European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                In no a key people include anchorwoman Bobbie Battista left recently promoted and Lyn Vaughn who took Over for Battista As Anchor for Many of the newscasts seen nightly in Europe. Can by Jane Hall los Angeles times nearing its 10th anniversary wondering where its going it is a Busy Day in the global Village. George Bush Mikhail s. Gorbachev and South african president Frederik w. De Klerk Are All making front Page news. West Virginia is under court order to close an overcrowded prison the Toronto City Council is considering a measure to curb the greenhouse effect and Japan is introducing a new Bullet train. Around a Large conference table in the Atlanta Headquarters of Cable news network the senior executives and producers of can gather at 8 . To determine the run Down of stories and the deployment of troops. Since can As advertised is a 24-hour news Channel with newscasts throughout the Day the pressure is to get the stories on the air As soon As possible. Quot the broadcast networks focus their resources on their half hour evening newscasts Quot said de Turner the can executive in charge of news gathering. Quot our charter is to get it in and get it on. Get it right but get it  a when i started out Here 10 years ago Quot says Wendy Walker a 37-year-old Washington producer for can Quot new makers did no to know who we were. On a Public affairs show i used to Book the special assistant to the acting Secretary for intergovernmental affairs at the presidents commission on the metric  now Quot when we were in Poland recently Quot says Walker Quot i saw Lech Walesa practising his Spee to wearing a can  but As Cable news network approaches its 10th anniversary in june it is facing something of an identity crisis. Even As it grows can is grappling with its vision of the future. Can has made its reputation with its round the clock no frills format and extended live coverage from the revolution in China to the Stock Market crash on Wall Street. In pointed contrast to the broadcast networks can has prided itself on making the news a not the Anchor a the Star. But despite recent gains can s Nielsen ratings have hit a plateau averaging a 0.7 in the Nielsen Over the course of a Day in february about 645,000 households. With operating profits of $134 million in 1989, can executives Are thinking about ways to bring in More regular viewers a and to provide the kind of in depth analysis that its critics say it needs to grow beyond being a sort of associated press on video. Does that translate into the High profile investigative team that made its on air debut recently will there be More network style anchors like Catherine crier a Texas judge who was hired last fall to co Anchor a can newscast without any experience in journalism says one can producer Quot we re at a  once derided As the Quot Chicken Noodle network Quot by broadcast to executives can has upped the Ante in broadcast news forcing Abc lbs and Abc to increase their live news coverage and regularly Fly their anchors around the world to the scenes of big stories. So entrenched is the upstart that lbs executives recently went to Atlanta to court can founder ted Turner their old Nemesis about possibly sharing some news gathering facilities. Now seen in 90 countries around the world can has become such a Force in video geopolitics that president Bush is reported to have watched can to see How the invasion of Panama was going and a recent can report that Gorbachev was considering resigning his position As chief of the communist party immediately affected financial markets around the world. Quot i believe we be established ourselves As the network where people know they can tune in when something happens knowing Well be there to stay with the Story quoted Turner says. Quot news is our Only Story and we Don t have to break into major dad to do  indeed a major news event has an immediate Impact on in no a ratings. The san Francisco Bay area earthquake last october gave can its highest average audience the Day after the temblor an average of 1,273,000 households watched can throughout the Day. The ratings were Only slightly smaller the Day after the . Invasion of Panama in january. And the highest ratings for one 15-minute period were registered during the Rescue of Jessica Mcclure from a Texas Well in october 1987, when 3.1 million households were tuned in. The Challenge for can now is to maintain its franchise and influential audience As the All news network while enhancing its programming to attract new viewers. Can began airing the first reports from its special assignment investigative unit late last month a a four part investigation into practices in College basketball. Originated by ted Turner the unit is headed by Pam Hill who previously spent 10 years in charge of the award winning documentary unit at Abc news. With a budget of several million dollars special assignment is a departure for can which began on the cheap with non Union Talent Many of them Young people just out of College. It continues to be a place where Bureau chiefs have to account for the number of notebooks they use despite the recent increase in resources. But if there is occasional grumbling about the unit s resources it also is seen As a sign of the growth of can. Paul Amos the can executive in charge of developing programming believes that where can will make its Mark in the next decade is in Quot coming up with breakthrough news programs that Are More than news  he once considered a news quiz show but abandoned that idea. Quot whatever we do will be consistent with our news coverage Quot Amos promises. Quot we re not talking about a musical variety news  so what will it be the next nightlife or a news quiz a Nairobi Bureau or a new satellite unlink from Eastern Europe Cable news network today is in the enviable position of not yet having to select one among the Many competing visions of its future. But the choices it makes a among hard news analysis and the entertainment values of network to a will be televised live around the world. Quot we be got to examine every possibility to stay competitive in an environment where we re up against 50 different Cable channels Quot Amos says. Quot if you sit there and do business As usual thinking you be captured your Market Niche you la get  monday april 23, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 13