Aaron Brown
Encyclopedia
Aaron Brown is an American broadcast journalist
most recognized for his coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks
, his first day on air at CNN
. He was a longtime reporter for ABC, the founding host of ABC's World News Now
, weekend anchor of World News Tonight and the host of CNN
's flagship evening program NewsNight with Aaron Brown
. He is currently the anchor of the PBS documentary series Wide Angle
and an instructor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University
.
affiliate and then the CBS
affiliate. He was hired by Seattle's KING-TV
in 1976, initially working as an assignment editor but soon becoming a reporter and eventually anchor. In 1986 he moved to KIRO-TV
, where he anchored the evening newscast, and remained with KIRO until December 1991.
to be the founding anchor of the late-night news program World News Now
. He also worked as a reporter for ABC
's news operation. He left World News Now to work as a reporter for World News Tonight
with Peter Jennings
, as well as Nightline and various other ABC programming. He became the substitute anchor for Jennings and the permanent anchor of ABC's World News Tonight Saturday and Good Morning America Sunday.
and the areas surrounding the remains of the Twin Towers
in New York City
. When the South Tower collapsed he interrupted a field reporter and uttered the words "I cannot see the tower." As the second tower fell on live television, Brown fell silent, until he quietly said, "...good Lord...there are no words..." and resumed reporting after several seconds.
CNN
saw Brown as a protégé of Peter Jennings
and wanted to duplicate Jennings' success for their network. CNN branded their flagship evening program NewsNight with Aaron Brown
. Brown also served as host of CNN Presents
and was assigned the lead anchor during breaking news and special events.
, the 2002 House and Senate elections
, the Beltway sniper attacks
and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq
, Brown anchored from the CNN Center
in Atlanta, providing viewers with the latest information from frontline reports as well as from Washington, D.C.
and United States Central Command
in Doha
, Qatar
.
In 2003, he garnered negative press attention for continuing to play in the Bob Hope Classic
golf tournament in Palm Desert, California
, after the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster occurred. While other major news anchors such as Tom Brokaw
, Peter Jennings
, and Dan Rather
immediately left their vacations, Brown did not come into the studio and instead continued playing golf. The New York Times reported that Brown had actually been trying to get back to the studios, but CNN didn't go to special lengths to move Mr. Brown into position because Miles O'Brien, the channel's space expert, was anchoring the unfolding events.
During the United States 2004 presidential election
, CNN used the NASDAQ
Market Site for its election coverage, which some point to as the birth of the idea for Wolf Blitzer's
The Situation Room
. Brown was tasked to periodically make commentaries on the trends of the evening's results, while Anderson Cooper
was then tasked at monitoring key Senate
and House races.
Brown won three Emmys, including one Emmy for his report "Streets of Iraq" during the Iraq War. In addition, Brown won a DuPont, two New York Film Society World medals and a George Foster Peabody Award.
On November 3, 2005, CNN announced that Brown would be leaving the network, with Anderson Cooper
's program Anderson Cooper 360°
replacing NewsNight as the flagship program in CNN's evening lineup in an effort to shift toward a younger demographic. The two had shared anchoring duties in the 10:00 PM time slot through the early fall after Cooper's break out success covering Hurricane Katrina
. Many said Brown's cerebral "news for grown-ups" style would be missed, while others found him lacking.
. Brown is the anchor of the series, and does reports from the field.
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
most recognized for his coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, his first day on air at CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. He was a longtime reporter for ABC, the founding host of ABC's World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
, weekend anchor of World News Tonight and the host of CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's flagship evening program NewsNight with Aaron Brown
NewsNight with Aaron Brown
NewsNight with Aaron Brown was a live international news broadcast, which appeared on the CNN network from 2001 to 2005. It aired at 10 p.m. ET on weeknights, hosted by Aaron Brown. In its final year, it was co-hosted by Anderson Cooper....
. He is currently the anchor of the PBS documentary series Wide Angle
Wide Angle (TV series)
Wide Angle is an American documentary television series produced by Thirteen/WNET New York for broadcast on PBS and for worldwide distribution. The weekly one-hour series covers international current affairs and is presently hosted by veteran journalist Aaron Brown...
and an instructor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
.
Early career
In the late 1960s, Brown dropped out of the University of Minnesota as a political science major and signed up for active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. He began his broadcasting career as a radio talk show host in Minneapolis and later in Los Angeles. Before his time at the national news networks, Brown was a Seattle broadcasting staple, spending more than 15 years at television stations there, first at the NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate and then the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate. He was hired by Seattle's KING-TV
KING-TV
KING-TV, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Seattle, Washington, affiliated with the NBC network. Owned by Belo Corporation, it broadcasts on UHF digital channel 48. Its offices and broadcasting center are located just east of Seattle Center...
in 1976, initially working as an assignment editor but soon becoming a reporter and eventually anchor. In 1986 he moved to KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS affiliate television station in Seattle, Washington. It broadcasts on digital channel 39. The station's offices and broadcasting center are located near Seattle Center in Belltown, and its transmitter is located on Queen Anne Hill...
, where he anchored the evening newscast, and remained with KIRO until December 1991.
