CNN facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
CNN

Country	United States
Broadcast area	United States Canada Japan India Caribbean islands Worldwide (via CNN International)
Headquarters	1 CNN Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	1080i (HDTV) (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner	Warner Bros. Discovery
Parent	CNN Worldwide
Key people	Sir Mark Thompson (Chairman and CEO) David Leavy (COO) Michael Bass (EVP of Programming, CNN-US) Brad Ferrer (EVP/CFO) Amy Entelis (EVP) Ken Jautz (EVP, CNN-US and HLN) Andrew Morse (EVP/Chief Digital Officer)
Sister channels	List CNN Airport CNN Arabic CNN Brazil CNN Chile CNN en Español CNN Indonesia CNN International CNN-News18 CNN Portugal CNN Türk HLN CNN Prima News A2 CNN Antena 3 CNN
History
Launched	June 1, 1980; 45 years ago (1980-06-01)
Founder	Ted Turner Reese Schonfeld
Availability
Streaming media
Online stream	CNN Live (pay-TV subscribers only)
Service(s)	Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV
NewsLive	Watch live stream (free)

Cable News Network (CNN) is a major news channel and website. It is based in Atlanta, Georgia, in the U.S. Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld started CNN in 1980. It was the first TV channel in the United States to show news 24 hours a day. Now, Warner Bros. Discovery owns CNN.

CNN reaches many homes in the U.S. As of early 2023, about 80 million homes watched CNN. It is one of the most popular news channels. CNN also shares its news around the world through CNN International. Viewers in over 212 countries can watch it. CNN also works with other channels, like CNN-News18 in India.

How CNN Started: A Look Back

CNN began broadcasting on June 1, 1980, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Ted Turner introduced the channel. The first news report was anchored by David Walker and Lois Hart. Burt Reinhardt, an executive at CNN, hired many of the first 200 employees. This included the first news anchor, Bernard Shaw.

Since it started, CNN has grown a lot. It is now available on many cable and satellite TV services. It also has popular websites. CNN has 42 offices around the world. This includes 12 in the U.S. and 31 in other countries. It also works with over 900 local TV stations. These stations get news and stories from CNN.

What's On CNN: Shows and Programs

CNN's daily schedule has different types of shows. During the day, it mostly has "rolling news." This means continuous news updates. In the evenings, it has more in-depth news and information programs.

Daily News and Talk Shows

In the mornings, you can watch Early Start and CNN This Morning. These shows bring you the latest news to start your day. Later in the morning and afternoon, CNN News Central provides ongoing news. Shows like Inside Politics focus on political news.

In the late afternoon and evening, you can find shows like The Lead with Jake Tapper and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. These shows offer more detailed news and discussions. Prime time shows include Erin Burnett OutFront, Anderson Cooper 360°, and The Source with Kaitlan Collins. Later at night, CNN Newsnight and Laura Coates Live air.

Weekend Programming

On weekends, CNN starts with CNN Newsroom in the early morning. Weekend editions of CNN This Morning also air. Saturday mornings feature shows like First of All with Victor Blackwell and Smerconish. The Chris Wallace Show and The Amanpour Hour also air.

Sunday mornings often focus on political talk shows. These include State of the Union and Fareed Zakaria GPS. Inside Politics also airs on Sundays.

Documentaries and Special Series

Weekend evenings are often for factual programs. These include documentaries and miniseries. Examples are The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. You might also see reality series like Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown and United Shades of America. CNN also shows acquired documentary films under the name CNN Films.

In the past, CNN has aired many original series. These include popular documentary miniseries like The Sixties. Other series have covered U.S. policies and famous families.

How CNN Looks: On-Air Changes

CNN started broadcasting in HD (1080i) in September 2007. This makes the picture much clearer. It is now the standard way CNN broadcasts.

The CNN Election Express bus, used for broadcasts

CNN uses special vehicles like the CNN Election Express bus. This bus helps them broadcast political coverage in HD from different locations.

Over the years, CNN has updated its on-air look several times. These changes include new colors, fonts, and how information appears on the screen. For example, they changed how news headlines are shown. They also introduced a special font called "CNN Sans" in 2016. These updates help keep the channel looking modern and easy to watch.

Who Works at CNN: The Team Behind the News

CNN has had several leaders over the years. Jim Walton was president for a long time before resigning in 2012. Jeff Zucker took over in 2013. He later resigned in 2022. After him, Chris Licht became president in May 2022, but his time ended in June 2023.

In August 2023, Mark Thompson became the new CEO of CNN. He kept the existing executive team in place. He also expanded their roles. For example, Virginia Moseley became the first executive editor for both national and international news.

