Jump to content

CNN: The Continuing Soap Opera


Eat News

Recommended Posts

On 12/6/2022 at 11:28 AM, CLETVFan said:

What would make sense is to simply move HLN over to ID and not have to change channel positions.  Both channels with similar makes one necessary and the other redundant.

At this point ID has actually jumped to low 20s-30s on most cable systems so it's no longer a big priority as it was in the past, plus there are many customers who sort their program guides by channel name these days (and YTTV, Hulu and Sling don't bother with channel numbers at all), so HLN and ID aren't that separated by that much in that mode. A channel merger does make sense eventually but it has to come with more than just one network cut down.

 

10 minutes ago, iron_lion said:

Yes! The old newsroom set was much more grand and felt like you were in the middle of a non stop news operation. 

I do miss sets with a busy background replaced by just being in front of a Jumbotron/fake brick set and calling it a day. Of course in 2020 and 2021 it would've looked very barren and empty with everyone telecommuting, as the NBC News and CBSN sets did.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Geoffrey said:

I'm curious about what they're doing with the newsroom, and if it's going to be used for CNN This Morning. As previously mentioned, shows that has been using the newsroom are in a temporary set (I think a different corner of the AC360 studio).

 

I haven't liked CNN's newsroom sets in New York, both in the old Time Warner Center location and at the current Hudson Yards space. They look like boring offices with some monitors. I miss the old newsroom at CNN Center, which really felt like it was designed to be used on TV. I think part of the difference is that the New York newsrooms use robotic cameras, which really gives a different feel to the broadcast.


I’d bet money that CNN Centers days are numbered. They already sold the property to a developer. Over time they’ll probably move any remaining cnn productions to the techwood drive property. Besides CNN International’s version of CNN Newsroom what shows air anchored in Atlanta anymore? 
 

https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-fl-state-wire-atlanta-florida-health-c7e1f0b9f85ecb1203f4fa727701c3ac

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CNN is leaving CNN Center in the next 3 years from what I understand. Yes, the Atlanta operations (what's left) are moving back to Techwood. I don't suspect they'll have anything quite as grand as the set they have at CNN Center. It would surprise me if they build out a full studio once they're fully back at Techwood.

 

Speaking of moving, a user on the Eyes of a Generation Facebook page is reporting that CNN is moving their LA bureau from its longtime Sunset Ave home to the old KNBC facility on the old NBC lot, that's now owned by WBD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Weeters said:

CNN is leaving CNN Center in the next 3 years from what I understand. Yes, the Atlanta operations (what's left) are moving back to Techwood. I don't suspect they'll have anything quite as grand as the set they have at CNN Center. It would surprise me if they build out a full studio once they're fully back at Techwood.

 

Speaking of moving, a user on the Eyes of a Generation Facebook page is reporting that CNN is moving their LA bureau from its longtime Sunset Ave home to the old KNBC facility on the old NBC lot, that's now owned by WBD.

 

Chris is on a mission. Ugh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don’t think shuttering the CNN Center in Atlanta helps much with WBD’s mission to change CNN’s perceived liberal bias. 
 

I think the better move would be to move dayside operations out of the east and west coast bubbles and back to Atlanta. Leave the evening talk shows in NY and LA, but the rest should return to Atlanta. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, newscopter7 said:

I don’t think shuttering the CNN Center in Atlanta helps much with WBD’s mission to change CNN’s perceived liberal bias. 
 

I think the better move would be to move dayside operations out of the east and west coast bubbles and back to Atlanta. Leave the evening talk shows in NY and LA, but the rest should return to Atlanta. 

Has nothing to do with that.  Licht has a mandate to streamline operations and cut costs.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Georgie56 said:

With the film and TV industry growing in Atlanta and the state of Georgia overall, I don’t understand why CNN would want to minimize their presence in Atlanta. 

 

They have to cut cost anywhere and everywhere. No reason to hang on to large amounts of space that will likely go underutilized. They announced plans to move the CNN LA bureau to WBD offices in Burbank a couple of days ago. It's safe to assume they will continue to consolidate space as much as possible moving forward.

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, kshow said:

 

Chris is on a mission. Ugh.

