MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN will offer viewers programming across on-air and digital platforms at the US Republican and Democratic National Conventions beginning later this month.

The network?s political team will travel to Tampa, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, for live programming and events from locations on the convention floors, sky booths and a studio integrated into the CNN Grills1.

CNN Washington bureau chief, senior VP Sam Feist said, ?As the only U.S. cable news channel that has not picked sides in this election, CNN has a unique lens with which to cover these conventions. In Tampa and in Charlotte, we will give both parties an opportunity to showcase their platforms while also asking tough questions of Republicans and Democrats. Coverage of the conventions will dominate our air over two weeks as CNN?s deep bench of anchors, political reporters and analysts help Americans make an informed choice about their vote.?

Republican and Democratic National Conventions: Each convention day, CNN will begin coverage from locations inside the convention hall. Anchors Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett and Candy Crowley will join lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer to lead coverage alongside chief national correspondent John King at the ?Magic Wall.?

Chief political analyst Gloria Borger and senior political analyst David Gergen will be on hand throughout the coverage each day.

On the final day of the Democratic Convention, 7 September, CNN?s anchors and correspondents will move to the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, where President Obama will accept his party?s nomination.

Content lineup

Romney Revealed: Family, Faith and the Road to Power airs on 27 August at 5:30 am. Obama Revealed: The Man, The President airs on 4 September at 5:30 am. ?America?s Choice 2012: Countdown to the Republican National Convention? airs on 27 August at 7am.

America?s Choice 2012: Countdown to the Democratic National Convention airs on 4 September at 7 am. America?s Choice 2012: The Republican National Convention airs from 28-31 August from 4:30 am - 9:30 am

America?s Choice 2012: The Democratic National Convention? airs from 5-7 September at 4:30 am. ?The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer? airs on 31 August, 7 September at 3:30 am. ?Piers Morgan Tonight? airs from 28-31 August and from 5-7 Wednesday at 9:30 am.

Digital and Social Media

CNN Digital will be on the ground at the political conventions and in the CNN Grill, providing all the latest coverage online at CNN Election Center, the network?s hub for the latest political news, and updated CNN polls and the CNN Electoral Map, an interactive which allows users to try their hand at predicting the number of Electoral College votes each candidate will receive.

CNN Digital will also live stream key convention moments online at www.cnn.com/live, including nominee speeches and newsworthy events on the ground. CNN will be hosting live Cisco Election Roundtables at each convention, moderated by Wolf Blitzer. Users can be face-to-face with Blitzer by participating in this insider chat online at http://www.cnn.com/roundtable and can also submit questions to a panel of political experts.

CNN iReport, the network?s global participatory news community, will launch an Open Story for each of the conventions. Open Story gives iReporters the opportunity to capture the sights and sounds around the convention and place their stories on an interactive timeline along with CNN journalists also reporting from the RNC and DNC.

The ?Your Political Ticket? iReport contest winners will have the opportunity to shine by contributing to the Open Story, being featured on air and participating in various events around the convention. Additionally, iReporters at home will have the chance to share their commentary and views on the hottest election issues and topics surfaced in the iReport Debate.

MUMBAI: In a surprising development, noted American journalist Fareed Zakaria has been suspended by CNN and Time Magazine for plagiariasm, a charge that Zakaria admitted.

Zakaria has been accused of plagiarism for a piece on gun control that bore similarities to an article by Jill Lepore in The New Yorker.

"Media reporters have pointed out that paragraphs in my Time column on gun control, which was also a topic of conversation on this blog, bear close similarities to paragraphs in Jill Lepore?s essay in the April 23rd issue of The New Yorker," Zakaria said in a statement.

"They are right. I made a terrible mistake. It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault. I apologize unreservedly to her, to my editors at Time and CNN, and to my readers and viewers everywhere."

Following Zakaria?s admission to plagiarism, his employer Time announced that it was suspending Zakaria?s column for a month, pending review.

?Time accepts Fareed?s apology, but what he did violates our own standards for our columnists, which is that their work must not only be factual but original; their views must not only be their own but their words as well,? Ali Zelenko, a spokeswoman for the magazine said.

?As a result, we are suspending Fareed?s column for a month, pending further review."

CNN said it would suspend Zakaria?s weekly foreign affairs show ?Fareed Zakaria GPS? for an indefinite period pending review.

?We have reviewed Fareed Zakaria?s Time column, for which he has apologised. He wrote a shorter blog post on CNN.com on the same issue which included similar unattributed excerpts. That blog post has been removed and CNN has suspended Fareed Zakaria while this matter is under review,? CNN said.

Zakaria became editor of Newsweek International in 2000. After spending 10 years at the magazine, Zakaria moved to Time magazine to serve as a contributing editor and columnist.
He has written on a variety of subjects for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and as a wine columnist for the web magazine Slate.

Zakaria is the author of From Wealth to Power: The Unusual Origins of America?s World Role, The Future of Freedom, and The Post-American World.

MUMBAI: Jim Walton has told US news broadcaster CNN that he will step down as of CNN Worldwide president at the end of this year. He will, however, continue in his current role until that time.

Jim?s decision has the support and respect of Turner Broadcasting CEO Phil Kent as he leads the search for Walton?s successor.

Walton?s note to staff reads: "After more than 30 years at this company and nearly 10 years as the leader of this great news organisation, I have decided to leave my role at CNN on 31 December 2012. For some time, I?ve been talking with Phil Kent about wanting to make a change, and he supports my decision. I?ve told Phil that I will cooperate with any transition timeline that he and Time Warner want to implement. Phil requested that I work out the year and be available after that if needed, which I?ve agreed to do."

"I am proud of what we have accomplished together over these last 10 years ? innovative programming, the development of great talent in front of and behind the cameras, expansion in digital and mobile, significant investment and expansion in international coverage, financial success and, most importantly, great and trusted journalism.

"CNN needs new thinking. That starts with a new leader who brings a different perspective, different experiences and a new plan, one who will build on our great foundation and will commit to seeing it through. And I?m ready for a change. I have interests to explore and I want to give myself time to do it.

The next few months will be filled with election news and other important events.

Time Warner chairman, CEO Jeff Bewkes said, "When Jim Walton assumed the presidency of CNN in 2003, it was underperforming and earnings were in serious decline. Since then, he and CNN have tripled earnings, doubled margin and delivered annual growth of 15 per cent. In his nearly 31 years of uninterrupted and distinguished service to CNN, Jim has been instrumental in growing the business into the financial powerhouse it has become, while establishing the brand as the worldwide leader for television news."

MUMBAI: CNN has appointed Ann Chu as director - partner solutions group, CNN Advertising Sales Asia Pacific.

Chu will be based in Hong Kong and will report to CNN advertising sales Asia Pacific VP William Hsu. She will be responsible for generating and managing sponsorship opportunities and projects across the region.

Hsu said, "Ann?s experience in both the newsgathering and content sales functions position her extremely well to provide our clients with first-in-class sponsorship solutions. As the CNN ad sales team in Asia continues its solid sales performance this year, we look forward to Ann?s continued commitment to the network and our clients."

Chu brings in over a decade of experience. She was most recently the executive director of CNN broadcast sales and affiliate relations, responsible for managing sales and support of the network?s broadcast services to networks across the region. Prior to joining CNN, Chu had also worked at MTV Asia and Dreamworks in Los Angeles.