Tag: coronavirus

CNN hopes to return to offices August 1 for Atlanta and September 1 for New York

by Allan, posted in CNN

CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker announced he was planning on August and September for its news and sports teams to return to their offices. “These dates were not chosen arbitrarily,” Zucker said in a memo to staff. “We are trying to coincide with back-to-school schedules, assuming that would make the most sense for those with young families.”

In the memo, Zucker said that they were targeting August 1 for a return to Atlanta offices and studios, and September 1 for the New York, Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles bureaus. As for the international bureaus, Zucker says the company is taking a “city-by-city approach” based on the health regulations and rules in those areas — Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi offices are already open; London will have staffers returning next month.

Zucker wrote that because of logistics, “it will likely take a couple of weeks to effectively get everyone back to their desks. But those are generally when you can expect to see the start of a return.” He said that the dates were chosen to coincide with back-to-school schedules.

He said that vaccinations will not be required for a return but they will be “strongly encouraged,” and safety protocols, like the wearing of masks, will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

After 5 months apart, Berman and Camerota are back in studio together

by Allan, posted in CNN

4DP70n_0Wfl6i1600After nearly 5 months apart due to the pandemic, both in work from home sets or in flash studios, New Day anchors John Berman and Alisyn Camerota reunited back in their studio — six feet apart. “You and I are six feet apart. We’ve measured. So I hope this can last,” Camerota noted on Monday’s broadcast.

“In the same actual room at the same actual time for the first time since March…” Berman said gleefully at the top of the show.

Camerota returned the humor, noting she “barely recognize[d]” Berman.

Christi Paul stays home while her husband battles COVID

by Allan, posted in CNN

paulNew Day Weekend anchor and HLN correspondent Christi Paul has been staying home and nursing her husband while he battles COVID, she revealed on Instagram. Her co-anchor, Victor Blackwell, has been awaiting the results of his COVID test for twelve days. “I’m still waiting for results,” he said.

“Husband is positive with covid19. Girls & I are all negative,” Paul wrote on Instagram. “Haven’t been able to hold his hand or kiss his forehead . . . We all miss his presence at the dinner table, his laughter & his joshing us.”

Paul concluded, “But we know God gives us His strength when we’re weak & His wisdom when we’re confused & drained. This virus makes no sense. The testing, the paradigm, the transmission… I swear it’s all still a crapshoot.”

When she responded to a comment and offered an update, she said, “He’s actually a little worse today but it’s part of the ups & downs. He’s not in the hospital on a ventilator so I’ll take this. And I pray for everyone who is because this is rough.”

President Trump takes some time out of his morning to hit the Cuomos: “Fredo’s ratings are down 50%!”

by Allan, posted in CNN, Ratings

cuomoPresident Donald Trump weighed in this morning not on last night’s protests over the death of George Floyd, nor the reaction to him making his way to St. John’s church, but instead on Gov. Cuomo and his younger brother, CNN primetime anchor Chris Cuomo.

“Yesterday was a bad day for the Cuomo Brothers. New York was lost to the looters, thugs, Radical Left, and all others forms of Lowlife & Scum. The Governor [Andrew Cuomo] refuses to accept my offer of a dominating National Guard. NYC was ripped to pieces,” the president wrote on Twitter.

Turning his attention then to the CNN anchor, Trump concluded, “Likewise, Fredo’s ratings are down 50%!”

This is a reference to the Daily Mail report from last week, noting the 49% fall in Cuomo’s Prime Time ratings since March when he was diagnosed with coronavirus. At the time, “source close to the anchor pointed out that cable news ratings rise and fall dramatically depending on what’s happening in the news cycle. The person argued that weekly averages don’t provide an accurate picture of viewership,” according to the Daily Mail. The day after he announced he tested positive, Cuomo Prime Time scored a first place victory. Cuomo’s ratings have dropped 49 percent in the demo and 35 percent overall, while Maddow is down 17 percent in the demo and 7 percent overall. Hannity has dropped 38 percent in the demo and 12 percent overall.

In response to the president’s tweet, CNN said, “Surely you have more important issues than TV ratings to address. But since you’ve made it a priority, we’ll correct the record. Chris Cuomo has had his highest ratings in history for the past two months.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1267811637811187712?xnl

CNN Thursday night coronavirus town halls aren’t going anywhere, executive producer says

by Allan, posted in CNN

CNN’s Thursday night coronavirus town halls, led by anchor Anderson Cooper and chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, are not going anywhere any time soon, according to AC360 executive producer Charlie Moore, who is also in charge of producing the town halls for the duo. “My sense is that as long as the trajectory of this story continues, we will continue to do these,” Moore said in an interview with Variety.

“I certainly don’t have any notion from Jeff [Zucker] or Michael [Bass, CNN’s executive vice president of programming] or anyone like that saying there is a date when we are stopping these,” Moore continued.

“There was no set plan for this thing to last ‘x’ number of weeks,” anchor Cooper agrees. “I don’t think any of us anticipated this.”

“That has not been easy to do, but we have been able to appeal to a broader array of viewers,” says Gupta. CNN says two of the town-hall broadcasts rank among the five most-watched editions of a cable-news town hall not tied to election coverage. The program typically ranks second in its time slot among viewers between 25 and 54, the demographic most important to advertisers in news programming, Variety noted.

Cooper wants the experts, not the politicians: “We try as much as possible – it’s not always possible – to stay away from the political side of this, because we do want to get as many people to watch to get the information. We are just really trying to stick with that.”

Staying “out of the red and the blue piece of it” is a guiding principle, agrees Moore.

CNN reporter has mask on for live shot, but not afterwards

by Allan, posted in CNN

CNN correspondent Gary Tuchman was reporting from Gulf Shores, Alabama, speaking with beachgoers about their decision, primarily, to be out and about during coronavirus and without a mask on. During the segment, embedded below, Tuchman had his mask on and respected social distancing, but a photo snapped afterwards shows him without his mask on, and his cameraman not having a mask on, either.

Earlier, CNN White House correspondent Kaitlin Collins also removed the mask when the White House press briefing ended.


(H/t Fourth Watch)

Erica Hill and Dr. Sanjay Gupta return for 2nd ABCs of Covid

by Allan, posted in CNN

CNN anchor Erica Hill and chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be back Saturday, May 30 at 10am with a second edition of ABCs of Covid “to help children and parents understand the latest additional issues surrounding Coronavirus, including staying safe in the summer months, going back to school and how to manage big feelings,” CNN announced, with a helping hand from Sesame Street.

Finally, Wolf Blitzer gets a day off

by Allan, posted in CNN

Where is Wolf Blitzer?

The CNN anchor, who just celebrated 30 years at the network, has anchored an impressive 70 consecutive days, with yesterday being his last consecutive day on the air with his special weekend editions of The Situation Room. Sunday, however, is Blitzer’s first day off in 70 days.

Live coverage on Sunday will end at 7:30 with CNN Newsroom — meaning no Sunday edition of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, either.

“Good night, and stay safe,” Blitzer said at the conclusion of his 70th straight day of work.