I know we arent supposed to post article but the Atlanta Journal Constitution site is a subscriber site. I hope this has save you the trouble of registering.
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For CNN in New York, bigger is better
New space in Time Warner Center has room to spare
By DAVID HO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/15/04
NEW YORK — Amid the hum of technology and the chatter of workers, echoing through CNN's new Manhattan headquarters are sighs of relief.
After a transition lasting nearly a month, CNN's move from cramped quarters to the vast Time Warner Center near Central Park is almost complete.
Monday, "Anderson Cooper 360" and "Paula Zahn Now" will be the last of the network's New York-based evening programs to begin broadcasting from new, improved and more spacious studios.
"This is the first facility that CNN has had that was specifically built for television studios," said Ken Jautz, executive vice president of CNN business news. "It is a difference of night and day for us."
The move is a big step for CNN's New York operations, which were spread among several buildings. The New York bureau and financial channel CNNfn are now under the same roof, along with their Internet services.
Being together means a better "exchange of information when stories are breaking," said New York Bureau Chief Karen Curry. "It's really going to improve things tremendously."
CNNfn went live from its new studios April 19, Larry King came to town for his first broadcast from the center early this month, and "NewsNight With Aaron Brown" and "Lou Dobbs Tonight" followed last Monday.
The move from the old production and editing building, located about two dozen blocks away at 5 Penn Plaza, should be finished in about a week.
Staying put is the three-hour "American Morning" show, which will continue with live broadcasts from its street-level studio at the Time-Life Building on Sixth Avenue.
In a city infamous for tight living conditions, the new CNN facilities span 250,000 square feet on five floors, with more than double the former studio space. For the staff of about 600, it means room to breathe.
"Real estate was one of the biggest headaches we had, just finding desks for people," Curry said. "The staff had expanded a lot with the addition of programming, and they were sort of sitting on top of each other."
But even the new space barely makes a dent in the 2.8 million-square-foot Time Warner world headquarters, a $1.7 billion complex that also contains a fitness club, the opulent Mandarin Oriental hotel, multimillion-dollar condominiums and 40 specialty retail stores.
CNN officials would not say how much their new quarters cost.
Many of the new studios have backgrounds overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park in the heart of the city. They also have 20-foot ceilings to accommodate new camera angles and lighting that, in the old building, had to be shoved into much less space.
Totally modern setup
And it's not just a roomier facility, it's a smarter one.
Built from the ground up with broadcasting in mind, the operation is almost entirely digital. Video still may come in on tape, but it is converted and placed on networked computers, where it can be screened or edited at various locations in the facility or even at CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
"That's often the sort of thing that can slow you down in newsgathering terms, if there's only one physical piece of tape that one person needs to use," Curry said. She said the goal is eventually to go completely digital, and "that's very exciting for us here."
The infrastructure, with more than 6,000 miles of cables, has double the previous capacity to receive incoming video, said Gordon Castle, senior vice president of CNN technology, who has been involved with developing the new facility since 1997.
The increased capacity means control rooms can handle more simultaneous signals, such as those from affiliate stations or multiple camera crews covering a news event.
While CNN does not yet broadcast using high definition, everything in the new facility — from sets to cameras — was built with the capability to use that format, Castle said.
All of this technology makes for quite an electric bill. Annually, the amount of power needed to run the broadcasts is about the same used by 3,700 single-family homes, the network said.
Backup generators ready
Keeping that power flowing is a priority. CNN didn't fare well in New York during the prolonged blackout last year. While still able to broadcast and edit video from trucks and remote locations, the network's old New York studios lacked backup generators and went dark.
That's unlikely to happen again, Castle said. The new facility has four emergency generators and needs only two to keep running.
He said the largest studios also have floors that float on springs to dampen vibrations, needed because of the subway lines running near the building.
The public will have a chance to see the new newsrooms and studios beginning Sept. 1, when a public tour called "Inside CNN" is scheduled to open. A test run begins a week earlier to work out any kinks, and to host tours for CNN guests and delegates in town for the Republican National Convention.
Unlike in Atlanta, where a tour of CNN's headquarters has long been a popular attraction, "Inside CNN" is a first for the New York operation.
While the New York tour will be similar in the way it gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look, the facilities and presentations will be different, said Judy Chastain, senior vice president with Turner corporate resources and retail, who oversees both tours.
"We're really focused on educating people about new technology involved in newsgathering and what it means to be a journalist," she said.
