CNN iReport Celebrates Five Years of Global Citizen Journalism.

Five years after inviting CNN’s global audience to contribute photos and video of the news of the day, CNN iReport, the network’s participatory news community, has grown into a globally recognized platform.

To date iReport has received a submission from every country on the planet with an average of 2.4 million unique users each month through June 2011 (Source: ComScore.) From the Virginia Tech shooting to the fallout from Iran’s presidential election to the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, CNN iReporters have provided some of the first images of these important stories to a global audience; in addition to their unique points of view from the ground.

This week, CNN iReport is launching its first iReport App for Android for users on-the-go. This app enables iReporters to more efficiently upload to iReport and take a deeper dive into the content. The iReport app is completely customizable and serves assignments to iReporters based on where they are and their interests by using location and topic based alerts. The app will be available in August to Android Market.

To commemorate the anniversary, CNN iReport is having the ultimate birthday party with iReporters from all over the globe in cities like Atlanta, New York, London, Hong Kong and more attending meetups. iReporters can sign up to host or RSVP for a meetup at http://meetup.com/CNNiReport .

“We created iReport to engage viewers who have a desire to share and participate in the telling of stories that touch their lives. CNN iReporters have exceeded our expectations in both the quality and quantity of their submissions over the last five years,” said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. “Not one day goes by that CNN iReporters don’t display an impassioned point of view for the community they helped to create along with CNN.”

“The iReport five year anniversary is a perfect time to celebrate iReport and all it stands for: an amazing community, storytelling with heart, and a breakthrough model for participatory journalism. And naturally we'll do that with a party heard 'round the world," said Lila King, participation director for CNN Digital. "I am tremendously proud of what we've accomplished - and what's still to come - together with the iReport community and all of CNN."

Throughout the month of August, CNN will kick off its observation of iReport’s birthday by featuring the CNN iReport ‘Top Five.’ The ‘Top Five’ lists are being written by employees that touch and work with iReport and they will take a look back at some of the platform’s significant moments and submissions. CNN viewers can expect to see the ‘Top Five’ on CNN.com and on CNN’s networks and platforms.

CNN is supporting the global celebrations by sending “meetup kits” to the organizers of the meetups in more than 50 cities worldwide. An exclusive iReport assignment is included in the kit and is available only to the meetup attendees. Highlights from the celebrations will be seen on CNN’s television coverage throughout the month of August.

Later this fall, CNN will unveil a newly imagined site and platform for iReport that builds on many of the successes of the last five years, and sets it up for five –or fifty - more.


follow me on twitter:- @talkmediang

CNN to Air New Olympics 2012 Series 'Aiming for Gold'

With just one year to go until the eyes of the world are on London for the Games of the XXX Olympiad, CNN is launching a series of special Olympics 2012 programming, ‘Aiming For Gold’, as it takes on the role of the international home for the greatest sporting event in the world.

CNN’s programme will speak to the biggest Olympic stars, as well as the newsmakers driving the myriad decisions and events that contribute to the 2012 Games, with contributions from its many bureaux around the world to bring all aspects of the event – financial, social, cultural, political or sporting – to global viewers across all its platforms, from TV to cnn.com and through dedicated social media on Twitter and Facebook.

‘Aiming For Gold’ kicks off its year-long programming with a key interview with Lord Sebastian Coe, former Olympic 1500 meter champion and the man responsible for spear-heading the London 2012 campaign. Coe talks to CNN’s Don Riddell about the challenges, controversies and opportunities the Games will bring to people from across the world, including questions from the CNN audience.

Also in the debut show, Becky Anderson reports on London’s history in hosting the games – in 1908, 1948 and now 2012; Stan Grant looks at the legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympics; and Christina Ohurugu, a British 2008 gold medallist who grew up in the shadow of the games being built in east London, talks about the inspiration the 2012 provide.

First programme: Thursday 28 July at 10:30am and 6:30pm WAT



Email me on :- info@talkmedianigeria.com
follow me on twitter:- @talkmediang

CNN Presents: A Larry King Special – Harry Potter: The Final Chapter in July

Larry King sits down with the cast of Harry Potter leading up to the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. The one-hour special, airing July 10 at 8pm and 10pm (Nigerian time) on CNN International will feature interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson,  Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane, as well as never before seen footage from the film days before its worldwide premiere. Additionally, James and Oliver Phelps, who play the Weasley twins, take viewers on a tour of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Orlando Resort and interact with fans on the eve of the final Harry Potter movie.

Radcliffe, calling the final Potter film a “hell of a movie,” tells King that he “wept like a child on that last day” of filming.  The three main stars, who have spent half of their lives playing these characters, open up to King and reflect on the end of the series of films.  “I was so young, it’s difficult to remember much of my life before this thing happened to me,” Watson says.  “I was still losing my baby teeth” while playing Hermione. Grint says after 10 years of his life playing Ron Weasley, leaving the character behind was “quite a big kind of shock.”

In what many predict will be the movie event of the summer, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 will mark the end the most successful film franchise in history.  The films are based on a series of seven best-selling novels, written by J.K. Rowling.  After 10 years and over six billion dollars in ticket sales, Larry King will take viewers on an exclusive tour behind the scenes and into the making of the final movie with the special effects team who brought the magical world to the big screen. Never-seen footage will give CNN viewers a new glimpse at the iconic characters and for the first time, fans will see an extended clip of the film that will be shown exclusively on CNN just days before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in theatres on July 15th.  Wendy Walker is the executive producer of CNN’s Larry King Specials. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, A Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.


follow me on twitter:- @talkmediang

CNN's Freedom Project Focuses on Human Trafficking in Nepal

In June, The CNN Freedom Project shines a light on the shocking trade of human life in Nepal.

Actress and anti-sex trafficking activist Demi Moore anchors the documentary and joins 2010 CNN Hero of the Year Anuradha Koirala to focus on her organization, Maiti Nepal, which has rescued more than 12,000 stolen Nepalese children from sex trafficking since 1993.

Nepal’s Stolen Children followsMoore as she spends time in the Maiti Nepal shelter, hearing emotional first-hand accounts from dozens of girls who have been trafficked. She travels to Bhairahawa, a hotbed of human trafficking where girls fromNepal are smuggled intoIndia to work in the sex trade and also meetsNepal’s Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, to discuss the business of sex trafficking in his country.

Nepal's Stolen Children airs on CNN International on Saturday 11th June at 2pm (Nigerian time) and 9pm (Nigerian time), and Sunday 12th .

CNN International Royal Wedding All Access coverage.

CNN International (DStv 401) has confirmed that it will be broadcasting the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton live on 29 April.

CNN International will do a 7 hour live Royal Wedding broadcast on 29 April seen in standard definition (SD) across Africa starting at 8am until 3pm (Nigerian times). CNN will use 75 staffers from the London bureau working on the Royal Wedding with 50 coming over to Britain from America (125 total).

• The 7 hour live Royal Wedding broadcast will be presented by CNN International's Richard Quest and Piers Morgan, as well as other CNN correspondents with the 24 hour news channel that promises to be ''centre stage reporting on the biggest royal wedding since Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981''.

• During the lead up to the Royal Wedding on 29 April Piers Morgan will broadcast his daily interview programme Piers Morgan Tonight live from CNN's London studio on 25, 26 and 27 April at 9pm (repeats next day at 1pm).

• Richard Quest has Royal Wedding Specials that will be broadcast on CNN International on 3, 10, 17 and 24 April.

• Anderson Cooper will also be doing his show Anderson Cooper 360 live from London from Wednesday 27 April until (and including) Friday 29 April.

''As the tension and excitement builds in the days before the Royal Wedding, CNN International intends to be a visual real-time diary of the many and varied ways that people around the world choose to mark and experience the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton," says Katherine Green, senior vice president and general manager for CNN International. "The wedding day itself will capture the imagination of millions of viewers and CNN guarantees its global audience a front row seat for every minute of the pomp and ceremony of the big day."


email me on satmanafrica@gmail.com

New set shown and more upcoming guests announced for Piers Morgan Tonight .

New Piers Morgan Tonight set

This is how the set will look of Piers Morgan Tonight that starts on Tuesday, 18 January at 9pm on CNN International (DStv 401) and will be replacing Larry King Live on weekdays on the international news channel. Jonathan Wald will be the executive producer.


