CNN to Offer 40-Hour Marathon of Super Tuesday Primary Coverage
Interactive Technology, News Gathering Plans Will Be Put To The Test
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 2/4/2008 6:33:00 AM
CNN will go around the clock with 40 hours of non-stop political programming for its coverage of Super Tuesday, officials said Monday.
Based at the CNN Election Center in New York -- and with political correspondents and analysts positioned in key battleground states across the nation -- Wolf Blitzer, Lou Dobbs, Anderson Cooper, Soledad O'Brien and Campbell Brown will guide the network’s special coverage, along with CNN's team of political analysts and reporters. In addition, the CNN Election Center undergoes its biggest test of the election season to date as voters in 24 states head to the polls.
As the network’s political nerve center from CNN’s broadcast headquarters in New York, the CNN Election Center features technology such as the “multi-touch” and enhanced graphics capabilities. These technologies – designed specifically with Super Tuesday in mind – has led to a whole new way to visualize these races and enables the network to drill down into county-by-county results and to track delegate counts.
The 40-hour marathon of coverage begins at 6 a.m. with a politics-focused American Morning. Kiran Chetry anchors from a location in Harlem, while John Roberts anchors from Tennessee.
At noon, CNN and Time magazine combine the expertise of their top political correspondents in front of a live studio audience for “CNN-Time America Votes 2008.” Anchored by Brown, the program will feature CNN’s Emmy Award-winning political lineup as well as top members of Time’s political team as they examine the presidential candidates and the issues facing 2008 voters as they head to the polls. Three panels, focusing on Democratic, Republican and independent candidates and issues, will be moderated by Blitzer, Cooper and Dobbs.
CNN’s special primetime programming will begin at 7 p.m. —following wall-to-wall politics on The Situation Room—and run late into the night. Blitzer, along with Cooper, Dobbs and John King, will guide the coverage from the CNN Election Center in New York. Throughout the coverage, CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien and senior political analyst Bill Schneider will review exit poll data. CNN International will simulcast the coverage.
The coverage will lead into a special edition of Larry King Live at midnight hosted by Larry King and featuring analysis and insight into the election results. Live political programming will resume on Wednesday, with American Morning 6 a.m. As the dust settles, CNN’s correspondents, analysts and top-flight guests will talk about what the results mean for the presidential contenders. The continuous coverage will continue throughout the day and conclude with Anderson Cooper 360°.
As a prelude to its marathon Super Tuesday coverage, CNN will broadcast “Ballot Bowl” today from noon to 1 p.m. This follows eight hours of the program over the pre-Super Tuesday weekend. “Ballot Bowl” is long-form, uninterrupted coverage of Democratic and Republican candidates’ significant live and recent events, offering viewers around the country a chance to see a complete political campaign event first-hand. Also today, the network will air a special edition of Election Center at 8 p.m.
CNN’s Emmy Award-winning political team will be covering all aspects of the campaign trail throughout the weekend and on Super Tuesday from Arizona to Illinois and from California to New York and Massachusetts. Dana Bash and Mary Snow will be covering the Republican candidates, and Candy Crowley and Suzanne Malveaux will be reporting on the Democrats.
Also providing reports will be CNN correspondents Jim Acosta, Tom Foreman, Joe Johns, Chris Lawrence, Dan Lothian and Jessica Yellin; Gloria Borger; senior political analyst; Jack Cafferty, commentator; David Gergen, senior political analyst; Bill Schneider, senior political analyst; and Jeff Toobin, legal analyst; and CNN’s nationally known contributors Bill Bennett, Carl Bernstein, Donna Brazile, Amy Holmes and Roland Martin.
For Super Tuesday, Headline News will offer viewers regular updates on election results as well as a different take on the primaries. Glenn Beck will be on live for all three airings of Glenn Beck for Super Tuesday, appearing at 7 p.m., 9 p.m. and midnight. From 11 p.m. to midnight, Showbiz Tonight features “Superstar Tuesday,” in which viewers reveal the celebrities they would consider for political office and vote on which ones deserve a comeback, awards and the fame they seek. For election results, anchor Richelle Carey will provide live hits from the field.
In addition, CNN will offer up-to-the minute reporting and analysis at CNNPolitics.com and on the CNN Political Ticker. CNN.com Live will provide extended coverage with anchors Reggie Aqui, Naamua Delaney, Nicole Lapin and Melissa Long co-anchoring from the Election Center in New York and from the CNN.com Live studio in Atlanta.
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