By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Brooke Baldwin is the only CNN anchor born and raised in Atlanta. Her star has been on the rise there (along with her ratings) as afternoon host sandwiched between Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper from 2 to 4 p.m. weekdays. This Saturday, she'll be returning to her roots as commencement speaker at Westminster Schools, where she graduated 18 years ago.
I caught up with her last month to talk about her time there and her move to New York last year after several years at CNN Center. She is enjoying her time in Manhattan so far and likes the fact she can sub in on shows based in New York such as the morning "New Day" program and "CNN Tonight" at 10 p.m. while having face-to-face access to more guests.
And she told me in an exclusive bit of news: Fox News almost lured her away from CNN in 2010.
Here is the story I wrote for the print edition:
Last month was a watershed moment for Atlanta native and CNN afternoon anchor Brooke Baldwin: She was parodied on “Saturday Night Live” by comedian Cecily Strong.
“She had the same purple dress I had worn the Wednesday before. She had her hair curled. She was me. I couldn’t believe it!” Baldwin said. “Even though it wasn’t entirely kind to CNN, the fact they parodied you is kind of a big deal. It means you made it.”
Indeed. Her star is rising at CNN, where she anchors the news from 2 to 4 p.m. sandwiched between Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper. CNN President Jeff Zucker moved her to New York from CNN Center last summer, and her ratings have improved. She even beat powerhouse No. 1 Fox News in the 25-54 demographic over an entire month earlier this year, a rare feat in this day and age.
“She’s a terrific talent,” said Michael Bass, CNN’s executive vice president for programming in New York. “She’s curious and interested in a lot of things. She can do hard news and cover pop culture. She can handle breaking news at the desk and in the field.”
Baldwin said she cultivated that curiosity and a sense of integrity at Westminster Schools, where she is returning Saturday as commencement speaker 18 years after she graduated. “The fire in my belly, a sense of real drive was instilled there,” she said. “I was president of the senior class. I actually spoke at my graduation in 1997. This is like a weird full circle moment to be back.”
Scoot Dimon, who taught civil rights to Baldwin during her senior year and is now assistant headmaster at Westminster, called her an idealist. “She wasn’t just taking the course to learn about civil rights. She felt it in her heart. She was someone who really wanted to make the world a better place.”
One day, he heard Rosa Parks was going to be signing her book “Dear Mrs. Parks” at Barnes & Noble in Buckhead on a Saturday. He recommended his 15 students go and meet a truly historical figure.
Baldwin was the only one who went. She waited 90 minutes. For her, it was a no-brainer. “Scoot Dimon’s class really smacked me,” she said. “The discrimination, the injustices and the courage of so many. I wanted to shake her hand. That’s really it.”
One of her closest friends in high school, Aki Kameyama Martin, said Baldwin was caring and approachable by her very nature but also purposeful.
“I will never forget graduation day,” Martin said. “We were partying at a friend’s house wondering what we were going to do next. She had a plan. She knew she wanted to go into broadcasting, specifically CNN.”
Baldwin doesn’t quite recall it the same way. She said she was also interested in film and screenwriting as a teen. “I remember it being on my radar. I remember admiring Jane Pauley.” She said her desire to work at CNN only came once she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and switched from being an English major to journalism.
She said she applied for an internship at CNN and was turned down at first. “I remember calling the guy up and talking him into taking me!” she said. She liked the fast pace and the brand: “I was among my kind of people. I wanted in on journalism after that summer. I knew it in my bones.”
After college, she moved up the broadcast ranks in West Virginia and D.C., then took a leap of faith in 2008 and moved back to Atlanta with only a freelancing option at CNN. The recession hit and her workload dropped to two days a week.
“I was wondering, ‘What have I done? I left a sure thing for Atlanta and now I’m barely working!’” she said.
Over two and a half years, she remained a freelancer — until Fox News called. With Fox knocking, CNN hired her as a full-time correspondent. Within a few months, as the daytime lineup was shuffled, management gave her a coveted afternoon anchoring job. She was just 31.