The new facility was planned with the tour in mind and includes large windows allowing the public to peek in at CNN staffers working in newsrooms and studios. A theater at the tour's end with a curved, wraparound screen will display realistic projections of CNN anchors discussing their work.
Jautz, with CNN business news, said that not only has the move to the new building has gone smoothly, it has been good for morale.
"People feel better working in a good place," he said. "The whole facility here allows us to get information, gather it and get it on air more quickly and allows for a better-looking product."
I was under the - obviously incorrect - impression that it wasn't going to be up and running until September. Quite surprised to see it operational already.
Seems baffling that CNNfn (long inhabitant of dreadful studio designs) has a potentially wonderful view of Central Park behind it, and decides to cover it up with a wall...
The fn newsroom looks a bit grey, but much more open and spacious than what was there previously.
Much improved, and should hopefully end the debate about whether Atlanta was under threat - even if hardly anything comes out of there these days.
Much improved, and should hopefully end the debate about whether Atlanta was under threat - even if hardly anything comes out of there these days.
Article appearing in the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Atlanta to remain CNN's home, network says
By DAVID HO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEW YORK — Is CNN's center of gravity drifting north?
This fall, the cable network's Manhattan facility will have its own behind-the-scenes tour meant to be a premier area attraction.
Two of the network's top three prime-time programs, according to Nielsen Media Research — "NewsNight With Aaron Brown" and "Paula Zahn Now" — broadcast from the Big Apple. It's all three when Larry King comes to town.
There are plans to broadcast sweeping exterior views of the Time Warner Center's twin towers.
And at the center's ribbon-cutting ceremony in February, there was this pronouncement from the top:
"You're going to be hearing a lot from this building," said Richard Parsons, chief executive of Time Warner, CNN's parent company. "I think this is going to become kind of the iconic symbol of CNN around the world."
A Time Warner spokeswoman declined to elaborate.
What does this mean for Atlanta?
Despite the attention given to the New York building, network officials say CNN's roots remain strong.
"It would never make sense to duplicate the infrastructure in Atlanta," CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson said. However, the improved New York facility will provide "another base of operations in the United States that, technologically, is on par with the Atlanta operations to a certain extent."
Karen Curry, the New York bureau chief, said it like this: "Atlanta is really the home of CNN."
What do the CNN programmes look like now that they're coming from the new building? Are they taking full advantage of the facilities or have they just moved the old sets to the new building?
They moved Lou Dobbs Tonight set as it is only a year old as well as the Paula Zahn Now set and the Newsnight set. Anderson Cooper 360 got a brand new set as he was using the AMerican Morning streetfront set. His new set is sort of a rooftop looking set with clear glass doors and a roof top view of NYC and some fake brick. Kinda cool. DOnt really fancy the fake brick, but I've seen worse.
This is not deserving of its own thread, though chiguy would doubless disagree, but worth mentioning that ABC World News Tonight has now overtaken NBC Nightly News in the important May sweeps for two weeks running.
Nightly News has been in front for ages now.
Will be interesting to see how/if viewers react to the departure of Brokaw - whether it'll mean more going to the established Jennings or the newboy Williams.
Its quite likely that the ratings will plunge once Brian Williams takes over for Mr. Brokaw. Whilst Mr. Williams is quite capable, Brokaw, Rather and Jennings are in another stratosphere as far as coverage and meaningful commentary. Any anchor can read a teleprompter, they shine when they are flying by the seat of their pants. As they all did on 9/11. In the same way that Walter Crokite emortalized the Kennedy Assasination in the 60s, they will be remembered for their level headed and thoughtful coverage of the country's worst event ever. Breaking news has a way of making or breaking news presenters. It can all go pear-shaped or they can calm the situation down and accurately and eloquently report the events as they unfold. As did Mr Brokaw on the day of the OKC Bombing, the first WTC bombing and on 9/11 and countless other non teleprompter broadcasts. I find that the real journalist comes out when they have hours to fill and are speaking as though they are reading something written before hand because its so smoothly delivered. Though its not because of the actual words. (hope that makes sense). CNN's Aaron Brown has that quality. Unlike the screaming banshees on FOX, the Big 3 have quality that is unmatched in the those types of events. A rubbish anchor/presenter is typified by their inane repetiion or recapping "if you've just joined us." Or the deer in the headlights look if something goes wrong. A smooth calm demeanor is the key. Having control of the newsdesk....become the ANCHOR as it were.