THE idea of 24/7 news channel may have earned Ted Turner—the brash Southerner who had parlayed the successful billboard business he inherited from his father into a fledgling media enterprise that aired old movies and syndicated TV shows—no small amount of mockery from associates and media pundits back in the late 1970s, but some three decades after CNN made its debut on June 1, 1980, Turner is now regarded as a visionary—and his crazy idea has forever changed the landscape of news. Or haven’t you heard about “the CNN effect”?
Today, not only is CNN seen in millions of homes in North America and in a variety of platforms, but it is also followed everywhere else in the world via its sister network CNN International and affiliates that span the globe from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to Havana in Cuba, Johannesburg in South Africa, Seoul in South Korea—and, now, Manila in the Philippines.
“Mabuhay, CNN Philippines,” enthused Greg Beitchman, senior vice president of CNN International (CNNI), at the recent press launch of the leading news agency’s local affiliate around these parts—the product of a partnership between Turner Broadcasting System-Asia Pacific and Nine Media Corp. The two media giants agreed to a five-year brand and content licensing agreement to launch CNN Philippines—a predominantly English news channel on free-to-air television over RPN’s nationwide network system, as well as over 200 cable affiliates.
That we would soon have a local CNN channel on free TV may still seem hard to believe but, then again, a 24/7 news channel also seemed incredible, even impossible, back in the day.
Founded by Ted Turner in the late 1970s, the first 24-hour all-news channel in television history raised not a few doubts with regard to its feasibility as both a format and a business endeavor. CNN was also mocked by its competitors as the “Chicken Noodle Network” for the company’s comparatively meager financial resources.
Despite all the doubts and all the mockery, Turner was unwavering in his pursuit to make CNN matter, giving his upstart cable news network this mantra to live by: “Go live, stay with it and make it happen”. The network not only gained but maintained and grew audiences over time as it brought the public to the forefront of news events with full and continuous coverage. In January 1986 CNN scooped the competition with the only live coverage of the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which exploded mere seconds after lift-off before a horrified global audience, a shocking tragedy that killed all seven crew members on board. Other game-changing breakthroughs included CNN’s extensive coverage of the first Persian Gulf War in 1991, all the way to the September 11 attacks on the US.
CNN’s ambitious and resolute rise to unchartered relevance—reshaping the media landscape, redefining journalism practices and changing how the public treats the news—speaks volumes of the network’s experience in rising from scratch, which makes the partnership with Nine Media Corp. even more valuable.
“By integrating local elements and content in its programming, CNN Philippines brings together world-class local and international content for Filipino audiences,” said Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, chairman of Nine Media Corp.
Underscoring that CNN is about “connecting people,” Beitchman said the Filipino audience will be brought to the frontlines of local and international news events with the “transparency and commitment to balanced journalism” of the CNN brand. “We believe audiences here hunger for a deeper and balanced understanding of the world around them,” Beitchman said. “CNN Philippines is going to be designed to bring to the Filipino audience the best quality news from around the country, but we’re going to combine that with the best of our global storytelling that’s relevant to Filipinos.”
‘CNN IS CNN’
Asked what prompted the partnership, and why with CNN in particular, Jing Magsaysay, Nine Media Corp. senior vice president, was quick to say, “Why not?”
“We are new and, if you look at the news standards worldwide, CNN is up there,” he said, adding that the partnership was the fastest contract ever signed by the international channel because they saw what they needed in the organization.
“CNN is CNN,” Magsaysay said, summing up the network’s status as the No. 1 news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. It is also the news outlet honored in the Royal TV Awards as the News Channel of the Year in 2013 and 2014, and for Best News Coverage (international category) for its exhaustive reporting on the massive devastation wrought by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) on the Philippines. It was also named as the Cable and Satellite Channel of the Year in the Asian Television Awards. These recognitions are but the latest in the cache of prestigious plums it has collected over the years from the Emmy Awards, FPA Awards, Peabody Awards and Overseas Press Awards.
