CNN's 25th Anniversary

(From The New York Daily News -- by Marisa Guthrie)

Twenty-five years ago today, the country's first all-news, 24-hour cable channel was launched. And although CABLE NEWS NETWORK (CNN) was initially derided as the "Chicken Noodle Network," it grew into a powerful, global news organization.

"Twenty-five years ago, CNN was a dream," said JIM WALTON, who has been president of CNN for 24 of those 25 years. "Fast-forward to today, and CNN is one of the most recognized brands in the world."

The channel debuted in 2 million homes. Today, more than 89 million U.S. households have CNN, and CNN INTERNATIONAL is available in 160 million households. CNN's combined reach -- more than 2 billion people in 200 countries.

"We had a larger-than-life (founder and) leader in TED TURNER," said Walton, "and we had a lot of ambitious, passionate journalists who wanted to make a difference."

The network will mark the milestone tonight with a two-hour retrospective with ANDERSON COOPER, PAULA ZAHN and AARON BROWN. DEFINING MOMENTS -- 25 STORIES THAT TOUCHED OUR LIVES starts at 8 pm, then breaks at 9 pm for LARRY KING LIVE and continues again at 10.

KING's show will celebrate his 20 years on CNN.

Some of the stories recalled in the special include the student protests in CHINA's TIANANMEN SQUARE, the shootings at COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL, the death of PRINCESS DIANA, the trials of O.J. SIMPSON and WILLIAM KENNEDY SMITH, the MONICA LEWINSKY scandal, and the recent tsunami that ravaged SOUTHEAST ASIA. And the story that put CNN on the map -- THE FIRST GULF WAR in 1991.

"CNN was the only network that was able to broadcast live pictures when the (bombing) started," said Walton. "We cannot underestimate the impact that those hours had."

Of course, there's competition now in the cable news universe. FOX NEW CHANNEL, in particular, has established itself in the U.S. as CNN's main rival and overtook CNN in the ratings during last year's REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION.

"If we stick to our knitting," said Walton about the competition, "and we get it right, and we're accurate and timely and we continue to be innovative, we will continue to grow."

Among those innovations, CNN plans to launch free broadband service this summer. The network also offers digital video for PDAs, cell phones and pagers.

What is Walton's most poignant memory during his tenure at CNN?

"There have been so many remarkable times over the 24 years," he said, "but the thing that I'll remember the most is in the early days the people at more established news organizations looking down on us as if somehow we didn't belong."