CNN on Wednesday officially moved the 5,000 pound red-and-white CNN logo, an iconic symbol at CNN Center for more than 25 years, to its Midtown campus.
Mark Thompson, CNN’s president and CEO for the past year, flew from New York City to emcee the ceremony, which included more than 200 current and former CNNers.
“It was a spectacular event,” said Tom Johnson, CNN president from 1990 to 2001 out of Atlanta. “A number of us CNN alumni were recognized for helping build CNN.”
New York-based executive vice president Ken Jautz and Jack Womack, who recently retired as CNN senior vice president for production and operations out of Atlanta, pulled the curtain back to show the logo, which was refurbished since it was removed from the sidewalk in front of what used to be CNN Center on Centennial Olympic Boulevard in March.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
“The tricky part of moving it was the campus is home to other Turner entities like Turner Sports,” said Womack, who retired in April. “We didn’t want to drop the logo in the middle and overtake the campus. We put it in a plaza where a lot of employees gather called the Meet Quad.
The logo in its new location will not be seen by the general public since the Turner Techwood campus is not open to passersby.
Other attendees at the event included Rick Davis, a former executive vice president of news standards and practices, who began at CNN when it launched in 1980 and retired in 2021; David Rust, a CNN photojournalist who worked there for more than 40 years; and MaryLynn Ryan, a CNN executive from 1995 to 2019 who organized a reunion of hundreds of CNN alum last year in front of the sign when it was still at CNN Center.
“It was definitely emotional to be back there and see those letters on the original campus,” Ryan said. “It’s an inspirational symbol for sure.”
CNN, after previous owner AT&T sold CNN Center to developers, moved its Atlanta newsroom last year to Midtown, where CNN first turned on the lights in 1980 as the nation’s first 24/7 cable news outlet. CNN visionary Ted Turner moved CNN to downtown Atlanta in 1987, turning that building with the CNN logo on top into a tourist draw and statement to the world that Atlanta was a media powerhouse.
The big logo on the sidewalk outside CNN Center was added in 1998 and became a popular spot for visitors to take photos and a focal point for protesters to gather. During the 2020 George Floyd protests, the logo was spray painted with graffiti. CNN cleaned it up overnight.
Johnson Wednesday also got to visit the new newsroom, which includes CNN’s digital and affiliate operations, editors for national and international newsgathering and producers for many of CNN’s on-air shows. The control rooms are shared by both sports and news. Weekend anchors such as Fredricka Whitfield and Victor Blackwell work out of the Midtown studios as well.
“Those who said they were going to miss CNN Center are now saying these facilities are far better,” Johnson said. “It’s truly high tech.”
Womack, who helped design CNN’s newsrooms both at Time Warner Center and its current location at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, said he didn’t have as much space to work with in Midtown compared to CNN Center.
“We built smaller studios,” he said. “It’s much more efficient. I consider it my best design.”
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