He’s not on a mission, he’s stuck in a bad position related entirely to the creation of Warner Bros. Discovery at the hands of AT&T. Plus a lot of this (especially CNN leaving Atlanta) had already been in place under Zucker. Robin Meade and her show’s staff were for years the only ones that justified the Atlanta facility remaining open this whole time.

 

Please, in the name of all that is all and holy and good, quit giving Chris Licht, David Zaslav and John Malone supervillain powers they don’t have and never will.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/8/2022 at 5:31 AM, Geoffrey said:

I'm curious about what they're doing with the newsroom, and if it's going to be used for CNN This Morning. As previously mentioned, shows that has been using the newsroom are in a temporary set (I think a different corner of the AC360 studio).

 

I was just wondering about the plans for CNN This Mornings's set. It was my understanding their current location is temporary while a permanent set is built. I was assuming the old New Day studio was going to be used but maybe not. A couple night ago I saw John Berman using the touchscreen monitor in what appeared to be the old New Day studio (bricks in the background). They stayed on a tight shot so wasn't able to tell much more than that. That made me think they haven't started work or are not planning to use that space for CNN This Morning.

Edited by PTVNews
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Myron Falwell said:

Robin Meade and her show’s staff were for years the only ones that justified the Atlanta facility remaining open this whole time.

 

That’s simply not true. They haven’t been keeping an entire facility open for a little watched morning show and its staff. Yes, that team represented the only live news on HLN but they were hardly the only parts of the operation left in Atlanta. The main technical core of CNN in still housed at the CNN Center along with CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Newsource, CNN.com, and more. In fact, many of CNN's producers are still based at the CNN Center. According to the AJC there are about 1,500 employees based in Atlanta. 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, carolinanews4 said:

 

That’s simply not true. They haven’t been keeping an entire facility open for a little watched morning show and its staff. Yes, that team represented the only live news on HLN but they were hardly the only parts of the operation left in Atlanta. The main technical core of CNN in still housed at the CNN Center along with CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Newsource, CNN.com, and more. In fact, many of CNN's producers are still based at the CNN Center. According to the AJC there are about 1,500 employees based in Atlanta. 

It was the only remaining news program that originated from Atlanta. Without it they could proceed on moving everything back to Techwood and do all the stuff @Weeterstalked about just a few posts earlier. Which of course will result in quite a few of those 1,500 people losing their jobs, which sucks.

 

My point still stands.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

It was the only remaining news program that originated from Atlanta. Without it they could proceed on moving everything back to Techwood and do all the stuff @Weeterstalked about just a few posts earlier. Which of course will result in quite a few of those 1,500 people losing their jobs, which sucks.

 

My point still stands.

 

It''s not that clear cut. There are a lot more resources, people, and space needed to support TV news production than just what you see on air. Morning Express probably only accounts for a fraction of the headcount still based at CNN Center. CNN Domestic weekends, a good chunk of CNNI shows, and CNN En Espanol are all still anchored out of CNN Center. And even though they've moved a lot of anchoring out of Atlanta, a lot of other important staff are still there.

 

As I understand it, a lot of the staff for the CNN Domestic dayside hours stayed in Atlanta even though those hours moved to New York. So a lot of the producers, writers, segment producers, editors, etc. for much of CNN Domestic are still in Atlanta even though the shows are anchored in New York. Not to mention CNN.com, Newsource, Image + Sound, and plenty of other teams. CNN Center may not be the bustling place it was a decade ago, but there are still a lot of people working there to support a major news organization.

 

Some other people also might have a better idea than me, but I also question whether there's enough space for everything at Techwood just yet. Even if they are going to move everything there and in a smaller footprint than what they have at CNN Center, there's still going to be a fair amount of work needed to move so many employees and have space for all of them. I'm sure they'll be able to do it, but it won't happen overnight, and it won't happen just because Morning Express got cancelled.

Edited by C Block
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My understanding is the consolidation to Techwood is benefitting from the new age of Work from Home being normalized. A lot of those jobs don't necessarily need to be done from in the office. I would imagine a lot of the move to Techwood is going to involve reclaiming existing space that's been emptied by people in that campus going fully remote, vs. the expansion they originally talked about.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Weeters said:

My understanding is the consolidation to Techwood is benefitting from the new age of Work from Home being normalized. A lot of those jobs don't necessarily need to be done from in the office. I would imagine a lot of the move to Techwood is going to involve reclaiming existing space that's been emptied by people in that campus going fully remote, vs. the expansion they originally talked about.

