CNN’s ‘Situation Room’ To Debut August 8
Details are beginning to emerge about CNN’s new “Situation Room,” the revamped afternoon block that will feature three straight hours of Wolf Blitzer along with the brightest minds the cable newser has to offer.
Yesterday CNN released some details of the show, modeled on the White House Situation Room, during its Television Critics’ Association press tour
“With ‘The Situation Room,’ our viewers have the advantage of CNN’s unmatched access to national and world leaders as well as the leading journalists and experts on any topic of the day,” host Blitzer said in a press release. “The Situation Room will bring the control room to the living room, making the entire process of our newsgathering more transparent and placing the latest news and information at the viewers’ fingertips.”
Drawing upon a “CNN Security Council,” with experts in a variety of fields as well as a layout specifically designed to utilize the latest in emerging technologies like blogs and podcasts, “Sit room” will replace “Wolf Blitzer Reports,” “Inside Politics,” and “Crossfire.”
Internally the staff who’ll make the show work are just beginning to get a sense of the hyper-cool, fluid, and fast-moving set as planning meetings reach a fever pitch. Early reviews are quite good, we hear.
Meanwhile, the network has started running promos for the new show: “In Washington, there’s a place where experts and strategists meet to respond to situations around the world for the sole purpose of advising the President of the United States…
“Why should he be the only one?” The tease closes with: “The Situation Room: 08-08-05 CNN.”
Full release after the jump.
CNN Announces Aug. 8 Debut of Wolf Blitzer-led Situation Room
Program Employs Dynamic News Team, Technology to Deliver Reports on Security, Politics, World Affairs
Wolf Blitzer will gather teams of top CNN correspondents, analysts, contributors and guests in The Situation Room, a weekday program bringing together all the top stories and resources of CNN to give viewers complete up-to-the minute coverage of the day’s events. The program will debut Monday, Aug. 8, and will air from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (ET), one of the most heavy breaking news periods of any news day.
“The Situation Room will be a showcase for CNN’s unparalleled, world-wide newsgathering operations,” said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. “The new show becomes ‘information central’ for our viewers, providing them with dynamic real-time updates on stories that will impact their lives close to home and around the world.”
The Situation Room is modeled somewhat on the concept of the White House Situation Room and draws together CNN’s extensive reporting and analytical resources including its renowned political and polling units, D.C. beats, and national and global newsgathering bureaus. The Situation Room studio has been expressly designed to combine traditional reporting methods with the newest innovative online resources such as blogs, Web sites and podcasts.
“With The Situation Room, our viewers have the advantage of CNN’s unmatched access to national and world leaders as well as the leading journalists and experts on any topic of the day,” Blitzer said. “The Situation Room will bring the control room to the living room, making the entire process of our newsgathering more transparent and placing the latest news and information at the viewers’ fingertips.”
The program will gather dozens of experts, analysts and opinion leaders to explore homeland security, politics, national and world affairs, establishing a “CNN Security Council” with expertise spanning topics from personal security to the economy to the war on terrorism. Regular contributors will include political commentators and analysts Paul Begala, James Carville, Robert Novak, Jeff Greenfield, Bill Schneider and Carlos Watson; former Republican advisor and spokesperson for the Department of Defense Victoria Clarke; security analysts such as former Defense Secretary William Cohen, Richard Falkenrath, a former terrorism advisor to President George W. Bush, Clark Kent Ervin, former inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, and John McLaughlin, former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency; and military analysts Gen. David Grange and Gen. Don Shephard.
In addition, Jack Cafferty will offer commentary and insights on the day’s events; CNN business correspondent Ali Velshi will contribute regular business features and updates; and Zain Verjee, co-anchor of CNN’s international news report Your World Today, will report on international news developments. CNN’s groundbreaking Internet reporters Abbi Tatton and Jacki Schechner will cover the blogs and beyond on the Internet. CNN Correspondent Mary Snow will also contribute to The Situation Room.
Sam Feist, senior executive producer of political programming for CNN, will be executive producer of The Situation Room.
Wolf Blitzer also hosts CNN’s Sunday show Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, the only Sunday talk show seen in more than 200 countries and territories. Blitzer has interviewed numerous newsmakers and world leaders including former President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, former President Bill Clinton, former President Gerald Ford, former President Ronald Reagan, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former South African President Nelson Mandela, former Israeli prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
CNN, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. Its reach extends to 14 cable and satellite television networks; two private place-based networks; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; six Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; and CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service.
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