Atlanta, Georgia has been the home of the CNN Center for the past 35 years. Back in 2020, CNN decided it was time to move but waited until after the merger with Discovery and Warner Bros. Yesterday, over 500 past and present employees joined a farewell celebration to the media mothership, including a cardboard cutout of founder Ted Turner.
“There’s a sentimental attachment to this place, but it’s the right thing to move out of here,” said Richard T. Griffiths, Former Vice President and Senior Editorial Director for CNN Worldwide.
The party was organized by former CNN Vice President MaryLynn Ryan. June 1st also marked CNN’s 43rd broadcasting birthday, founded back in 1980. Sources report several notable CNN employees were in attendance, including:
“Former CNN anchor Jim Clancy, CNN anchor Amara Walker, former CNN international executive David Clinch, CNN correspondent Ryan Young, former CNN president Tom Johnson, former CNN International anchor George Howell, former CNN Sports anchor Mark McKay, and former vice president and senior editorial director of CNN Worldwide Richard T. Griffiths.”
CNN’s weekday anchors work out of the network’s Washington D.C. and New York centers. The Atlanta building served as a hub for digital and international operations as well as administrative duties and research. The network will relocate to Warner Bros. Discovery’s nearby Techwood Turner Broadcasting campus, where it was originally from 1980 to 1987.
Shutting down and relocating the Atlanta CNN Center is a big job that is expected to conclude later this year, though no official date has been set yet. The Techwood Turner Broadcasting campus has already begun renovating its facility to prepare for CNN’s arrival.
This is one of several major changes CNN Worldwide is initiating this year, the most recent naming David Leavy as the new Chief Operating Officer.