{ May 22, 2002 }

CNN New York

As I wrote all the way back in September, I have a long held concern that CNN may be on the verge of moving, lock stock and barrel, up to New York. The writing is on the wall, and all arrows seem to point in that direction.

Today the New York Observer writes:

Is this latest Manhattan splashdown further evidence that CNN's power base is crawling northward from Atlanta, the network's longtime home? Publicly, CNN executives maintain that Atlanta is the network's Mecca, but clearly, with three of the revamped network's new showpieces here in New York and the indefatigable Larry King suspendered and sunning in L.A., Southern cookin' isn't as critical to the network as it was when beloved boss Ted Turner would barrel into his newsroom with batty strokes of genius.

Why should I care? Civic pride mostly. Fly anywhere in the world, tell strangers you're from Atlanta, and you'll inevitably receive questions about Gone With the Wind, Coke, and CNN. The cable news network's roots run quite deep here, and the city wouldn't be the same without them.

CNN seems to be tossing money, and lots of it, at all their problems right now. From the splashy, wildly unnecessary set of Crossfire to the fat contracts of Zahn and Chung, CNN is either progressing, or overcompensating for the current popularity of Fox News, which will undoubtedly fall. Time will tell.

CNN New York

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