Summer 2005

CNN’s Crossfire: It’s a Wrap

Cable News Network Retires Political Debate Program After 23 Years

As the lights on the stage of the Jack Morton Auditorium dimmed June 3, members of The George Washington University and CNN bid farewell to “Crossfire” after more than two decades as the leader among political debate programs.

Since CNN’s “Crossfire” moved to GW in April 2002, the network produced 736 shows from the auditorium in GW’s Media and Public Affairs Building. More than 117,000 visitors participated in those show as audience members, 200 students have served as interns or volunteered on the program, and five academic courses involving “Crossfire” were developed. During those programs, GW received more than 1,900 on-air mentions, and millions of people around the world tuned in to watch the program air “live from the campus of The George Washington University.”

“CNN will continue to have a relationship with The George Washington University and we will look for any opportunity to work with GW,” said CNN Senior Executive Producer for Political Programming Sam Feist.

A perfect example of that continued relationship was a special edition of the weekly media program, Reliable Sources, on the issue of anonymous sourcing in the wake of the news about the identity of “Deep Throat,” which aired live from GW just two days after “Crossfire” wrapped production.

“GW has been a terrific forum to do a political program,” Feist said. “CNN and GW have had a tremendous relationship over the three-plus years and that is a relationship we’d like to continue.”

Feist added “with the end of Crossfire and the retirement of Judy Woodruff, it gave us an opportunity to look more closely at CNN’s afternoon lineup and look at new ways of presenting politics and news.”

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu