOP attempts to recruit Joe Scarborough to run in Florida…

Republicans in Washington are trying to recruit Joe Scarborough to run against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) next year.

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told The Hill on Thursday that he has talked to Scarborough a couple times about a Senate bid. And he indicated he’s still working on persuading the MSNBC host to run for the upper chamber.

“I’d be delighted to talk to him a third time,” Cornyn said.

Update: In a bit of “he said/he said” National Review Online’s Jim Geraghty has the NRSC denying it was Florida and that it was really New York only The Hill’s Bob Cusack has Scarborough himself saying it was Florida. Clear as mud, no?

Japan Earthquake/Pacific Tsunami Coverage…

Post your reactions to the coverage of the 8.9 earthquake off of Japan and the Pacific Tsunami warning here. I’m waiting to see who is going to be first to get information on all the low lying islands and atolls between Japan and Hawaii where the danger posed by the threat from a strong Tsunami is so much worse than for the US’ 50th state which is getting all the press attention right now.

Update: From an emailer who was apparently keeping track of who was covering the initial reports of the quake last night…

An 8.8 magnitude has hit Japan and there are many tsunami warnings and they have it areas of Japan. Since checking at 1:25am ET, CNN is showing live coverage from CNNi. FNC is live with Maryanne Rafferty anchoring. The Weather Channel has been mentioning it. CNBC World is covering it. BBC World is covering it. Bloomberg TV is covering it. MSNBC is on tape. MSNBC did not start full coverage of the earthquake until 1:48am ET. 20 to 25 minuets after every other cable news channel.

Update 2: I’m on a Twitter rampage concerning Morning Joe’s…how shall I put it?…non wall to wall coverage of this story.

MBC and Al Arabiya Transmissions Disrupted on Nilesat…

Media ME has a statement from the MBC group about a satellite transmission disruption which affected a number of channels…

MBC Group’s bouquet of channels recently experienced a deliberate disruption in its broadcast on Nilesat by an unknown source of perpetrators which disrupted transmission of the bouquet of channels for several and repeated hours, leading to the absence of sound and visual appearance of the screens. MBC Group condemns this planned attack on its channels, which not only targets its transmission, but its millions of viewers everywhere.

For its part, Al Arabiya news channel holds the perpetrators responsible for preventing viewers to follow its news, breaking news, programmes, and live coverage of the escalating events in the region, more so, its bold and balanced coverage of the recent events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. This assault also comes after a series of recurrent attacks on Al Arabiya’s on-ground team of reporters, therefore confirming purposeful attacks not only on its reporters but also aimed at an audience of millions of viewers everywhere.

A reliable source in Al Arabiya said that the disruption amplified when Al Arabiya’s viewership was at peak during its comprehensive coverage of the heated events in Libya.

Scot Safon Interview…

The Orlando Sentinel’s Hal Boedeker interviews HLN’s Scot Safon…

How big a deal will the Anthony trial be for HLN?

“It’s a gigantic deal for us. It’s a case that has been very important to our audiences since the early developments in the case. Nancy Grace has done a ton of coverage. It really strikes a chord with people who watch us. We get active audience feedback. It’s true across the country. It’s not a regional-interest story.”

What about this case strikes a chord?

“It speaks to so many issues, to the responsibility parents have, to the responsibility grandparents have, to the vulnerability of children, to the fact that this could play out in the midst of what might seem a normal family. I think a lot of people find it relatable. They know people like the people in this story, grandparents like the Anthonys, women like Casey, children like Caylee.

“A lot of stories happen like this, but this one just seems to capture a lot of those fundamental things. It seems so extreme on some levels, but some people go, ‘My sister is like that.’ Even if you’re not identifying with Casey Anthony, you know somebody like that in your life. Based on what we hear, the audience says it’s outraged, but there’s an undertone of identification with the anxieties that a story like this points out. You want your children to be safe. You want to know what kind of behaviors you want to blow the whistle on.”

Fast and Loose…

Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher writes about something Andrea Mitchell said today on her show, and, in the process, throws a few accusatory darts at a NewsBusters article by Scott Whitlock. On technical points I give this bout to Christopher (in large part based on the glaring contextual omission by Whitlock in his article which Christopher highlights) though Mitchell probably could have phrased it better…

Rep. Peter King’s (R-NY) congressional hearings on radical Muslims in America have sparked a good deal of controversy, and a lot of compelling video. The latest example is an Andrea Mitchell clip that’s zipping around the conservative blogosphere with headlines like “MSNBC‘s Andrea Mitchell ’You and I Are Both White‘ We Don’t Get This Whole Getting Offended Thing Like Muslims Do.”

The knocks on Mitchell – ranging from “bigotry” to ignorance of the existence of white Muslims – rely on an omission of crucial context.

Press Releases: 03/10/11

CNN (1)

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to Travel to Europe and Middle East with Secretary Clinton

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer will travel with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to France, Egypt and Tunisia next week, March 14 -17. As Secretary Clinton’s delegation meets with foreign government officials and participates in G8 meetings, Blitzer will provide live reports, interview newsmakers and anchor The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer during the trip.

Blitzer is CNN’s lead political anchor and is well known for his in-depth reporting of international news. He has reported from cities across the Middle East from Baghdad to Beirut. Blitzer began his career in 1972 with the Reuters News Agency in Tel Aviv and has been a vital component of CNN’s coverage of the unrest in Middle East and Africa.

Free for All: 03/10/11

What’s on your mind?

Martin Bashir and Nancy Grace Fail to Land Charlie Sheen?

Radar Online reports that apparently there really are limits to the number of interviews Charlie Sheen will do and two he apparently won’t do are Martin Bashir and Nancy Grace…

There was one interviewer Charlie Sheen turned down on his self-described odyssey: tough-talking British television host Martin Bashir.

The former Nightline host, who defected to MSNBC last year, had approached the now fired Two and a Half Men star to do another no-holds barred tell-all at his ‘Sober Valley Lodge’ mansion in Los Angeles.

“After much debate and discussion with his advisors, Charlie drew the line at Bashir,” said one source familiar with last week’s negotiations.

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,097

Only problem with this clip is the story is bogus. The Blaze’s Mike Opelka has the story including how Willie Geist had debunked this fake story the day before. Nobody on MSNBC’s production staff caught wind of that and then spiked this story from airing during Brewer’s hour. What’s the point of synergy between NBC News networks and shows if you can’t synergize your own damn newsroom, eh?

Press Releases: 03/09/11

CNN (1)

CNN Blog Bolsters Conversation in the Global Public Square

New International Affairs Blog Expands FAREED ZAKARIA GPS Coverage

CNN.com has launched Global Public Square, a new blog in partnership with Time.com featuring global news distilled into compelling and enlightening points of view from Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s FAREED ZAKARIA GPS and Editor at Large for TIME. Other expert guests and journalists from CNN and TIME magazine will contribute to the blog as well.

“I can’t imagine anyone better than Fareed Zakaria to be at the center of this intelligent discussion on foreign affairs,” said Meredith Artley, vice president and managing editor of CNN.com. “The inter-connected world we live in is a subject that resonates with our audience.”

Free for All: 03/09/11

What’s on your mind?

Tony Maddox Interview…

TVNewser’s Alex Weprin interviews CNNI Executive VP Tony Maddox…

Some of that was apparent during the coverage of the situation in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, where CNN/U.S. would simulcast CNNI’s feed.

“I give [CNN/U.S. executive VP] Ken Jautz a lot of the credit for that, he is behind the initiative of us combining programming,” Maddox says. “In the past when we have had breaking news stories you would have CNNI doing its coverage and CNN/U.S. doing its coverage, and certainly in the field that was quite a challenge because you had to service two outputs.”

It would go over better if CNNI was HD. It’s not yet…

New CNN Ad…

There’s a new CNN ad out and it’s emphasizing the network’s journalism… (via CNN Observations)

Brianna Keilar Tapped as White House Correspondent…

CNN announced that Brianna Keilar has been named as a White House Correspondent

CNN Names Brianna Keilar White House Correspondent

Brianna Keilar is joining CNN’s White House team, it was announced today by David Bohrman, senior vice president of programming and Washington bureau chief. Keilar begins her new assignment with the White House unit later this month.

“Brianna is an outstanding addition to the White House team,” said Bohrman. “She has distinguished herself with exceptional coverage of the 111th Congress and her new beat will better position the network for the 2012 election season.”

Previously, Keilar served as a congressional correspondent, responsible for covering the activities of both the U.S. House and Senate. In that role, she earned the National Press Foundation’s Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress for her fall 2008 coverage of the $700 billion bank bailout. Prior to covering Congress, Keilar served as a general assignment correspondent for the network, reporting on a wide-range of stories, including the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, where she was the first CNN correspondent on the ground.

Free for All: 03/08/11

What’s on your mind?

FNC Fee Hike?

Multichannel News’ Mike Farrell writes about upcoming FNC carriage negotiation plans… (via J$)

News Corp. chief operating officer Chase Carey told an investor conference Monday that the media giant is expecting hefty carriage fee increases for its flagship Fox News Channel as it enters into renewal negotiations with distributors this year.

“Fox News Channel, in terms of finding a channel that has the enormous importance to its segment of the market is second only to ESPN,” Carey said at the Deutsche Bank Securities Media & Telecom conference in Palm Beach, Fla., Monday. “That’s what you live for in the cable business to have a channel that a sizeable segment of the audience needs to have. We head into our renewals on Fox News later this year in a big way. We have an opportunity to move Fox News to a place where we are able to capture the inherent value and importance of that channel to the marketplace out there.”

Juliet Huddy Addresses FNC Situation…Sort Of…

This exchange of tweets between a Juliet Huddy follower and Huddy herself occurred yesterday…

THEDonAllen

@juliethuddy what are you doing now? I’m assuming you aren’t with FNC anymore. Everyone is.

Huddy

@THEDonAllen. “Everybody” would be incorrect.

THEDonAllen

@juliethuddy Well, that’s good to hear. Hope to see you again soon.

Huddy

@THEDonAllen. You will! Thanks sweetie.

It’s not exactly conclusive proof Huddy will be returning to FNC given the wording but it’s a very strong indication she will.

Kiran Chetry Addresses Woman’s Club…

Katherine Ann Samon writes in the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Patch about Kiran Chetry’s address to the Woman’s Club of Larchmont…

With her intelligence, warmth and celebrated beauty (she’s been called one of the world’s sexiest female anchors), CNN anchor Kiran Chetry had a group of around 35 people assembled at Larchmont Avenue Presbyterian Church on Mar. 4 as captivated as her early morning American Morning TV audience.

For a “Women in the Media” talk hosted by the Woman’s Club of Larchmont, Chetry arrived with her daughter Maya, 5, and an executive assistant, which was fitting since she spoke for over an hour about her family life and career.

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,096

You gotta be kidding me…it’s almost Deja Vu all over again…

Andrea Mitchell Profile…

Washington Whispers’ Paul Bedard profiles Andrea Mitchell.

At a time in her life when many of her contemporaries are trading in their press passes for a ticket to retirement’s easy street, NBC’s ageless whirlwind, Andrea Mitchell, is stepping it up. The network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, who also hosts the hour-long Andrea Mitchell Reports daily on MSNBC, has been in her element during the Middle East crisis, starting many mornings at 7 on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and NBC’s Today, and signing off after 9 p.m. following her NBC Nightly News hit and perhaps an appearance on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show. “These are ridiculous hours,” she says, “but I guess I just love what I do.”

CNN Announces CNN Freedom Project…

Though ICN has been writing about this already, CNN officially announced the CNN Freedom Project today…

The CNN Freedom Project: Ending Modern-Day Slavery

Launches on CNN International and CNN.com today with reports every hour

CNN is marshaling its global resources for a major initiative that takes on human trafficking with the launch of ‘The CNN Freedom Project: Ending Modern-Day Slavery’, it was announced today by Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director of CNN International.

Throughout 2011, CNN’s reporting will expose the horrors of modern-day slavery, highlight the growing efforts to stop the trade and exploitation of human beings and amplify the voices of the victims.

“It’s our journalism-based assertion that this is the greatest uncovered breaking news story of today, and CNN plans to rip the lid off,” said Maddox. “The inhumanity of those who trade humans is truly shocking and should be stopped. Our coverage will spotlight not just those responsible, but the many courageous groups and individuals on the frontlines doing genuinely admirable work.”

Free for All: 03/07/11

What’s on your mind?

Et Tu, HLN?

Great! HLN is now aping MSNBC on weekends. Ugh…

Lawrence O’Donnell Profile…

The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz profiles Lawrence O’Donnell…

O’Donnell’s tone on the show, at least in the scripted portions, is that of a disapproving prep-school headmaster. When he recently chastised Bill O’Reilly, whose 3.2 million viewers are triple his total, O’Donnell did it almost impassively: “When I look at O’Reilly, I also see dozens of guys I grew up with just like him: overbearing, argumentative Irish guys who think they know everything and can back up nothing. Those guys have always been a joke to me, which is why O’Reilly almost never has the capacity to outrage me.”

O’Donnell explained his approach to me this way: “If I’m describing someone my audience already hates, the audience can do the hating—I don’t have to. I can under-describe the negativity that person has created in the world.”

But he admits that when it comes to interviews and debates, “I can be as crazy as anybody and go over lines I should not go over.” When that happens, O’Donnell sounds less like the former editor of the Harvard Lampoon and more like the son of a Boston cop.

Life Without Beck?

The New York Times’ David Carr writes about Glenn Beck. Everyone will be zeroing in on this paragraph and the next few that follow it…

He still has numbers that just about any cable news host would envy and, with about two million viewers a night, outdraws all his competition combined. But the erosion is significant enough that Fox News officials are willing to say — anonymously, of course; they don’t want to be identified as criticizing the talent — that they are looking at the end of his contract in December and contemplating life without Mr. Beck.

What’s Hot/What’s Not: 03/06/11

What’s Hot:

Lou Dobbs – Dobbs’ FBN show starts March 14th.

The Decline and Fall of Charlie Sheen – Like any good train wreck, cable news simply could not turn away. Indeed, it ran as hard as it could to cover Sheen’s crash and burn.

What’s Not:

The Decline and Fall of Charlie Sheen – Pandering, pandering, pandering.

John King, USA – The Wall Street Journal came out with a story that CNN was mulling changes at 7pm ET. The next day Page Six came out with the first of two stories that CNN was shooting pilots though it’s not clear the pilots were ever part of any considered “changes” for 7pm.

Lanny Davis vs. Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz – It’s not that Davis and Maddow have issues that makes this not hot. It’s Ed Schultz’s apparent refusal to have Davis on to discuss the matter.

Lack of Originality? or Not? – Calling Lou Dobbs’ FBN show “Lou Dobbs Tonight” seems either a) silly because that’s what his CNN was called and you’d think FBN could come up with something original, or, b) shrewd because it keeps continuity in terms of branding for Dobbs plus it pokes a stick in CNN’s eye. I’m not sure which…

What’s Hot/What’s Not: Submissions…

A tad late with this. Post your nominations for this week’s What’s Hot/What’s Not. I’ll post the finalists on Sunday night…