At 25, CNN needs 'Mouth of the South'

Twenty five years ago next week, on June 1, 1980, CNN became the first and only 24-hour cable news network. It was the brainchild of loud spoken Atlanta tycoon Ted Turner, often affectionately but sometimes disparagingly called "The Mouth of the South."
Know-it-all TV biggies and critics quickly wrote off CNN and labeled it the "Chicken Noodle Network." But with the brilliant Turner calling the shots and more than 300 highly professional staffers reporting news and commentary from around the world around the clock, the public tuned in.
For 15 years, CNN was king of the hill for news junkies. But in 1996, a downhill slide started when Turner sold his company for $7.5 billion to Time Warner. Officially, he was still CNN's overseer, but young Time Warner hotshots moved in on the decision-making. When Time Warner merged with AOL, things got worse.
During this time, media mogul Rupert Murdoch started Fox News network as a CNN competitor. His lieutenant Roger Ailes skillfully guided Fox to the top.
Now, these latest Neilson ratings show Fox with this huge lead over CNN:
• In prime time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), Fox has 1.6 million average nightly viewers, to 808,000 for CNN.
• In average 24-hour, seven-day viewing, Fox also nearly doubles CNN, 883,000 to 471,000.
Two reasons that trend is likely to continue: Judy Woodruff, longtime popular host of Inside Politics, is retiring on June 3. Lou Dobbs, featured in the 6-7 p.m. slot, is turning us off with his highly personal nightly editorial crusades against "outsourcing" of jobs at the expense of reporting news.
CNN needs fixing. Time Warner should try to talk Turner (he's only 66) into getting back in the saddle again to see whether he can ride his misguided horse back to the front.

From USA Today.com

Proposed Military Base Closings in your commuinties?

WASHINGTON — A list of military facilities the Defense Department recommended for closure Friday:

Alabama:
Abbott U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuskegee
Anderson U.S. Army Reserve Center, Troy
Armed Forces Reserve Center, Mobile
BG William P. Screws U.S. Army Reserve Center, Montgomery
Fort Ganey Army National Guard Reserve Center, Mobile
Fort Hanna Army National Guard Reserve Center, Birmingham
Gary U.S. Army Reserve Center, Enterprise
Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Montgomery
Navy Reserve Center, Tuscaloosa
The Adjutant General Building, AL Army National Guard, Montgomery
Wright U.S. Army Reserve Center

Alaska:
Kulis Air Guard Station

Arizona:
Air Force Research Lab, Mesa
Allen Hall Armed Forces Reserve Center, Tucson

Arkansas:
El Dorado Armed Forces Reserve Center
Stone U.S. Army Reserve Center, Pine Bluff

California:
Armed Forces Reserve Center Bell
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Oakland
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Bernardino
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Diego
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Seaside
Naval Support Activity Corona
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Detachment Concord
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Encino
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Los Angeles
Onizuka Air Force Station
Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant

Connecticut:
Sgt. Libby U.S. Army Reserve Center, New Haven
Submarine Base New London
Turner U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fairfield
U.S. Army Reserve Center Maintenance Support Facility, Middletown

Delaware:
Kirkwood U.S. Army Reserve Center, Newark

Florida:
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Orlando
Navy Reserve Center, St. Petersburg

Georgia:
Fort Gillem
Fort McPherson
Inspector/Instructor, Rome
Naval Air Station Atlanta
Naval Supply Corps School, Athens
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Columbus

Hawaii:
Army Reserve Center, Hilo

Idaho:
Navy Reserve Center, Pocatello

Illinois:
Armed Forces Reserve Center, Carbondale
Navy Reserve Center, Forest Park

Indiana:
Navy Marine Corps Reserve Center, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Bunker Hill
Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Indianapolis
Navy Reserve Center, Evansville
Newport Chemical Depot
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Lafayette
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Seston

Iowa:
Navy Reserve Center, Cedar Rapids
Navy Reserve Center, Sioux City
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Dubuque

Kansas:
Kansas Army Ammunition Plant

Kentucky:
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Paducah
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Lexington
Navy Reserve Center, Lexington
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Louisville
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Maysville

Louisiana:
Baton Rouge Army National Guard Reserve Center
Naval Support Activity, New Orleans
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Baton Rouge
Roberts U.S. Army Reserve Center, Baton Rouge

Maine:
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Limestone
Naval Reserve Center, Bangor
Naval Shipyard Portsmouth, Kittery

Maryland:
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Patuxent River
Navy Reserve Center, Adelphi
Pfc. Flair U.S. Army Reserve Center, Frederick