ABC
Brown was brought to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to be the founding anchor of the late-night news program World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
. He also worked as a reporter for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's news operation. He left World News Now to work as a reporter for World News Tonight
World News with Charles Gibson
ABC World News is the flagship daily evening program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting Company television network in the United States. Currently, the weekday editions are anchored by Diane Sawyer and the weekend editions are anchored by David Muir. The program has been...
with Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
, as well as Nightline and various other ABC programming. He became the substitute anchor for Jennings and the permanent anchor of ABC's World News Tonight Saturday and Good Morning America Sunday.
9/11
Although Brown's first day at CNN was July 1, 2001, his first on-air broadcast was September 11, 2001. He received international recognition as well as winning the Edward R. Murrow Award for his reporting of the attacks from CNN's rooftop in Manhattan, as well as the World Trade Center siteWorld Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
and the areas surrounding the remains of the Twin Towers
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. When the South Tower collapsed he interrupted a field reporter and uttered the words "I cannot see the tower." As the second tower fell on live television, Brown fell silent, until he quietly said, "...good Lord...there are no words..." and resumed reporting after several seconds.
CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
saw Brown as a protégé of Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
and wanted to duplicate Jennings' success for their network. CNN branded their flagship evening program NewsNight with Aaron Brown
NewsNight with Aaron Brown
NewsNight with Aaron Brown was a live international news broadcast, which appeared on the CNN network from 2001 to 2005. It aired at 10 p.m. ET on weeknights, hosted by Aaron Brown. In its final year, it was co-hosted by Anderson Cooper....
. Brown also served as host of CNN Presents
CNN Presents
CNN Presents is an American documentary program on CNN weekends. The program used to be replaced with CNN Special Investigations Unit, which features the same documentary format, but differs from it in a number of ways and is shorter in length....
and was assigned the lead anchor during breaking news and special events.
Post 9/11
He covered numerous other news events for CNN, including the War on TerrorismWar on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, the 2002 House and Senate elections
United States Senate elections, 2002
The 2002 United States Senate election featured a series of fiercely contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and thus a narrow majority from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. Senators who were elected in 1996, known as Senate...
, the Beltway sniper attacks
Beltway sniper attacks
The Washington sniper attacks took place during three weeks in October 2002 in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Ten people were killed and three others critically injured in various locations throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 in Virginia...
and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...
. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, Brown anchored from the CNN Center
CNN Center
The CNN Center is the world headquarters of the Cable News Network . The main newsrooms and studios for several of CNN's news channels are located in the building...
in Atlanta, providing viewers with the latest information from frontline reports as well as from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and United States Central Command
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...
in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
.
In 2003, he garnered negative press attention for continuing to play in the Bob Hope Classic
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
The Bob Hope Classic is a professional golf tournament played each January in California's Coachella Valley. Part of the PGA Tour's early season West Coast Swing, this tournament is well known for its celebrity pro-am, as well as having five daily 18-hole rounds of competition vs. the Tour standard...
golf tournament in Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
, after the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster occurred. While other major news anchors such as Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
, Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
, and Dan Rather
Dan Rather
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, from March 9,...
immediately left their vacations, Brown did not come into the studio and instead continued playing golf. The New York Times reported that Brown had actually been trying to get back to the studios, but CNN didn't go to special lengths to move Mr. Brown into position because Miles O'Brien, the channel's space expert, was anchoring the unfolding events.
During the United States 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, CNN used the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
Market Site for its election coverage, which some point to as the birth of the idea for Wolf Blitzer's
Wolf Blitzer
Wolf Isaac Blitzer is an American journalist who has been a CNN reporter since 1990. Blitzer is currently the host of the newscast The Situation Room and was the host of the Sunday talk show Late Edition until it was discontinued on January 11, 2009...
The Situation Room
The Situation Room
The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is an afternoon/early evening newscast on CNN and CNN International hosted by Wolf Blitzer that first aired on August 8, 2005. The show replaces three politics and hard news programs: Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics, Crossfire and Wolf Blitzer Reports.At first,...
. Brown was tasked to periodically make commentaries on the trends of the evening's results, while Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
was then tasked at monitoring key Senate
United States Senate elections, 2004
The United States Senate election, 2004 was an election for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House election, as well as many state and local elections. Senators who were elected in 1998,...
and House races.
Brown won three Emmys, including one Emmy for his report "Streets of Iraq" during the Iraq War. In addition, Brown won a DuPont, two New York Film Society World medals and a George Foster Peabody Award.
On November 3, 2005, CNN announced that Brown would be leaving the network, with Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
's program Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360° is a one-hour television news show on CNN, hosted by the American journalist Anderson Cooper. It is also broadcast around the world on CNN International....
replacing NewsNight as the flagship program in CNN's evening lineup in an effort to shift toward a younger demographic. The two had shared anchoring duties in the 10:00 PM time slot through the early fall after Cooper's break out success covering Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. Many said Brown's cerebral "news for grown-ups" style would be missed, while others found him lacking.
Public broadcasting
Brown was under contract with CNN until June 2007, which prevented him from doing interviews or returning to television. In 2008, he returned to television as the host of PBS's Wide AngleWide Angle (TV series)
Wide Angle is an American documentary television series produced by Thirteen/WNET New York for broadcast on PBS and for worldwide distribution. The weekly one-hour series covers international current affairs and is presently hosted by veteran journalist Aaron Brown...
. Brown is the anchor of the series, and does reports from the field.