Bangkok--Jun 1--Francom Asia
“Defining Moments: Stories that Touched Our Lives” airs on June 1
Airtimes: Wednesday, June 1 at 20:00
Thursday, June 2 at 02:00 (replay)
Saturday, June 4 at 18:00 (replay)
Sunday, June 5 at 04:00, 11:00, 17:00 (replays)
CNN, the pioneer of 24-hour news, marks its 25th anniversary with a special televised program looking back at events that have touched the lives of people around the world over the last quarter century. This silver celebration will also be commemorating with a three-day conference of international journalists, world leaders and CNN executives, anchors and correspondents.
On Wednesday, June 1, CNN offers a front row seat to history with an intimate recounting of the biggest television news events from the past 25 years as told by the newsmakers and journalists who lived through them, on DEFINING MOMENTS: STORIES THAT TOUCHED OUR LIVES airing at 21:00 (Hong Kong time). From the unforgettable images of the recent South Asian Tsunami to that infamous night in Baghdad in 1991 when U.S. coalition bombs began to fall, CNN made its own mark in the history books while making the world a smaller place.
“As CNN celebrates 25 years of groundbreaking news coverage and technical innovation, we reminisce its illustrious history. It is a history that is shaped every day as CNN continues to stretch the boundaries of television reporting and expands, not just its services, but the ability to gather the news from the most remote parts of the world,” remarks Chris Cramer, Managing Director, CNN International.
The past two decades have brought sweeping changes, as political systems have crumbled right before our eyes. The special one-hour program includes moments of courage against oppression and communism embodied by the eyewitness recollections of CNN veteran journalist Jim Clancy as he recalls the revolution of the Eastern Bloc and tales of a wall, that once divided the whole world, as it came falling down.
CNN captured the haunting pictures in the hot spots of Bosnia and Rwanda; bringing crimes against humanity to light with CNN’s chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour who recounts the ethnic rivalries in Kosovo as one of the DEFINING MOMENTS: STORIES THAT TOUCHED OUR LIVES.
Hosted by CNN anchor Jonathan Mann, the program highlights ambitious endeavors and fatal flights with the explosions of the Challenger and the Colombia. The program also features images of reconciliation and conflict in the Middle East.
Broadcasting an unprecedented window to the world for the last 25 years, CNN took viewers to events that shocked and impacted so many; from the Tsunami in 2004, the attacks on September 11, the tragic death of Princess Diana to the moments that mattered most, CNN was there.
As part of its 25th anniversary, CNN will also host the 2005 World Report Conference to be held in Atlanta from Monday, May 30, through Wednesday, June 1. CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Jim Clancy, Wolf Blitzer, Zain Verjee, Ralitsa Vassileva, Octavia Nasr, Michael Holmes and Anderson Cooper will join other international journalists and world leaders to discuss issues at the forefront of the news media today.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Pakistani Chief Executive Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono are among the international leaders who will join the conference either in person, via satellite or through a taped address. Musicians Bono and Ricky Martin and author Deepak Chopra will also participate in the conference.
Highlights of the conference include:
Christiane Amanpour moderating a panel addressing the public’s trust of the news media;
Anderson Cooper hosting a discussion looking at the tsunami disaster in South Asia six months later;
Michael Holmes moderating a panel of bloggers and activists to examine blogging and its affect on coverage and public opinion about the media;
Zain Verjee hosting a panel that reflects on the major news stories and events from 25 years of CNN coverage and interviews survivors of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Columbine High School attack, apartheid in South Africa, genocide in Rwanda and AIDS;
An anniversary party headlined by Daryl Hall and John Oates, the No.1 musical duo in history. The duo recently released their 20th studio album, Our Kind of Soul.
On June 1, 1980, CNN signed on the air as the world’s first 24-hour news network. The single domestic network was available in fewer than two million U.S. households. Since then, CNN has gone from one domestic network to 24 networks and services, including CNN/U.S.; CNN Headline News, the nation’s fastest growing cable news network; CNN International the leading global news network; CNN.com, the Internet’s top news and information site; the Airport Network and more.
Today, CNN International is available in over 178 million households worldwide, and CNN/U.S. is in more than 89 million U.S. households. CNN’s combined networks and services reach more than 2 billion people in more than 200 countries. In keeping with CNN's heritage of innovation, its award winning Digital Newsgathering (DNG), has revolutionized the way CNN news broadcasters are gathering and reporting the news from the remotest parts of the world.
AIRTIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. End.