From Wonkette:
CNN Sends Very Important Press Release At 11:37 AM On Inauguration Day
Hey so like half an hour before our very first black president EVER
was sworn in, which is to say, when there wasn’t a whole lot going on,
anywhere, CNN decided to notify various press outlets that they had
released a rush transcript of Wolf Blitzer explaining the techmologies
behind their new space alien spybot in the sky…
On today’s special coverage, The Inauguration of Barack Obama,
Wolf Blitzer explained the satellite CNN is using to capture the crowds
gathered on the National Mall. A full transcript follows.The image will be part of the photosynth CNN is creating in partnership with Microsoft. Learn more at www.cnn.com/themoment.
Please credit all usage to CNN
Full Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I also want to let our viewers know we’re
going to be doing something rather extraordinary in the next few
minutes. We’ve ordered an exterior shot of the Mall from way up in
space. A satellite image will take a picture of what’s happening here
in Washington, D.C. GeoEye 6 satellite, to be precise. We’re going to
get the view from space. We’re going to turn that picture around as
quickly as we can, and you’re going to see what this would look like if
you were flying overhead from space, from a satellite. It’s going to
be, Anderson, a pretty amazing shot. I don’t think –ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: How do you work up a satellite?
BLITZER: David Bohrman, our Washington bureau chief…
COOPER: If anyone knows how to call up a satellite, it’s David Bohrman.
BLITZER: … does that. He just makes a phone call. He says, get me
the picture from that satellite. And we’re going to show it to our
viewers in the United States and around the world. We try, as all of
our viewers by now know, to do some unusual, extraordinary
technological –COOPER: Hopefully, there won’t be clouds.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CNN “Tries to do” Unusual, Extraordinary Technology!
I”m sure Ms. Grimaud’s Bach is lovely, but I think you were right not to “pitch” today. I don’t think people in DC could even get to work!
That might be an interesting post, though – what days and times of day do you send out press releases, and what days and times are off-limits, in your experience?
Actually, I would have been happy to hear about a new CD today (especially Grimaud’s Bach). It’s not like there is anything else important happening musically today — that bit of John Williams cloying Americana fluff certainly did not count. Lisa’s right — no one is going anywhere today, so I’ve been enjoying the day off and listening to CDs. Oh, and watching something happening downtown on television. Just another day in the federal city.
I confess I did find it a little odd to get press releases about non-inauguration matters yesterday, only because my whole day – and certainly our whole office – was so focused on the inauguration.
But the only time I was really put off by the timing of a press release is when a couple of press releases went out on 9-11-01.