CNN has secured one of the big “gets” to come out of the shocking kidnapping story in Cleveland. Pedro and Onil Castro, the brothers of kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro, broke their silence to correspondent Martin Savidge.
The interview was conducted over the weekend, and aired this morning on CNN. The Castro brothers say that in light of the kidnapping news, Ariel is a “monster.”
WATCH:
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CNN’s Martin Savidge is in Belize where he interviewed John McAfee, the founder of McAfee anti-virus software who has been on the run for weeks accused of a murder he says he didn’t commit. McAfee has done phone interviews with CNBC and others. But Savidge’s is the first on-camera interview since he went on the run. Savidge says Friday’s interview was one of the most bizarre of his television career. Before seeing McAfee, he had to utter secret passwords, jump into different vehicles and met with people in disguise who took him to McAfee.
WATCH:
CNN has announced a slew of assignments for network correspondents in advance of the Presidential election. The network will have anchors and reporters in every swing state, as well as some floaters that will travel to multiple states, and the correspondents embedded with the campaigns. The network is launching segments branded as “The Final Battlegrounds” starting on Monday.
“CNN is deploying its vast resources and top-notch reporters into the states that the campaigns are targeting as the election nears,” said Mark Whitaker, executive VP and managing editor of CNN Worldwide in a statement. “Our in-depth reporting and analysis will keep voters informed of the up-to-the-minute developments that will determine the outcome of this extraordinarily close presidential race.”
The correspondent assignments, after the jump.
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At 11:28pmET, U.S. cable news networks broke into coverage as the final U.S. combat troops crossed from Iraq into Kuwait, creating a lasting image for the end to the 8-and-a-half-year war, which was officially declared over on Thursday. CNN/U.S. and CNNI simulcast coverage with Hala Gorani and Don Lemon co-anchoring. Michael Holmes reported from Kuwait, Arwa Damon from Baghdad and Martin Savidge, who traveled the 5-and-a-half hours with the American convoy, reported by phone (and later, around 12:27amET, via livestream from inside an MRAP vehicle) after crossing into Kuwait. CNN/U.S. stayed live until MidnightET (CNNI until 12:30amET) and included interviews with soldiers at Camp Virginia, Kuwait.
On Fox News Geraldo Rivera and Greg Palkot reported live from Kuwait, with the final MRAP truck crossing over at 11:38pmET / 7:38am along the Kuwait/Iraq border. “I have tears in my eyes, so emotional,” said Rivera, who is on his 11th trip to the region. Fox News wrapped coverage at 11:46pm.
MSNBC produced a 4-minute special report with Richard Engel live in Kuwait. Engel too, traveled with the U.S. convoy. “So much has transpired when they crossed this berm in 2003 going North,” said Engel. “They were on their way to topple a dictator. Now they are crossing this berm again. The dictator has been toppled and the troops are going home.”
It’s all hands on deck for the cable news networks, even though many of those hands will be in the path of Hurricane Irene (satellite image above from 2:17pmET.)
And it will be an especially long weekend for all the newsers who live and work in New York City. Mass transit (subways, buses, commuter railroads) in New York City and the suburbs will be shut down as of Noon tomorrow.
The plan was that much of today’s cable news coverage would be from London, ahead of tomorrow’s Royal Wedding. That changed as the damage reports came in and the death toll rose from last night’s string of Southern storms.
FNC has devoted a majority of airtime today to the devastation in the South including from correspondents Jonathan Serrie reporting in Birmingham, Rick Reichmuth in Tuscaloosa, Mike Tobin in Smithville, MS and Steve Harrigan in Tennessee. John Roberts anchored from Atlanta today and will be in the field tomorrow. He’ll also anchor the 1pm and 6pm on Saturday from a location to be determined.
Over on CNN today, correspondents Reynolds Wolf, Don Lemon, Martin Savidge, Ines Ferre, Wayne Drash, and Sarah Hoyee are reporting from Alabama while Rafael Romo and Matt Cherry are reporting from Georgia.
