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Tag: CNN

  • CNN expands live programming in Asia Pacific region

    CNN expands live programming in Asia Pacific region

    MUMBAI: CNN is expanding its live programming in the Asia Pacific region with the launch of a primetime morning and an evening news show.

    Additionally, it has appointed two new full-time anchors Patricia Wu and Monita Rajpal to Hong Kong bureau.

    CNN International SVP Mike McCarthy said, “The Asia Pacific region is dynamic, compelling and delivers stories that shape the news day for the rest of the world. We are delighted to further increase coverage here from our headquarters in Hong Kong, through a new programming line up that reinforces our commitment to remaining the number one international news network in Asia, unmatched in our award-winning and relevant coverage.”

    Starting 19 November, the new primetime morning show, ‘CNN Newsroom, Live from Hong Kong’, will air from 3.30 am to 5.30 am IST each weekday (Monday to Friday). In the show, co-hosts Andrew Stevens and Patricia Wu will cover the top stories from Asia Pacific and across the world, along with headlines across business, sport, weather, technology and
    entertainment.

    Wu is a Hong Kong-based anchor/correspondent, having relocated from CNN’s New York studio to co-host the new Asia morning show.

    Rajpal is also relocating from CNN London to host a new Asia primetime evening news show, ‘CNN NewsCenter’. The soon-to-be launched Hong Kong-anchored ‘CNN NewsCenter’ will air from 5 pm – 5.30 pm IST each weekday.

    As part of the network’s new Asia line-up, Pauline Chiou, who has been a Hong Kong based anchor/correspondent with CNN for more than three years, will replace Andrew Stevens as the co-host of the network’s business show, World Business Today. ‘World Business Today’ airs Monday to Friday from 2.30pm – 3.30pm and 7.30pm – 8.30pm.

    Anna Coren, who has been anchoring with CNN for four years, will now be an international correspondent based out of Hong Kong, allowing her to also cover the region as news warrants.

  • Nikon to continue sponsorship of CNN’s ‘Human to Hero’ series

    Nikon to continue sponsorship of CNN’s ‘Human to Hero’ series

    MUMBAI: Nikon has renewed multi-platform sponsorship deal with CNN International for its special series ‘Human to Hero‘ thereby building on the long standing partnership between CNN and Nikon involving TV, digital and on the ground events.

    ‘Human to Hero‘ was originally launched in January 2012 in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympic Games, and featured top athletes and the challenges they had to overcome to become champions. The series featured widely known athletes such as Tyson Gay, Nadia Comaneci and Veronica Campbell Brown.

    Under the renewed multiplatform partnership with Nikon, ‘Human to Hero‘ will feature inspiring heroes from a wide variety of fields including sport, music, film, culture, arts and more.

    The series will air as a weekly segment in ‘News Stream‘ and ‘Connect the World‘, beginning September 6th with a feature on Benjamin Grosvenor, the youngest British musician ever to be signed up by Decca Records and the first British pianist to sign to the label in almost 60 years.

    The sponsorship includes regular digital coverage, with the series featured online at CNN.com Entertainment. A special Nikon Facebook fan page ‘Beautiful Dreamers‘ has also been launched, where the ‘Human to Hero‘ series will be featured along with a photo contest calling on people to submit photos of themselves striving to achieve their dreams.

    “This renewal underscores the success of the series and our partnership with Nikon. We are delighted to be working with Nikon to now extend this quality series beyond the sports arena and share the stories of inspiring heroes from a range of fields,” said CNN APAC VP of News Advertising Sales William Hsu.

    “We believe that everyone who pursues the challenge of chasing their dream is beautiful. CNN‘s ‘Human to Hero‘ also promotes this idea. We are very pleased to be continuing our partnership with CNN as it features a wider variety of heroes chasing their dreams,” said Nikon GM Corporate Branding Department, Corporate Planning Headquarters Maki Yoshida.

  • CNN investigates controversial stem cell therapy clinics

    CNN investigates controversial stem cell therapy clinics

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN will air the documentary ‘Selling A Miracle?’ on 24 June at 3:30 pm.