Huh, it's like the world changed in 2020 and no one noticed. Golly gee, imagine that, so baffling...

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, C Block said:

 

It''s not that clear cut. There are a lot more resources, people, and space needed to support TV news production than just what you see on air. Morning Express probably only accounts for a fraction of the headcount still based at CNN Center. CNN Domestic weekends, a good chunk of CNNI shows, and CNN En Espanol are all still anchored out of CNN Center. And even though they've moved a lot of anchoring out of Atlanta, a lot of other important staff are still there.

 

As I understand it, a lot of the staff for the CNN Domestic dayside hours stayed in Atlanta even though those hours moved to New York. So a lot of the producers, writers, segment producers, editors, etc. for much of CNN Domestic are still in Atlanta even though the shows are anchored in New York. Not to mention CNN.com, Newsource, Image + Sound, and plenty of other teams. CNN Center may not be the bustling place it was a decade ago, but there are still a lot of people working there to support a major news organization.

 

Some other people also might have a better idea than me, but I also question whether there's enough space for everything at Techwood just yet. Even if they are going to move everything there and in a smaller footprint than what they have at CNN Center, there's still going to be a fair amount of work needed to move so many employees and have space for all of them. I'm sure they'll be able to do it, but it won't happen overnight, and it won't happen just because Morning Express got cancelled.

WarnerMedia sold the building in 2021 and even with a lease agreement, WBD has every incentive to move everything back to Techwood as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Edited by Myron Falwell
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They sold the building, but that doesn't mean they're getting evicted. The announcement last year was that they expected to lease the space back from the new owners for a few years.

 

https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-fl-state-wire-atlanta-florida-health-c7e1f0b9f85ecb1203f4fa727701c3ac

 

Honestly, I think it's probably so hard to predict when or how the drawdown of CNN Center and move to Techwood will happen. It's been talked about for years and first came about under different management and under a different corporate owner. I'm sure it'll happen, but I wouldn't be confident trying to pinpoint when or what the final outcome will look like. My only guess is that, whenever faced with any kind of decision moving forward, the current people running CNN will probably select whatever's the more austere choice.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going back to the 'what can HLN be in the future' discussion, this commentary piece from Barrett Sports Media which talks about converting it to the WBD sports channel sounds like a great idea; it's now under the ID umbrella, true, but that can always change rather fast.

 

First thing is they likely already still have the "Headline Sports" trademark lingering around. One initial change, but you still get brand familiarity (though obviously its 'free sneakerphone with your paid subscription'-like packaging with CNN would have to change). Discovery and Turner side both agree they want more PGA, there's your new home for golf, and Bleacher Report/House of Highlights both finally get a permanent cable home (two other name ideas too). Maybe even get some of the HBO Sports people get more boxing onto basic cable.

 

This is probably one of many ideas rolling around (and TruTV could easily be sports-converted itself with what's above), but it's much more creative than just using it as ID2.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/9/2022 at 8:14 PM, PTVNews said:

 

I was just wondering about the plans for CNN This Mornings's set. It was my understanding their current location is temporary while a permanent set is built. I was assuming the old New Day studio was going to be used but maybe not. A couple night ago I saw John Berman using the touchscreen monitor in what appeared to be the old New Day studio (bricks in the background). They stayed on a tight shot so wasn't able to tell much more than that. That made me think they haven't started work or are not planning to use that space for CNN This Morning.

 

At This Hour is still using the old New Day studio (and possibly also so is CNNI's Quest Means Business?), so I don't think that's going to be where CNN This Morning goes. Because the newsroom stopped being used shortly before CNN This Morning premiered, it's my guess that this will be for the mornings. They did have multiple sets built for CNN+ (I believe the temporary CNN This Morning one is one of them) so it's always possible one of those may be reworked

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Georgie56 said:

So sad. He was an excellent reporter. He wasn't seen on air very often because investigative reports take time, but they can get action.

 

I remember when CNN first hired him from KCBS and he occasionally filled in as a weekend anchor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using TVNewsTalk you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.