Turner Holds Upfront



Turner, which owns several television properties, held its annual upfront presentation for advertisers and the media on Wednesday. The presentation featured a heavy dosage of politics and CNN as the cable news channel has seen viewership spikes due to interest in the election.

Numerous personalities from Turner properties, especially CNN, made appearances. Lead politics anchor Wolf Blitzer opened and closed the presentation and Anderson Cooper hosted a town hall with Charles Barkley, co-host of Inside the NBA, and Conan O’Brien, host of TBS’s Conan. Dana Bash and Jake Tapper covered the post-town hall as they frequently do following CNN’s town halls. Tapper also appeared in animated form as Drake Drapper and moderated a debate between the Powerpuff Girls on TNN.

Anderson Cooper presented for CNN and took a shot at MSNBC and Fox News by saying, “CNN is the only cable network that both parties have worked with.” He also brought up HLN, CNN’s sister network, and said, “There is a lot happening at HLN so stay tuned for that” CNN also debuted a new Go There promo called Why We Go that prominently features Blitzer and Nairobi correspondent Nima Elbagir.

CNN also announced three new original series. One that looks at the history of comedy, another significant songs of history, and the latest in CNN’s decade series, The Nineties. CNN also announced the renewal of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, This is Life with Lisa Ling, The Hunt with John Walsh, Death Row Stories, The Wonder List with Bill Weir, and Finding Jesus.

TBS late night host Samantha Bee, the only female late night host on linear television, said during the presentation that she would like to go the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and sponsor it. The sponsorship costs $100,000, so Bee made a plea to the advertisers to help front the costs. “The entire world will be watching Cleveland. I know you think I’m joking, but I am not. We are going to talk at the cocktail party after.”


About Tyler

Tyler is the chief media reporter for TKNN, with the news organization since its founding in November of 2010. He has previously served as chief political reporter and chief political anchor for TKNN.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *