CNN

Case Study on CNN

1.      Introduction

CNN is one of the world’s biggest media and entertainment industries which has significant role in international communications.  It had a humble beginning and was derogatorily referred to by rivals as ‘Chicken Noodle Network’ because of its simplicity and of its advertisement. The slogan of CNN is ‘Go There This is CNN’. CNN delivers the latest breaking news and information on the latest top stories, weather, business, entertainment, politics, and more. It is watched by the ordinary people, government ministers, top bureaucrats, company chief executives, military chiefs, religious and academic elites. CNN News group was one of the largest and most profitable news and information companies in the world. It has six cable and satellite television networks, two radio networks, 11 web sites on CNN interactive, CNN Airport Network and CNN News source.

2.      History

The New York-based Time Warner, the world’s largest entertainment and Information Company, started The Cable News Network (CNN) and was launched by an American media proprietor Ted Turner at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 1, 1980. CNN is a basic cable and satellite television channel that has major businesses in movies, publishing, music, cable TV and internet. Bernard Shaw was the first news anchor of CNN and was the chief anchor till his retirement in 2001. CNN is a 24 hours dedicated television news channel that grew just over a decade to become a premier global news network.

The Atlanta-based Cable News Network (CNN) became the first television channel to provide 24-hour news coverage and was the first all-news television channel in USA. It has become one of the world’s leading international news channels especially after the deregulation and liberalisation of the international communication sector in the 1990s. The use of satellite technology which was a mixture of intelsat, tersputnik, PanAmSat and regional satellite signals made CNN start international service within five years after it was launched.  Its move from a national to a global new organisation was also due to its aggressive strategy of covering live international news events, through news exchange programmes with more than 100 broadcasting organisations across the world[1].

3.      CNN Programming

CNN has variety of programmes which fulfil the audience need to get information, education and entertainment. The 24 hours television network, CNN has rolling news programming, interview programs, documentaries, debates, special programmes, medical program, finance program, factual programming, political talk shows, sports and others. Some of the CNN programming are morning programming consists of Early Start, followed by New Day, in late-morning and early afternoon programming consists of CNN Newsroom, late afternoon and early evening programming consists of The Lead. In the evening and primetime more in-depth programming like Erin Burnett OutFront, Anderson Cooper 360°, a call-in talk show with a live audience like TalkBack Live and a program focusing on issues and advancements in the computer industry like Computer Connection. During the weekend special programmes like medical program Sanjay Gupta MD, the finance-oriented program like Your Money, and others like Inside Politics with John King, State of the Union with Candy Crowley, CNN Live Saturday, CNN Live Sunday and the media analysis program Reliable Sources.

4.      Reachability and publishing arm

CNN did not restrict itself only to national audience in USA but through CNN International they air their programme to over 212 countries and territories. It is available to more than 800 million people worldwide. The company has 36 bureaus (10 domestic, 26 international), more than 900 affiliated local stations (which also receive news and features content via the video newswire service CNN News source), and several regional and foreign-language networks around the world[2]. CNN2 which later came to be known as CNN Headline News (HLN) was launched on January 1, 1982 to provide continuous 24-hour live news coverage. The publishing arm of the company is Time Inc. With its flagship international magazine Time and 32 other magazines, including Fortune, Life, People, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly and Asiaweek[3].

CNN is specialising in building up personality and those news anchors will be representing the news channel itself. For example in CNN-IBN Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt became famous because the channel helped them to be so. So when we speak of CNN-IBN we usually associate with Rajdeep or Barkha Dutt. Politically CNN is quite neutral. Even though CNN has a leaning towards Democratic Party, still most of the coverage seems to be left-centric and not fully with the left party.

5.      Major events where CNN gave coverage are;

5.1  The launch and subsequent explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986.

5.2  The rescue of an 18-month-old toddler, Jessica McClure, who fell down in a well in Midland, Texas.

5.3  The only news channels to provide live reports from the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad during Persian Gulf War in 1991. Some scholars termed the impact of CNN during this war as ‘CNN effect’. CNN has an effect on political and economic sectors at global level.

5.4  The first news channels to cover the bombing of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 at 8:49 a.m. Eastern Time.

5.5  In 2007, the channel hosted the first CNN-YouTube presidential debates during the Democratic and Republican primary seasons.

5.6  It has the highest viewership during the 2008 U.S. presidential election because of its up to date news.

5.7  It devoted a large amount of time for the 2012 U.S. presidential election especially the debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

CNN was instrumental for many television networks in the world. In the 1993 it involved in the launch of TV 6, the first private television network in Russia. It was one of the first Western news organisations to open a bureau in Cuba. It entered into agreement with China Cable Television (CCTV) to receive and selectively distribute its programme. The live coverage of the 1991 Gulf War by their reporters make CNN to the world’s first ‘real time’ war, in television became the first and principal source of information[4] for people, military and political intelligence. It was the only news outlet with the ability to communicate from inside Iraq during the initial hours of the Coalition bombing campaign, with live reports from the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad[5]. It was through CNN that people were able to watch the Chinese students protesting against authorities in Beijing’s Tianamen Square in 1989. CNN Deutschland, a half-hour daily German language slots was introduced in 1997. In the same year CNN en Espanol, a Spanish language channel based in Atlanta was launched for the Latin American market. In 1999 CNN Turk, a Turkic channel was launched. CNN-IBN, an Indian news channel, CNNj, a Japanese news outlet, CNN Indonesia, an Indonesian news outlet and CNN Chile, a Chilean news channel that launched on December 4, 2008.

6.      CNN venture

Theodore Roosevelt said, “There can be no life without change, and to be afraid of what is different or unfamiliar is to be afraid of life.” CNN did not remain stagnant but give way to change. It ventures into different areas such as finance, sports, travel, entertainment, news, weather, technology, fashion, World, U.S., Video, Health, IReport and a lot more. CNNfn was a financial service started in 1995 to provide coverage on stock. CNN-SI (Sport Illustrated) to provide 24 hours coverage on sport, CNN style to provide information about latest designs in fashion world, CNN technology to provide up to date information on technology, CNN Freedom Project which deals with humanitarian news media campaign, CNN Airport which is the only live TV service broadcast to travellers in US airports, CNN Headline News (HLN) which focused on live news coverage, CNN entertainment which deals with information about  entertainment industry and CNN Heroes to honour individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. CNN Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media to reach out to the mass was also introduced. CNN Newsource is one of the world’s most extensive syndicated news services with more than 200 international affiliates[6]. CNN News group has two CNN radio networks; they are CNN Radio and a Spanish version of CNN Radio Noticias.

7.      Media Theories in relation to CNN

Agenda Setting Theory: Dr. Max McCombs and Dr. Donald Shaw: CNN sets the agenda for other news channels.

Two Step Flow Theory: Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet: CNN were opinion leaders and people totally rely on information given by CNN.

8.      Criticism

CNN at times sacrifice depth in favour of the widest and quickest reach of the live news to heterogeneous global audience. For example the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15, 2013 where two people were wrongly reported as suspects. Occasionally there is lack of accuracy in the news they provided. For many non-Americans, CNN was and remains the voice of the US Government and corporate elite, despite its international presence, its multinational staff and its claims to be free from US geo-strategic and economic interests.

9.      Conclusion

CNN has been one of the most trusted, viewed and popular cable and satellite networks in the world. The nature of providing latest news, entertaining programmes and interactive talk shows grasp the attention of viewers.

Bibliography

Books

Thussu, Daya Kishan (2003) International Communication. New York:  Hodder Arnold publications.

Internet

http://www.asgllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/CS_CNN.pdf accessed on 4/1/2015

http://www.f-i.com/cnn/ accessed on 4/1/2015

http://www. Cnn.com accessed on 6/1/2015

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN accessed on 6/1/2015

Footnotes

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[1] Thussu, Daya Kishan (2003) International Communication. New York:  Hodder Arnold publications. pg. 157

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN accessed on 6/1/2015

[3] Thussu, Daya Kishan (2003) International Communication. New York:  Hodder Arnold publications. pg. 121

[4] Thussu, Daya Kishan (2003) International Communication. New York:  Hodder Arnold publications. pg. 157

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN accessed on 6/1/2015

[6] Thussu, Daya Kishan (2003) International Communication. New York:  Hodder Arnold publications. pg. 159