    The documentary investigates the controversial stem cell therapy clinics.

    Dr. Geeta Shroff began her career as an obstetrician, transitioned to pediatrics, but says that her work treating infertility eventually led her to develop embryonic stem cell therapies. She now treats patients with diseases ranging from neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS, to spinal cord injuries, to cerebral palsy and genetic disorders at her clinic, the Nu Tech Mediworld Nursing Home in New Delhi, which she describes as the world’s only medical facility “using embryonic stem cells to treat patients on a daily basis.”

    CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin criss-crossed the US and traveled to India to meet with Dr. Shroff, and some of her patients, to report whether those patients are truly receiving treatments that are improving their quality of life – or, if Dr. Shroff’s treatments are giving patients false hope.

    In the one-hour documentary, Griffin speaks with a few of the over 85 Americans who have received Dr. Shroff’s controversial and expensive treatments. Six-year-old Cash Burnaman of Greenville, SC., presents symptoms similar to Downs Syndrome. He is developmentally challenged, has difficulty walking, and is mute. Cash’s mother, Stephanie Krolick, describes her willingness to have Cash and his father return to India for a second, five-week round of Dr. Shroff’s injections, which ultimately costs the family $50,000.00.

    “In this particular case, with Cash’s other conditions, we don’t have many other options – any, really, other options.” Krolick tells Griffin. For background on the science of human embryonic stem cell therapy, Griffin interviews research neurosurgeon Dr. Nicholas Boulis of Emory University and Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Boulis is leading one of only two U.S.-sanctioned clinical trials evaluating the safety of embryonic stem cell injections. Dr. Boulis and his team demonstrate for Griffin the complicated refining and injection procedures necessary to administer the treatments within the sterile environment of a surgical hospital setting. Though still in early stages, Dr. Boulis’ research has been published in rigorously peer-reviewed medical journals.

    Griffin challenges Dr. Shroff on her comparatively informal clinic settings, where her injections are sometimes administered by nursing staff. He also asks Dr. Shroff about her lack of any published work on the safety of her treatments or the claims of her research.

    CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta also voices skepticism regarding Dr. Shroff’s approach to her research and treatments.

    “If it works, if you’ve proven that it’s safe, it’s a pretty simple thing to have it published and have it looked at by your ownpeers…it’s concerning no matter how you look at it,” Gupta tells Griffin in an interview for the documentary. Dr. Shroff says that her attempts to publish her research in medical journals have been rejected.

    And although some patients even claim they experience improvements in their conditions following Dr. Shroff’s treatments, the parents of Ben Byer, who received embryonic stem cell injections to treat his ALS from a different doctor in China, are convinced that their family – and others like them – are targeted with false hopes for miracle cures by unscrupulous clinicians.

    “The bigger the disease, the greater the predator…so they are preying on people with terminal illness – and their families,” says Steven Byer, echoing others. Ben Byer eventually passed away from his disease at age 37.

    The Byers now feel that they were duped and discussed their story with Griffin to warn other families. Six months following Cash’s return from India, his parents also voiced concerns that they may have been given false hope.

  • Anthony Bourdain joins CNN, to host weekend show in 2013

    Anthony Bourdain joins CNN, to host weekend show in 2013

    MUMBAI: Chef, author and television personality Anthony Bourdain who has been seen in India on shows on channels like TLC, will join news broadcaster CNN as host of a new weekend programme, creating a signature showcase for the network’s coverage of food and travel.

    The show airs early next year.

    CNN Worldwide executive VP, managing editor Mark Whitaker.said, “For more than a decade, nthony Bourdain has been a trailblazer in educating Americans about different cuisines and cultures around the world, as well as an outspoken commentator on social trends ranging from the rise of celebrity chefs to the impact of fast food chains to the spread of vegetarianism and veganism. Examining the world through the prism of Tony’s unique expertise and passions continues CNN’s long-standing commitment to international reporting and to promoting global understanding.”