Beyond TV: CNN's Other Platforms

CNN offers news in many ways, not just on TV.

CNN.com: The Website

CNN launched its website, CNN.com, in 1995. It quickly became one of the most popular news websites. The site has grown to include blogs and user-submitted content. In 2009, CNN.com was one of the top news sites in the U.S. for unique visitors.

CNN Pipeline was a paid service that offered live video streams. It was stopped in 2007 and replaced with a free streaming service. CNN.com has also updated its design over time. It added features like user profiles and a "CNN Pulse" section.

Blogs and Citizen Journalism

CNN uses blogs to share news and expert opinions. Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics was one of the first CNN shows to feature blogs. CNN also launched CNN iReport. This allowed regular people to send in their own photos and videos. It became very popular, especially during big news events.

CNN also has a food blog called "Eatocracy." CNNHealth is another online platform. It features expert doctors who answer health questions.

Other Digital Ways to Get News

CNN offers live streaming broadcasts for TV subscribers. CNN International is also streamed live in some areas. You can also find CNN news through RSS feeds and podcasts.

CNN has channels on YouTube. They also have CNN-10, a daily 10-minute video show for students and adults. Coy Wire hosts this show. In 2017, CNN launched CNNVR. This unit creates 360-degree videos for virtual reality.

CNN Newsource offices at the CNN Center in Atlanta

CNN Newsource is a service for other TV stations. It provides CNN content to them. This allows local stations to use CNN videos in their own news reports. CNN also has a wire service called CNN Wire. This service provides news text to other media outlets.

CNN's Sister Channels Around the World

Over the years, CNN has started many other channels. These channels are in the U.S. and other countries.

CNN en Español televised debate for the 2005 Chilean elections

Post-production editing offices in Atlanta

Here are some of the channels that are currently active:

• CNN Brazil – a news channel in Brazil.
• CNN Chile – a news channel in Chile.
• CNN en Español – a Spanish-language news channel.
• CNN International – the global news channel.
• CNN Max - a streaming channel for subscribers to Warner Bros. Discovery's Max service.
• CNN Türk – a news channel in Turkey.
• CNN-News18 – a news channel in India.
• CNN Indonesia – a news channel in Indonesia.
• CNNj – a news outlet in Japan.
• CNN Prima News – a news channel in the Czech Republic.
• A2 CNN – an Albanian news channel.
• Antena 3 CNN – a Romanian news channel.
• HLN – a U.S. cable channel, formerly called CNN Headline News.
• CNN Portugal – a news channel in Portugal.

Channels That Are No Longer Active

CNN has also had channels that are no longer running. These include:

• CNN Airport
• CNN Checkout Channel (for grocery stores)
• CNN-D (a German news block)
• CNN Italia (an Italian news website)
• CNN Pipeline (an online news service)
• CNN Sports Illustrated (a sports news channel)
• CNN+ (a Spanish partner channel)
• CNN.com Live
• CNNfn (a financial news channel)
• CNN Money Switzerland
• CNN Philippines

Where CNN Works: Bureaus Around the World

CNN bureau locations

The CNN Center in Atlanta

CNN in New York City

CNN in Los Angeles

CNN Center studios

CNN has offices, called bureaus, in many cities. These bureaus help them report news from all over the world. As of 2023, here are some of their locations:

United States

• Atlanta, Georgia (World Headquarters)
• New York City, New York
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Chicago, Illinois
• Dallas, Texas
• Denver, Colorado
• Houston, Texas
• Los Angeles, California
• Miami, Florida
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• San Francisco, California
• Washington, D.C.

Worldwide Bureaus

In places without a CNN bureau, they often use reports from local TV stations.

Awards and Recognitions for CNN

CNN has won many awards for its journalism. Here are a few examples:

• 1998: CNN received the Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Speech.
• 2017: CNN won the Prince Rainier III Special Prize for its documentary Midway: A Plastic Island, which was about sea pollution.
• 2018: CNN received the Overseas Press Club of America David Kaplan Award for its reporting on the fall of ISIS.
• 2018: CNN won a George Polk Award for reporting on a hidden slave auction in Libya.
• 2018: CNN won a record six News and Documentary Emmy Awards for various news reports.
• 2019: The USC Annenberg School gave CNN a Walter Cronkite Award for its Parkland Town Hall event.
• 2020: CNN's Ed Lavandera won a Peabody Award for "The Hidden Workforce: Undocumented in America." CNN Films also won a Peabody for the documentary "Apollo 11."
• 2021: CNN won a George Polk Award for its reporting on the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China.

See also

In Spanish: CNN para niños