A power outage has hit the CNN Washington DC bureau less than an hour before the network turns over two hour of programming — “The Situation Room” — to the bureau. TVNewser hears Wolf Blitzer’s show will be broadcasting from the plaza in front of the bureau. It’s 96 degrees right now in Washington, but feels like 100, and maybe more for crews trying to scramble a live show in place in the next 30 minutes. (The real CNN heroes). The heat is likely to blame for the outage.
Control rooms are running on generators, but the rest of the bureau is dark. Phone lines too are out. Non-essential staffers are heading home.
> Update: Statement from CNN: “Due to an area wide power outage impacting CNN’s Washington D.C. bureau, “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” will air live from the courtyard outside of CNN’s DC bureau.
> More: An Atlanta control room is producing Blitzer while a New York control room will switch “John King USA” at 7pmET. King will anchor from the Russell Rotunda in the Russell Senate Office Building across from the Capitol.