CNN Press Release - Building on an election year in which CNN’s innovative coverage set new records for viewership and outdrew both the broadcast and the cable news networks on Election Night, the network launched a new kind of Sunday program earlier this year, State of the Union with John King. Each week, the nation’s top political reporter helms a four hour power block of programming from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ET) and delves into the top political stories, both inside and outside of Washington.

Since the launch of State of the Union with John King in January, King has interviewed a wide range of key newsmakers, including President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney, who joined the program for his first television interview since returning to private life. Additionally, King interviewed newly-appointed cabinet members during President Obama’s first 100 days, three of which were exclusive, prior to the other Sunday shows.

King has made it a priority to travel beyond the Beltway each week to hear the voices of everyday Americans, to listen to their stories, and to inform his own reporting in Washington when interviewing newsmakers. Visiting more than two dozen states in the last six months, King has reported from communities such as Lansing, Mich., Orlando, Fla., Selma, Ala., and Spring Hill, Tenn. and has covered issues including the health care debate, the auto industry, the economy and the rise of unemployment during his “American Dispatch” reports and weekly “CNN Diner” segments.

Below are more details along with the successes of State of the Union, thus far:

State of the Union executive producer Michelle Jaconi was hired from NBC to launch CNN’s new Sunday program. Jaconi was a 12-year veteran of Meet the Press with Tim Russert, where she started as an intern and worked her way up to producer and political analyst.

- In a recent TV Week article, producers from all of the Sunday programs agreed that President Obama is the biggest “get” you can achieve for Sunday morning. President-elect Barack Obama was on State of the Union’sdebut program January 18.

- Former Vice President Dick Cheney chose State of the Union for his first television interview since leaving office. Cheney’s assertion to King that the policies of the new president had made Americans “less safe” continues to drive the national dialogue five months later.

- King was the first to interview General David Petraeus and General Ray Odierno after President Obama took office.

- The husband and wife duo of Democratic strategist James Carville and Republican strategist Mary Matalin have chosen State of the Union as the only program where they will appear exclusively together, having previously appeared together only on Meet the Press.

- Sunday, July 5, marked the first time that a high level guest has ever used CNN’s Magic Wall. While King anchored remotely from Los Angeles, Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stepped up to graphically illustrate military strategy through an update of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq on the Magic Wall while in the Washington studio.

- State of the Union makes news relevant and is becoming the next generation of political news by marrying public policy with the American public. The “CNN Diner” segment King conducts each week with locals in various communities empowers everyday Americans to weigh in on issues along with the Washington pundits.

- As far as diversity, King has conducted interviews with more than 200 female and minority guests in the last six months.

- Launch-to-date through July 5, State of the Union has increased its audience by double digits among total viewers and the demo compared to the same time a year ago. Given that 2008 was CNN’s best year on record, State of the Union’s 13% growth among total viewers and 10% growth among 25-54 over last year, speaks to the strong success of the new program, its format and John King’s skillful reporting.

- State of the Union was ahead of the curve on the health care debate. In the recent months, the program has consistently broken news on Congress and the cost of health care while having exclusive newsworthy guests such as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, White House Budget Director Peter Orzag, as well as Sens. Susan Collins, Ben Nelson, and Dianne Feinstein.

- The news made on State of the Union dominates the stories found in national and local newspapers on Monday mornings. While State of the Union is still the newest show in the Sunday morning zeitgeist, it generally surpasses the other Sunday talk shows in newspaper clippings.

- Producers disseminate a weekly State of the Union Crib Sheet, which includes the best moments from all the Sunday talk shows with insight and analysis from King. Subscribe by choosing the "Political Ticker - State of the Union Sunday Edition” at http://www.cnn.com/profile/

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