CNN has also placed her in the field, including President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, the Sandy Hook shootings, the Boston marathon bombing and the recent Baltimore unrest after the death of a man in police custody. But she is not infallible. While in Baltimore, she committed a verbal snafu, saying she had heard local residents tell her some military veterans return from war and “they don’t know their communities and they’re ready to do battle.”
After a backlash online, she went on air and offered this emotional apology: “I wholeheartedly retract what I said and I’ve thought tremendously about this and to our nation’s veterans — this is just who I want to speak to this morning. I have the utmost respect for our men and women in uniform and I wanted you to know that this morning. To all of you, I owe you a tremendous apology. I am truly sorry.”
Bass, her boss, said she handled it well: “She owned up to it quickly. I was very impressed with how she went on the air the next day on ‘New Day’ and on her own show and took ownership and expressed regret.”
So far, Baldwin is enjoying life in Manhattan. From a work perspective, she can now more easily sub in for shows based in New York like the morning “New Day” or evening “CNN Tonight” at 10 p.m. She can also do more face-to-face interviews with guests, who are more readily available in New York than Atlanta.
“I love Atlanta. Atlanta will always be home to me in a unique way no other CNN anchor can say,” Baldwin said. “But moving up here has been wonderful with the access and events, the people I brush shoulders with.”
That includes seeing “Saturday Night Live” in person a couple of weeks ago: “I spent the evening talking with ‘SNL’ writers, (musical guest) Wiz Khalifa and (creator) Lorne (Michaels). Totally meant to meet Cecily but I didn’t!”
Here's my Q&A with her, edited for length.
Q: How are you going to make your commencement speech special?
Baldwin: I went back to my college alma mater UNC Chapel Hill last year to talk to the journalism school. I found myself Googling some of my favorite speeches like Conan O'Brien's and Steve Jobs'. Those are fantastic commencement speeches. I came up with three good stories that hopefully the students can relate to me. This time, I'll try to figure out the right stories for 18 year olds. The trick will be how long can I hold their attention?
Q: Was it easy to get into Westminster for you?
Baldwin: I've been told it's harder to get into Westminster in ninth grade than Harvard after high school. I feel fortunate I got in. There were some amazing people I met there. I was blessed to take the classes I did. I developed a sense of leadership and integrity at Westminster. The fire in my belly, a sense of real drive was instilled there.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: Do you expect this will create major sentimentality on your part?
Baldwin: What's wild is I was president of the senior class. I actually spoke at my graduation in 1997. This is like a weird full circle moment to be back. [She recently visited.] Driving in the front gate, it felt the same. But it's grown bigger with lots of fancy buildings.
Q: What did your parents do to afford it?
Baldwin: My mom was a teacher. My dad was a consultant at Deloitte. He worked his tail off as a consultant. Somehow, they made it happen.
Q: How did you end up at CNN in 2008?
Baldwin: I was in D.C. working as a reporter. It's a non-traditional story. Imagine as a kid growing up in Atlanta drinking Coca Cola. You know about CNN. My very first internship was at CNN when the bug bit. I had a boss who ended up at CNNI. She said, "Brooke - take the plunge!' I had conversations but there wasn't an official job offer. I then took a big leap. I just jumped. I came on CNN as a freelancer. I ended up freelancing for two and a half years. You're a freelancer with a yellow badge. I worked my tail off. The economy then took a nosedive. They froze freelance positions. I was down to working two days a week. I was wondering, 'What have I done? I left a sure thing for Atlanta and now I'm barely working!' Slowly but surely, things picked up. I've never shared this before but Fox News called me. Roger Ailes [president of Fox News], I owe you one. Join Fox, he said. CNN said, 'Whoa! We invested two and a half years on you. Let's make you a full-time correspondent.' That could have been a major opportunity at Fox. But I stuck with CNN. Slowly but surely I began working on certain shows. Then they made some changes and needed me to anchor at 3 p.m.
Q: That was quick!
Baldwin: It was October 2010. I was the new kid with a show. There were a lot of eyeballs on me. I'd been in the business at 10 years at that point. I was barely 30 years old. [Technically, she was 31 at the time.]