Massachusetts:
Malony U.S. Army Reserve Center
Otis Air Guard Base
Westover U.S. Army Reserve Center, Citopee

Michigan:
Navy Reserve Center Marquette
Parisian U.S. Army Reserve Center, Lansing
Selfridge Army Activity
W.K. Kellogg Airport Air Guard Station

Minnesota:
Navy Reserve Center Duluth

Mississippi:
Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant
Naval Station, Pascagoula
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Vicksburg

Missouri:
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Jefferson Barracks
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Kansas City
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, St. Louis
Marine Corps Support Center, Kansas City
Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Kansas City
Navy Reserve Center, Cape Girardeau

Montana:
Galt Hall U.S. Army Reserve Center, Great Falls

Nebraska:
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Columbus
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Grand Island
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Kearny
Naval Recruiting District Headquarters, Omaha
Navy Reserve Center, Lincoln

Nevada:
Hawthorne Army Depot

New Hampshire:
Doble U.S. Army Reserve Center, Portsmouth

New Jersey:
Fort Monmouth
Inspector/Instructor Center, West Trenton
Kilmer U.S. Army Reserve Center, Edison
SFC Nelson V. Brittin U.S. Army Reserve Center

New Mexico:
Cannon Air Force Base
Jenkins Armed Forces Reserve Center, Albuquerque

New York:
Armed Forces Reserve Center, Amityville
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Niagara Falls
Carpenter U.S. Army Reserve Center, Poughkeepsie
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Rome
Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Buffalo
Navy Reserve Center Glenn Falls
Navy Reserve Center Horsehead
Navy Reserve Center Watertown
Niagara Falls International Airport Air Guard Station

North Carolina:
Navy Reserve Center, Asheville
Niven U.S. Army Reserve Center, Albemarle

Ohio:
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Mansfield
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Westerville
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Dayton
Mansfield Lahm Municipal Airport Air Guard Station
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Akron
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Cleveland
Parrott U.S. Army Reserve Center, Kenton
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Whitehall

Oklahoma:
Armed Forces Reserve Center Broken Arrow
Armed Forces Reserve Center Muskogee
Army National Guard Reserve Center Tishomingo
Krowse U.S. Army Reserve Center, Oklahoma City
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Tulsa
Oklahoma City (95th)

Oregon:
Navy Reserve Center Central Point
Umatilla Army Depot

Pennsylvania:
Bristol
Engineering Field Activity Northeast
Kelly Support Center
Naval Air Station Willow Grove
Navy Crane Center Lester
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Reading
North Penn U.S. Army Reserve Center, Norristown
Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station
Serrenti U.S. Army Reserve Center, Scranton
U.S. Army Reserve Center Bloomsburg
U.S. Army Reserve Center Lewisburg
U.S. Army Reserve Center Williamsport
W. Reese U.S. Army Reserve Center/OMS, Chester

Puerto Rico:
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Humacao
Lavergne U.S. Army Reserve Center, Bayamon

Rhode Island:
Harwood U.S. Army Reserve Center, Providence
USARC Bristol

South Carolina:
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Charleston
South Naval Facilities Engineering Command

South Dakota:
Ellsworth Air Force Base

Tennessee:
U.S. Army Reserve Area Maintenance Support Facility, Kingsport

Texas:
Army National Guard Reserve Center No. 2, Dallas
Army National Guard Reserve Center (Hondo Pass), El Paso
Army National Guard Reserve Center, California Crossing
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Ellington
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Lufkin
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Marshall
Army National Guard Reserve Center, New Braunfels
Brooks City Base
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Antonio
Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant
Naval Station, Ingleside
Navy Reserve Center, Lubbock
Navy Reserve Center, Orange
Red River Army Depot
U.S. Army Reserve Center No. 2, Houston

Utah:
Deseret Chemical Depot

Virginia:
Fort Monroe

Washington:
1LT Richard H. Walker U.S. Army Reserve Center
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Everett
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Tacoma
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fort Lawton
Vancouver Barracks

West Virginia:
Bias U.S. Army Reserve Center, Huntington
Fairmont U.S. Army Reserve Center
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Moundsville

Wisconsin:
Gen. Mitchell International Airport ARS
Navy Reserve Center, La Crosse
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Madison
Olson U.S. Army Reserve Center, Madison
U.S. Army Reserve Center, O'Connell

Wyoming:
Army Aviation Support Facility, Cheyenne
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Thermopolis

What are you going to do about the Proposed Military Base Closings in your commuinties?

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