I also have some more Piers Morgan Tonight broadcasting times. CNN International now reveals that besides the 9pm weekday timeslot, Piers Morgan Tonight will also be shown live at 3am (Nigerian time) Mondays to Fridays, and at 1pm on weekday afternoons.
In addition to the Piers Morgan Tonight premiere guest Oprah Winfrey that was announced at last weeks Television Critics Association week the rest of the first week's guest roster include Howard Stern, Condoleezza Rice, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney. In a new press release CNN says guests confirmed in following weeks include Rudy Giuliani, Rod Stewart, Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump.

BREAKING:- World One on CNN International moves to 11pm time slot weeknights.

With the launch of Piers Morgan Tonight, the new weekday talk show of Piers Morgan that starts on 18 January in Nigeria on CNN International (DStv 401) and now with the confirmed time of 9pm on the schedule it indeed means changes for CNN International's primetime line-up.

I've heard back from CNN International that confirms that World One with Fionnuala Sweeney will disappear from its 9pm timeslot on CNN International's schedule from 18 January. World One had its debut in September 2009, but CNN International has now decided to move the Piers Morgan talk show into the timeslot that World One has occupied for almost the past year and a half.

A new hour long World One broadcast at 11pm (Nigerian time) will debut at the end of the day on 17 January, which will be anchored by Zain Verjee and Monita Rajpal from London. Meanwhile World Sport and one of CNN International's regular feature shows will be moved to the new open 12noon timeslot where Larry King Live used to be.

Piers Morgan Tonight will go out in the new primetime slot on CNN International.

CNN International (DStv 401) just confirmed the time of the new talk show Piers Morgan Tonight which will debut on 18 January in Nigeria with Oprah Winfrey as his first guest, but it won't be in the 11:00am timeslot where Larry King Live used to be. Instead Piers Morgan Tonight will get a daily primetime slot of 9pm (Nigerian time) on weekdays.

With Piers Morgan Tonight moving to 9pm on weekdays on CNN International, where does that leave the current World One with Fionnuala Sweeney? CNN International isn't saying yet whether World One will be moving to another timeslot, or will be ending.

Oprah Winfrey will be the first guest of Piers Morgan Tonight .

The first guest of Piers Morgan Tonight, the new weekday talk show replacing Larry King Live on CNN International (DStv 401) this month will be talk show queen Oprah Winfrey.

The former British tabloid editor made the announcement at the Television Critics Association winter press tour who said that he interviewed Oprah Winfrey this past week in California. Although the time on the schedule for Piers Morgan Tonight has not yet been confirmed, it will most probably fill the 11:00am slot in which Larry King Live was seen (Nigerian time).

Entries open for the prestigious CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2011

CNN International and MultiChoice just announced that they will both, once again be sponsoring the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards in 2011, the African continent's most prestigious awards ceremony honouring excellence in journalism across a wide field of story genres as well as mediums.

The CNN African Journalist Awards 2011 will be taking place in June in Johannesburg and journalists across the continent can now enter. The closing date for entries is January 27, 2011. The judging will take place in April, 2011. Full details on exactly how to enter and the categories can be found HERE at www.cnn.com/africanawards. The organizers say there won't be any extensions on the closing dates, so hurry.

''The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards have been encouraging excellence in journalism across the continent for 16 years and are truly a highlight in CNN's editorial calendar,'' says Tony Maddox, the executive vice president and managing director of CNN International in a statement. ''I'm delighted that they continue to grow in stature and prestige, and it's a humbling experience each year to see and experience such dedication, passion and talent.''

''For the past 16 years, our partnership with CNN has resulted in some incredible stories being told,'' says Imtiaz Patel, the group CEO of MultiChoice SA in the same press release. ''I would like to encourage journalists from across the continent to embrace the opportunity to make your voices heard. We are looking forward to celebrating your excellence in journalism in June 2011.''

Journalists can enter in categories like Arts & Culture, Digital Journalism, Economics & Business,  Environment, Free Press Africa, HIV/AIDS Reporting, Photography, Health & Medical, Print General News, Radio General News, Sport, Television Features, Television News, Tourism, Francophone General News, and Portuguese Language General News.

From these category winners, the judges will choose the overall winner, the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of 2011. The competition is open to all Africans who are professional journalists including freelancers. Any work for applicable categories that's been produced between January and December 2010 will be eligible.