CNN Plans High-Tech News Show

CNN plans to launch a three-hour daily news program Aug. 8, in which anchor Wolf Blitzer would pull together news from around the globe in front of two walls of video screens simultaneously showing several breaking news stories as they are unfolding.

The program, called "The Situation Room," would gather teams of CNN correspondents, analysts, contributors and guests to discuss the top news stories of the day and give viewers minute-to-minute coverage with streaming video. Blitzer described the show at the Television Critics Assn. conference in Beverly Hills on Sunday as "old-fashioned good, solid, serious journalism" that "tries to be transparent" by taking advantage of the latest technology.

"We're not going to compromise on journalism but we're going to take you behind the scenes and let viewers see what we're getting when we're getting it, especially in those critical hours where news is gelling," Blitzer said. "I've been frustrated that viewers are only able to [see] a small fraction of what we are able to gather."

The program, which would air from 3 to 6 p.m. ET, is loosely modeled on the concept of the White House Situation Room, and would combine traditional reporting with online resources, such as blogs, Blitzer said.

Source: LA Times