Bernard Shaw was at CNN "before the beginning," before the all-news, round-the-clock network began on June 1, 1980.
"Critics were saying it would not work. They were wondering if we'd have enough to fill the time, 24 hours a day," he recalled. "But we interrupted our first commercial to get President Carter on the air. He had just been to the hospital to visit Vernon Jordan, who had been shot. It was breaking news."
Shaw, Cable News Network's principal anchor, will be among the journalists participating in two prime-time specials for CNN's 20th anniversary, Thursday and next Friday at 6 and 9 p.m. each day.
The two-hour programs, hosted by Larry King, will revisit many of the top news events of the past 20 years. King will interview both CNN journalists and newsmakers who were there.
In Washington, "They were literally building the place, room by room and wall by wall," Shaw said. During one newscast, two painters started talking behind him on the set while he was on the air.
In the beginning, "the atmosphere was tense and filled with anxiety. We were anxious to prove ourselves, to get on the air. . . . The average day was 12 hours. It was expected and we did it."
CNN initially was criticized for not having perspective and analysis, Shaw said. "But no one can say that now. Look at our political coverage . . . at 'Crossfire,' 'Inside Politics' and others."
At first, CNN had an identity problem, he added. "When we went on air, sometimes it was a teeth-pulling operation to get guests. People didn't know who we were. It took intense effort--daily--to tell people who we were and why they should bother to be on the programs. . . . That battle was won in a relatively short time."
Frank Sesno, senior vice president and Washington bureau chief for CNN, has been with the cable network for 16 years. "In the beginning, very few listened or watched because very few could see or hear or were connected. Now CNN is listened to," he said.
When Sesno called the White House in the early days and identified himself as being with CNN, he said, "I used to get, 'Is this the phone company?' "
Sesno would say, "This is Ted Turner's 24-hour news network," and found that people recognized Turner's name.
When Turner launched the network, he had high expectations. "We sign on June 1, and barring satellite problems in the future, we won't be signing off until the world ends. . . . We will cover it live . . . that'll be our last event," he said at the time.