Q: And you were on in the mid-afternoon when a lot of breaking news happens.
Baldwin: Big news happens. You have to be ready to roll at any given moment. You have to be pivot from a to m to z. I have an awesome executive producer who helps me pivot. We knew. We're CNN. We cover the major stories. We emerged as the show that tackled stories you would definitely be talking about with your colleagues at work... We did a lot of political news of course during the election season. Sometimes when I get my way, I get to talk to a musician. I recently got to talk to Bill Withers. He's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was so lovely. He referred to the two of us as old buddies. Willie Nelseon became a buddy. I talked to him a few times. Dolly Parton was super fun. We got to go to Nashville for her. I'd love to get Stevie Wonder.
Q: How has Jeff Zucker (president of CNN since early 2013) treated you?
Baldwin: He's been really good to me. We have an awesome relationship. He pops into my office daily, sometimes to joke with me about something. Sometimes, we'll rib on each other. He has done awesome things. I'm in the same spot [she did move from 3 to 5 p.m. to 2 to 4 p.m. a couple of years ago.] I still have a job. I had an incredible year. I love being in the field. I'm a reporter at heart. When he first came on, he threw resources at major stories. I think that's when CNN really resonates with people.
Q: You spent a long time in Boston after the marathon bombing.
Baldwin: That was the highlight of my recent career. I happened to be there the weekend before. They spun me around and I was there for a month to live it and breath it. I worked 21 straight days. It helps me now to cover the Tsarnaev trial. I have all these contacts.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: So how's the adjustment to New York?
Baldwin: I think it came time when I was doing a new [contract] deal. [Zucker] said we think you could really soar up here. I agreed. I love Atlanta. Atlanta will always be home to me in a unique way no other CNN anchor can say. But moving up here has been wonderful with the access and events, the people I brush shoulders with. I can get people to come on the show when I meet them face to face. It's a lot harder to turn me down when I'm right there.
Q: It's easier to do interviews in person than by satellite, right?
Baldwin: Having a person sitting next to you is better than having people in boxes next to my head. It makes for more compelling TV. But I try to make it back to Atlanta every other month. [Her producers are still based in Atlanta.]
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: What part of New York do you live in?
Baldwin: I'm in the West Village. I have definitely taken advantage of it. I refer this to be the season of yes. If you invite me to do something cool, I'm going to figure out my schedule to say yes. I want to take it all in. I was just on Broadway. Jerry O'Connell invited me to his show. That was flattering! I was there opening night and I met his wife. I'm invited to all these wild things and I find I'm pinching myself.
Q: What was your reaction when Cecily Strong on "SNL" imitated you?
Baldwin: I'm going to sound like a loser but I had the flu that weekend. I was asleep. I woke up the next morning and my phone was blowing up. I started seeing the memes and texts and tweets. I went on Hulu to watch it. She had the same purple dress I had worn the Wednesday before. She had her hair curled. She was me. I couldn't believe it. Even though it wasn't entire kind to CNN, the fact they parodied you is kind of a big deal. It means you made it.
[hulu id=feinvsg6tehkniagjx1z7a width=512]
Q: How do you like Cecily Strong?
Baldwin: She's the best. Not only that, I have a buddy over there who's a crew guy. He showed up at my office the next Monday. He had procured the cue card that had my name on it. I have it in my office!
Q: You just came back from a vacation in Tanzania and climbed Mt. Kilamanjaro.
Baldwin: I'm still working through it. I have never been to Africa before... It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I was with people who do marathons and are triathletes. None of us knew how challenging it would be. If we had, we would never have signed up. It's like having a baby. You want to do it but it's so incredibly painful in a way you can't describe. Then you want to do it again. You forget the pain. You have the bug again... The idea of kicking back seven days, no shower, no make up, no cel phone. That was the best. Normally, I have to be presentable every day. It was great to be on a vacation and truly be in nature like that.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
ON TV
CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin, 2 to 4 p.m. weekdays, CNN
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