    Slated to air domestically on Sundays in prime time with repeat airings on Saturday nights, it will mark a further step in broadening and distinguishing CNN’s weekend programming from its traditional weekday news coverage. The show will be shot on location and examine cultures from around the world through their food and dining and travel rituals.

    The series will be produced by Zero Point Zero Production with executive producers and founders Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia, along with executive producer Sandy Zweig.

    Zero Point Zero Production has been working with Anthony Bourdain for over a decade, producing ‘Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations‘, ‘The Layover‘, ‘A Cook‘s Tour‘, and ‘Decoding Ferran Adria‘.

    Bourdain, whose reporting has taken him from the culinary capitals of Europe, Asia and North and South America to such historically war-torn or isolated regions as Vietnam, Mozambique, Uzbekistan and Romania, will also offer commentary on other CNN programs and platforms, domestically and internationally, providing insights into current events and debates around food and health and other cultural conversations.

    He said, “I’m really looking forward to coming over to CNN. I think the world is going to get a whole lot bigger for me. I hope that old fans and new ones will be excited about what’s coming down the road.”

    Bourdain has been the host of the Travel Channel series ‘Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations‘ since 2005. He previously hosted ‘A Cook’s Tour‘ on the Food Network and has appeared on US cable network Bravo’s competition series ‘Top Chef‘ and written for HBO’s New Orleans-based drama ‘Treme‘.

    Bourdain is also the author of non-fiction and fiction books, including ‘Kitchen Confidential‘ and ‘A Cook’s Tour‘. He now oversees his own line of books from Ecco, a division of HarperCollins, the first three of which are scheduled to be released in 2013.

  • Hyundai Motor signs global sponsorship deal with CNN

    Hyundai Motor signs global sponsorship deal with CNN

    MUMBAI: CNN Worldwide has signed a large-scale global sponsorship deal with automotive producer Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). The deal includes sponsorship of the new nightly ‘Amanpour’ show and the interview program ‘Piers Morgan Tonight’. The duration of the sponsorship deal is six months.

    It will involve HMC’s ‘Live Brilliant’ campaign airing across the CNN International, CNN US and CNN en Español networks. The collaboration represents one of CNN’s most comprehensive global auto sponsorship deals to date.

    CNN International EVP and MD Tony Maddox said, “This exciting collaboration with an influential global brand like HMC reinforces the unique value and quality of our content.”

    The agreement encompasses both billboards and spots around signature programming, in addition to daily segments within shows.

    CNN International Ad Sales EVP Jonathan Davies said, “This deal represents a remarkable endorsement of the unmatched quality and scale of our global audiences and we are delighted to once again work alongside HMC to connect them with our discerning and influential viewers. It is also indicative of our commitment to fostering and strengthening high quality and long-term relationships with our clients, with HMC first having partnered with CNN back in 2000.”

    HMC CMO Won Hong Cho added, “CNN provides insights into today’s shifting global environment, empowering viewers with the knowledge they crave. We saw a perfect fit with Hyundai’s brand direction of ‘Modern Premium’ through ‘New Thinking. New Possibilities.’ and are delighted to once again work with CNN through this truly global collaboration. Hyundai Motor Company launched a new worldwide brand campaign called “Live Brilliant” as part of its efforts to reinforce its brand management activities and fulfill its vision to become the most beloved automotive company in the world.”

    The new ‘Amanpour’ show, airing every weeknight, was launched on 16 April and sees Christiane Amanpour deliver insights through vital conversations, tenacity and holding those in power to account. ‘Piers Morgan Tonight’ is a candid, in-depth, personality-driven interview program that uses his inimitable style to uncover the most fascinating details about his newsmaker guests.

    The campaign further extends to the primetime shows ‘World Report’ airing in Asia-Pacific and ‘Panorama Mundial’ airing on CNN en Español.

  • CNN suspends political analyst Martin for anti-gay tweets

    CNN suspends political analyst Martin for anti-gay tweets

    MUMBAI: CNN has suspended its political analyst Roland Martin three days after he posted Twitter messages that were said to be anti-gay.