“We felt, that if we were to aspire for something, then we might as well aspire for CNN, which is the world leader in many, many ways,” Magsaysay said.
SPELLING THE PHILIPPINES IN CNN PHILIPPINES
The news channel, which will operate from studios in Manila, is the latest addition to the CNNI family that includes CNN Turk, CNN IBN, CNN Chile and CNN Indonesia—all delivering local news with the “highest quality of journalism and editorial integrity” that CNN is known for. Jeff Zucker, CNN Worldwide president, noted the great promise this newly formed partnership holds for Filipino news consumers, stating that “the global newsgathering power of CNN, combined with the local perspective that Nine Media Corp. brings, enables us to provide first-class news and information to millions of Filipinos in a way that we have not been able to previously.”
However, it’s not all butterflies and roses for officials of CNN Philippines, as they are well-aware of the huge undertaking ahead of them to live up to the name of one of the top news outlets in the world. Regarding the issue of redundancy, Nine Media Corp. President Reggie Galura clarified the public needn’t worry about CNN fatigue because the local counterpart will have an identity of its own.
“CNN Philippines will be distinct from CNN International on cable,” Galura said, adding that the new channel will be championing Filipino values and culture through locally produced content. “CNN Philippines will have local content—continuing local newscasts and local affairs programs that will be tweaked and elevated to the standards of CNN.”
He also noted that his team will not be left unguided in the adjustment phase as the arrangement with CNN International includes providing technical expertise and consultancy “so that we could train our people to improve in the field [of news-gathering and reporting] and, most especially, elevate our news standards to that of CNN’s.”
On a macro scale, the move is part of a strategic effort by CNNI’s Content Sales and Partnerships Group, a division of Turner Broadcasting System International, to continuously push the expansion of CNN worldwide across digital and linear platforms by partnering with other leading media organizations.
“The agreement is yet another example of Turner’s commitment to growth in the Asia Pacific region,” said Gerhard Zeiler, president of Turner Broadcasting International.
‘NEWS YOU CAN USE’
Much like the style of news reporting that CNN has become known for, CNN Philippines will be covering all the bases with the latest bits on news, business, science and technology, entertainment, sports and so on. The same holds true for CNNPhilippines.com, which will also be launched in parallel with the news channel next year with exclusive interviews and reports.
Magsaysay said CNN Philippines, which he says will be different by design from the competition (sans police reports and celebrity news), will only be delivering news with actual value to consumers.
“For example, you don’t need to know a father raped her daughter in a barangay in the mountains of Bulacan. You don’t need that for you to get through your day. If you can’t use it, then it’s not important,” Magsaysay said. “[Ours will be] only news you can use.”
As for the tellers of the stories, Magsaysay said that given the new channel bears the CNN brand, the reporting will be a two-way street. “CNN International reporters will be reporting to us, as well, and we will be reporting to CNN. In terms of content, we will use some of their current-affairs programming and we will use their breaking news stories—a lot of it—plus we will develop our own programs, which we hope they can use on the international platform.”
He added that they’re looking at comprehensive collaboration with CNN International as early as January 2015 when Pope Francis drops by the Philippines for a historic papal visit—the first time the Roman Catholic Church’s highest official will set foot in the country exactly 20 years after the late and beloved Pope John Paul II led the World Youth Day events here.
Magsaysay also noted the public shouldn’t be surprised if established CNN senior correspondents, like Christiane Amanpour and Anderson Cooper, appear on CNN Philippines, but he said they’re more inclined to develop their own first-rate reporters. “We’re keeping our presence and developing more. We’re keeping our anchors and getting more,” Magsaysay said without going into specifics.
As for the global news network’s signature voice-over, unless Magsaysay’s group hires another talent to intone “Philippines,” it will only be a matter of months before the gravitas-rich voice of famed actor James Jones Earl echoes through these islands to cue “This…is CNN Philippines.”