Producer Profile: Suzanne Eichner

Equipment:

• Power Mac 6100 - 40MB RAM
• One TV tuned to CNN

Five most commonly used applications: CNN network-wide news gathering system Basys, Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Word, File Maker Pro, Lexis-Nexis

Overall role: "In charge of what we're covering on a daily basis and seeing that each one of those stories that is part of the daily news process gets through to the end."

Daily duties:

• Reads in to find out what's going on in the world, at the network and on the site.
• Puts together a rundown using Basys to serve as a framework for the expected coverage of the day.
• Holds editorial meeting.
• Writes the stories on the white board.
• Searches for and prints background information for the multimedia designer and editorial assistant.
• Monitors tape feed times, story developments and breaking news.
• Coordinates stories with producers at the AllPolitics and CNNfn web sites.
• Makes sure all the story elements come together in a timely manner. "Sometimes I feel like I can't concentrate on one thing for more than five minutes because (I) get pulled away to do something else."
• Checks a completed story to make sure it meets editorial and technical standards.

Personal stats:

• 30 years old
• Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri.
• Suzanne has worked at CNN for nearly three years. She started as a video journalist at Headline News and worked her way up to a writer and news cut-in producer before moving to CNN Interactive in October 1995.
• She developed more of a technical background while working part-time in the Technology unit for six months during her tenure at Headline News.
• Prior to working at CNN, Suzanne worked for two years as a reporter at an affiliate television and radio station in Columbia, Missouri.

Back to Anatomy of a Story Main Page

---

The Newsroom Exposed | Anniversary Main Page | CNN Main Page |
The Big Stories | My Downloadable Dolly | Visions of the Future | Best of Feedback | The Flashback Machine | TV Guy Goes Interactive | Sites We Relate To | Win Prizes Here!

---