    “Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive,” the cable news channel said in a statement. “Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being,” it read.

    In one of his many Tweets,Martin had said that if a “dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, he should be smacked.” In another message he made a similar statement about a football fan wearing a “head to toe pink suit” on TV.

    After angry comments from online readers about the Beckham remark started pouring in, he defended himself by saying that he was mocking soccer players and not gay people.“I was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham ad, and I’m sorry folks took it otherwise,” he wrote.

    Later on Monday, Martin issued a longer statement late Monday night that Erik Wemple of The Washington Post said was “old hogwash.”

    By then, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation had highlighted other comments by Martin and insisted that he be fired from CNN.

    The next day, CNN indicated that no punishment was forthcoming as Martin had apologized in a statement and noted that the original comments were made on Twitter and not the television network. “For the moment we’re letting him apologize and we’re hoping that people will understand that he is sorry for what he said.”

    Along with him regularly appearing on CNN, Martin is the host of “Washington Watch,” a weekly broadcast on cable channel TV One.

  • Bale in a scuffle with Chinese guards

    Bale in a scuffle with Chinese guards

    MUMBAI: Batman star Christian Bale suffered a nasty brush with Chinese guards who forcibly blocked him and a CNN crew from visiting a blind lawyer-dissident being held under house arrest.
     
    The star, who is in China to promote his upcoming Nanjing Massacre film The Flowers of War, was stopped on Thursday on the outskirts of the village in eastern China where the activist Chen Guangcheng has been detained.
     
    Describing Chen as a personal “inspiration”, Bale invited a CNN crew to accompany him on an eight-hour drive from Beijing to the village in Linyi district.


    The same guards in green military-style overcoats who attacked the CNN crew during a February visit to the village were again present and directed punches at Bale and the crew, it is understood.
     
    The Hollywood actor and CNN crew retreated to their van but were then chased down bumpy roads by the guards in another vehicle for 40 minutes, resulting in damage to the van, it is reported.

  • Facebook, Time Warner expand bullying prevention campaign

    Facebook, Time Warner expand bullying prevention campaign

    MUMBAI: Online social network Facebook and US media conglomerate Time Warner are bringing together and expanding their individual efforts against bullying to launch a wide-ranging, major cross-platform partnership initiative called Stop Bullying: Speak Up.

    The multi-media campaign, named after the original anti-bullying initiative by Time Warner‘s Cartoon Network, will integrate broadcast, print, online and social media to ignite a conversation to educate parents, teachers and youth about the actions that will help protect young people from the impact of bullying.

    This partnership is the latest in a line of initiatives from both Facebook and Time Warner Inc. to prevent bullying. Earlier this year, Facebook unveiled its newly designed Family Safety Center and a ‘Social Report Tool,‘ which enables people to report bullying or harassment to parents, teachers or trusted friends.

    CNN, Cartoon Network and Time combined their on-going efforts and resources last year for a national multi-platform campaign, which included the CNN program, Bullying: No Escape; an AC 360 Special Report with People and Cartoon Network, hosted by Anderson Cooper.
     
    Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said, “For the past two years, we‘ve been working closely with Facebook to expand the bullying prevention campaign that was started by our own Cartoon Network, and includes several of our other leading brands. In partnering with Facebook for the next phase of our effort, we will now be able to communicate this important message to an even broader audience. I‘m confident that through our multiplatform approach and combined resources we can inspire even more people to take action against bullying.”

    Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said, “We care deeply about the safety of our nation‘s children and are proud to be partnering with Time Warner to raise awareness of bullying. We believe that by working together with parents and teachers, we can teach young people to speak up and stop bullying.”

    The announcement comes after the recent White House Convention on Bullying Prevention, which was attended by policymakers and representatives from the media industry, nonprofit and education communities.

    As part of the initiative, Facebook and Time Warner Inc. will leverage the reach, depth and social connections of each of their properties.

