CNN’s Morse To Keynote NewsTECHForum

Andrew Morse, EVP of CNN U.S and GM of CNN Digital Worldwide, will kick off the fourth annual NewsTECHForum with a one-on-one interview with TVNewsCheck Editor Harry A. Jessell.

Set for Dec. 12-13 at the New York Hilton in midtown Manhattan, NewsTECHForum will gather news, technology, news operations and digital managers to address the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of technology and news.

The conference — co-presented by TVNewsCheck and the Sports Video Group — has been described as “intimate and influential” and offers a rare opportunity for news executives and managers from broadcast and cable networks to confer with their counterparts at TV station groups from across the U.S.

The Morse keynote interview is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 12, at 2 p.m. The conference starts Monday afternoon and runs through Tuesday morning.

“In a highly animated presidential election year, we are very pleased to have Andrew Morse as NewsTECHForum’s opening day keynoter,” says Jessell. “He is an accomplished journalist at the nexus of conventional TV and digital media with what is arguably the most powerful newsgathering force in the field today. With Great Big Story, Morse has demonstrated his willingness to break out and mix it up with the ‘millennial media’ on their own turf.”

Morse, 42, has oversight of the cable TV network’s domestic newsgathering operations as well as the Washington Bureau and D.C.-based programming. In addition, he is responsible for CNN’s global digital business, including editorial, product, technology, emerging platforms, business development and partnerships. Morse is also the co-founder of Great Big Story, CNN’s social and mobile-first video streaming network targeted to millennials.

Previously, Morse served as head of Bloomberg Television in the U.S., where he oversaw editorial, programming, operations and development. While at Bloomberg, he launched a new programming slate, built up the network’s technology coverage and San Francisco Bureau, and spearheaded BTV’s push into digital video. He also produced the network’s first presidential debate.

Prior to that, Morse spent 15 years at ABC News in a number of executive and production roles. He was executive producer for innovation, overseeing the network’s digital portfolio. Morse also was executive producer of Good Morning America’s weekend edition and as a senior producer for World News Saturday and Sunday.

Earlier in his career, he was ABC’s Asia bureau chief and producer and worked as a producer and assignment editor based in London. During his time overseas, Morse reported and produced from more than 40 countries. He spent significant time covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He also covered the USS Cole bombing in Yemen and the terror attack in Bali, Indonesia.

Morse was one of the first reporters on the ground following the 2004 South Asian Tsunami, and he led ABC News’ on-the-ground coverage of the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan. Morse’s travels at ABC also brought him to Mt. Everest Base Camp and on board a maxi-catamaran attempting to break the trans-Atlantic sailing record.

Morse began his career as a desk assistant in ABC News’ Washington Bureau and was one of the initial staffers for ABC News.com.

He graduated from Cornell University, where he was editor-in-chief of the Cornell Daily Sun.

NewsTECHForum’s other sessions will address monetizing news with OTT; designing digital-first newsrooms; state-of-the-art TV graphics; distributed content; chasing millennials with streaming media, mobile and OTT; the evolution in ENG; managing user-generated content; real-world story-centric workflow; and more.

Previous NewsTECHForum keynote speakers were CBS News President David Rhodes last year, Sinclair Broadcast Group President David Smith in 2014 and Jack Abernethy, president of Fox Television Stations, in the conference’s inaugural year, 2013.

Because NewsTECHForum is co-located with the SVG Summit, news, digital and technology executives have an opportunity to talk about common issues with sports producers and technologists and to visit the Summit’s Technology Showcase, where more than 60 companies exhibit their newest solutions.

For the full NewsTECHForum program, or to register, please click here.