Some midday Monday notes on earthquake/tsunami coverage:
Diane Sawyer made her first appearance on-air this morning from Sendai, Japan on “Good Morning America.” ABC’s Robin Roberts traveled to South Africa last week and was planning to be live from Cape Town this morning, but was rushed back to New York over the weekend. Her reports will air at a later date, ABC says.
CBS’ Harry Smith was back on “The Early Show” this morning reporting from Minami-Sanriku, telling Erica Hill it’s “a town of about 17,000 people and the very big headline from here is, 10,000 to 11,000 are either missing or unaccounted for.”
Former CNN, MSNBC and Fox News anchor Laurie Dhue was back on Fox News last night during a two-hour “Geraldo at Large.” Dhue was thrust back in the news last month when her battle with alcoholism went public. Dhue also appeared on “The 700 Club.”
CNN’s Martin Savidge who re-joined the network fulltime last week has already hit the road and is among the CNN team of correspondents covering the earthquake.
And some Tweets:
@camanpour:
About to go in chopper for Sendai. Huge swath of closed airspace by Fukushima nuclear reactor btwn here & Sendai. http://twitpic.com/48xiga
My tiny hotel room in Sendai. I’m making Michelle my producer sleep in the other bed, bc I’m scared of quakes! #f http://twitpic.com/496iim
While the news media continues to cover the 8.9 earthquake in Japan and the tsunami that followed, it’s important to note they were also affected by the quake. Here’s video from inside CNN’s Tokyo bureau showing one diligent staffer who stays on the phone, while half under her desk.
CNN Tokyo-based correspondent Kyung Lah and Seoul-based correspondent Paula Hancocks are en route to Sendai, Japan, near the quake’s epicenter. Other CNN correspondents en route to Japan include correspondents/anchors Soledad O’Brien, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Gary Tuchman, and Martin Savidge.
CNN/U.S. is also simulcasting CNNI with anchors John Vause and Brooke Baldwin from 3-5pmET, Kristi Lou Stout and Wolf Blitzer from 5-7pmET and Stout and John King at 7pmET. CNN/U.S. primetime remains the same.
> Update: CNN’s Anderson Cooper will head to Japan after tonight’s show.
After stints at NBC News and PBS, Martin Savidge has returned to CNN, fulltime. Savidge joined CNN the first time in 1996 as a reporter and later anchor.
He joined NBC News in 2004, as an Atlanta-based correspondent and reported extensively on the destruction and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for NBC Nightly News.
In 2008, his NBC contract was not renewed and he joined PBS to anchor the nightly Worldfocus news program. That lasted about a year, with the show being canceled in March, 2010. In late 2009, Savidge began reporting again for CNN on a freelance basis.
Savidge will be a correspondent and anchor, adding to the domestic newsgathering operation in Atlanta.
Breaking: TVNewser has learned that the public television newscast “Worldfocus” is being canceled. Staffers were informed of the news by Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET.ORG, at 3pm this afternoon.
The program is the latest victim of a tough economy.
“We demonstrated that there is a demand for international news but we had the misfortune of launching a brand new program into the teeth of the recession,” Shapiro said in a statement. Shapiro said that the organization had raised significant funds, but was a a few million dollars short of what was needed, long-term. “Given the economic environment we now face, it is not prudent to continue the broadcast at this time. It is not an easy decision but it is the right decision.”
A spokesperson tells us WNET is working to find other positions for the “Worldfocus” staff within the organization. WNET was already preparing to launch a new, multi-platform PBS series, “Need to Know” in May.
“Worldfocus” launched on October 6, 2008, and was first anchored by Martin Savidge, then Daljit Dhaliwal. It is produced by WNET in New York. The final broadcast will be April 2nd.
More: Statement from Shapiro and press release after the jump.
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