Its all-news format allowed the time for specialty shows focusing on medical news, sports, and other topics. Growth and Expansionĭerided by some as the “Chicken Noodle News,” CNN began to gain respectability throughout the 1980s. At any time, however, breaking news could arise and dominate the schedule. New stories were added to the mix periodically. The network’s early format, drawn in part from that of all-news radio, was centered on a news “wheel.” Major stories were repeated on a cyclical basis throughout the day, sometimes with minor modifications. Part of the concept of CNN was that the news, not the anchor, would be the star. president Jimmy Carter’s visit to the Fort Wayne, Indiana, hospital room of civil rights leader Vernon Jordan, who had been wounded in an assassination attempt. Although the first day did not go without a hitch, CNN did get its first “scoop” only minutes into its inaugural broadcast, cutting away from its first commercial break to bring viewers live coverage of U.S. An estimated 1.7 million cable television subscribers were able to receive the channel when it aired.
In a television news universe dominated by the “big three” networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC), many wondered if there was room for such a shoestring operation, particularly one that planned to fill an enormous amount of airtime on a budget that was a fraction of what the networks spent.ĭespite formidable organizational and technical obstacles (including the loss of SATCOM III, the satellite originally scheduled to carry the network’s signal), CNN managed to make its June deadline. Critics doubted whether there was a market for around-the-clock news, and many questioned whether such a venture could be profitable. Turner set an ambitious goal of beginning CNN’s broadcast on June 1, 1980.Įarly response was skeptical. Murrow, lent his credibility to the venture when he agreed to become the new channel’s most visible correspondent. Veteran journalist Daniel Schorr, who had worked for CBS News during the “golden age” of Edward R. With the bravado that was one of his trademarks, Turner predicted that CNN would represent “the greatest achievement in the history of journalism.” Schonfeld would serve as the network’s first president and CEO. Plans for CNN were publicly announced in May 1979. Working with Reese Schonfeld, a former manager for UPI Television News and the founder of the Independent Television News Association, Turner began making plans for the channel in 1978. (In 1979 the company’s name was changed to Turner Broadcasting System, and the station’s call letters became WTBS.) As cable television expanded across the nation and new ventures like Home Box Office (HBO) began to show the feasibility of “niche” channels, Turner sought to create an all-news network. Rechristened WTCG to reflect the name of its new owner, Turner Communications Group, Turner’s “Superstation” began broadcasting to cable systems around the nation in 1976. In the 1970s Turner took advantage of the increasing availability of communications satellites to begin broadcasting his independent UHF station, Atlanta’s Channel 17, which he had acquired in 1970. OriginsĬNN was founded by Georgia businessman Ted Turner. Along with its subsidiary channels and the competitors it helped inspire, the network has changed the way information flows throughout an increasingly connected world. From its home in Atlanta, CNN has extended its reach around the world, becoming a dominant force in national and international journalism.
Cable News Network (CNN) was the world’s first twenty-four-hour cable television news channel when it was established in 1980.
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