History of CNN
Three and a half years before CNN's launch, in December 1976, Ted Turner[1] turned his Atlanta, Georgia independent station WTCG into one of the original satellite-distributed television channels, leasing a transponder on RCA's Satcom 1 geostationary satellite.
Because replacement transmission capacity was not readily available, the Turner Broadcasting System filed suit against RCA seeking use of another communications satellite and $35.5 million in damages.
On March 5, Turner announced that a consent order had been worked out with RCA in federal court, allowing CNN to begin operations on June 1 as scheduled, using a transponder on Satcom 1.
[2][3] The network launched on Sunday, June 1, 1980, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time with an original staff of 300 employees based at its headquarters in Atlanta,[4][5] and bureaus in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
[6][7] Following the introduction and a pre-recorded version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" (which was a tradition whenever a new Turner-owned network launched) that was played afterward officially opening based at its headquarters in Atlanta and bureaus in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. the husband and wife team of Dave Walker and Lois Hart as very first news anchored the channel's very first newscast.
[14] In April 1981, CNN successfully sued the Big Three television networks and the Reagan administration for equal representation in the White House press corps.
On January 31, 1986, two days after the tragedy, CNN provided live coverage of the memorial service for the Challenger crew members at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The first Persian Gulf War in 1991 was a watershed event for CNN that catapulted the network past the "big three" American networks for the first time in its history, largely due to an unprecedented, historical scoop: CNN was the only news outlet with the ability to communicate from inside Iraq during the initial hours of the American bombing campaign, with live reports from the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad by reporters Bernard Shaw, John Holliman, and Peter Arnett.
... We're seeing bright flashes going off all over the sky.The Gulf War experience brought CNN some much sought-after legitimacy and made household names of previously obscure, low-paid reporters.
The turning point came shortly after CNN's 10th birthday, when Bernard Shaw, Peter Arnett and John Holliman provided play-by-play of the 1991 Gulf War from a Baghdad hotel.
The hour-long program, which was broadcast from the first floor of CNN Center and aired at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time each weekday, allowed questions and comments from audience members and calls from viewers.
In 1998, CNN, in partnership with corporate sister Time magazine, ran a report that Operation Tailwind in 1970 in Vietnam included use of Sarin gas to kill a group of defectors from the United States military.
The Spin Room, a half-hour debate show that aired in the 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time slot, debuted in 2000 and was hosted by Tucker Carlson and Bill Press; the program was canceled after a few months and replaced by Greenfield at Large.
That is once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.Sean Murtagh, CNN vice president for finance and administration, was the first network employee on the air in New York City.
At the 2002 Newsworld Asia conference held in Singapore, the executive vice-president and general manager of CNN International, was quoted as saying: "Anyone who claims the US media didn't censor itself is kidding you.
He also admitted to withholding what would be considered newsworthy information of the government's atrocities, citing fears that releasing news would potentially endanger the lives of Iraqis working for CNN in Baghdad, some of whom had already been subject to beatings and torture.
Veteran CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour characterized the behavior of the news media as "self-muzzling" and as "cheerleaders for the Bush war drive against Iraq".
[43] Daryn Kagan and Leon Harris were live on the air just after 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time as the second plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center and through an interview with CNN correspondent David Ensor, reported the news that U.S. officials determined "that this is a terrorist act".
Leading up to the 2008 U.S. presidential election, CNN devoted large amounts of its coverage to politics, including hosting candidate debates during the Democratic and Republican primary seasons.
[46] Later that year, the channel hosted the first CNN/YouTube presidential debates, a non-traditional format where viewers were invited to pre-submit questions over the internet via the YouTube video-sharing service.
Trump's response to the allegations during his speech at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), jokingly referring to CNN as the "Clinton News Network.
"[54][55] On June 26, 2017, CNN investigative journalists Thomas Frank, Eric Lichtblau, and Lex Haris resigned after the network retracted an online article that incorrectly connected Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci to a $10 billion Russian investment fund.
[60][61] Later that month, a group of Democratic senators, led by Amy Klobuchar, issued a request for information over allegations that the Trump administration was planning to use CNN as "leverage for political gain" in the process of clearing the proposed acquisition of its parent company Time Warner by AT&T—a purchase which was first announced in October 2016.
[70][71] Two days later, major media outlets publicly reported that the Justice Department had recommended that either the entire Turner Broadcasting System unit, or DirecTV, be divested as a condition of the merger.
[74][70] In a statement to CNBC, a Department of Justice official backed Stephenson, denying that there were any specific demands to divest CNN during the discussion, and considering the claims to be "shocking" and an attempt to politicize the situation.
[91] It was later reported that Licht had undertaken the issuance of internal guidance for use of the term "breaking news" on-air, arguing that due to overuse by CNN and others, "its impact has become lost on the audience.
"[92] In September 2022, following the sudden departures of veteran White House correspondent John Harwood, chief media correspondent Brian Stelter, and legal pundit Jeffrey Toobin, The Washington Post reported that many CNN staff believed that the new CEO, Chris Licht, was "starting his tenure by casting out voices that had often been critical of former president Donald Trump and his allies, in an effort to present a new, more ideologically neutral CNN", in line with the vision repeatedly expressed by Warner Bros.
[94][95] CNN has denied allegations of shifting to the right or center, saying that "We are entirely focused on our core strength and mission – objective journalism, presented in a fair and compelling way.
[108][109] In July 2024, Thompson announced layoffs of approximately 100 employees as part of his strategy to consolidate and integrate CNN's television and digital newsrooms, and increase cooperation between its U.S. and international news departments.
Plans were also announced for future subscription offerings on CNN.com, with Thompson adding that the company was "assessing existing areas of digital strength like consumer advice with CNN Underscored and health".