    The campaign will now include:

    CNN‘s Anderson Cooper 360° Town Hall – Anderson Cooper will host a second town hall-in partnership with Time Warner and Facebook-dedicated to discussing the current bullying issues confronting kids today as well as discussions with certified experts to teach adults on coping with this epidemic.

    The special hour is scheduled to air on CNN in October as part of Bullying Prevention Month, with additional pieces and reports leading up to it.

    Facebook‘s Social Media Pledge- An interactive Stop Bullying: Speak Up Social Pledge App that will enable educators, parents, and kids to make a personal commitment-and recruit others to join them-to help stop bullying. The App is scheduled to launch in time for the Fall 2011 back-to-school season.
     

  • CNN to air docu ‘Surviving the Tsunami’

    CNN to air docu ‘Surviving the Tsunami’

    MUMBAI: CNN International will air the NHK-produced documentary ‘Surviving the Tsunami’ on 24 July at 4:30 pm.

    Utilising Japanese broadcaster NHK’s footage and amateur videos, Surviving the Tsunami gives viewers a look at the destructive power of the catastrophic tsunami on 11 March 2011 and the tales of human survival.

    The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that hit the northern coast of Japan was the worst ever recorded in Japan, generating a tsunami of an unprecedented scale, obliterating coastal villages and towns in a matter of minutes. In some areas, the tsunami reached close to 39 meters (128 feet) in height and traveled five kilometers (3.1 miles) inland.

    Surviving the Tsunami shows exclusive NHK footage on ground and from the air in the badly-hit Tohoku region, only minutes after the earthquake, following the event closely as it unfolded. Together with invaluable videos recorded by local residents, the documentary provides an in-depth analysis of the mechanism of the tsunami and reveals how some people made narrow escapes.

    The production team identified and interviewed individuals who appear on the disaster footage: a woman and her elderly mother clinging onto a rooftop shouting for help, a man in a car floating in the gushing water, and a policeman stranded on the bed of his truck as the vehicle is engulfed by the tsunami.

    Living just kilometers away from the sea, when and how did these people realise the tsunami was coming? What was their reaction as they found themselves submerged in the muddy waters? And most importantly, how did they manage to stay alive?

    Surviving the Tsunami finds out from first-hand accounts of those who outlived the waves, shedding light on the essential skills of survival in the face of life-threatening situations.

    The programme also explores the science behind the enormous strength of the tsunami which caused immense destruction to the Tohoku region. Due to its historical prevalence to tsunamis, the Tohoku coast has already had various measures in place to prevent the waters from reaching its shores, including the world’s tallest breakwater.

  • India to grow the fastest for CNN across Asia Pacific

    India to grow the fastest for CNN across Asia Pacific

    MUMBAI: CNN is banking on India to boost its ad revenue this year as the international news outfit hunts for fast-growing economies in a downturn environment.

    CNN expects a 10 per cent growth from the Asia Pacific region. “India, away from recession, will grow the fastest this year as we tap into more clients. North Asia’s contribution in terms of Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong will still be the most. The growth in Asia will be faster compared to the US which was also the case last year,” says CNN vice president ad sales Asia Pacific William Hsu.
    CNN International’s top three markets in the Asia Pacific region are Korea, Southeast Asia and India. CNN has 20 Indian advertisers and plans to widen this pool. “A lot of Indian companies are going global. They look at our network for advertising,” says Hsu.

    CNN has been growing at about 11 per cent compounded a year over the last decade. “The recession affected us the least. We anticipated the recession before it happened. Throughout 2007, we expected something to happen without knowing when. This allowed us to tweak our strategy. We approached more governments as they tend to up their spends during a recession to stimulate growth. We also built a 360 degree solution around TV and the Internet,” adds Hsu.
     
    The focus on digital, which makes up 20 per cent of CNN’s revenues, also helped the news network to combat the global downturn.
     
    CNN is growing its India content. “Eye On India is coming up and we are promoting it. We are dedicating a lot of our daily news output towards Indian business, which will be aired across the world,” says Hsu.