Now that the bulk of CNN’s Atlanta-based employees are working out of its new old home at Ted Turner Techwood Campus, the current owner of the CNN Center, CP Group, will, in the near future, detail leasing options for the massive building.
The complex, which encompasses 1,150,000 square feet, comprises five buildings, and not only was it the home to CNN’s global operations, but it also houses the Omni Hotel and a large atrium food court. CNN’s Atlanta postal address no longer lists the CNN Center building, which had its own zip code but now directs to the Techwood Campus.
In an effort to lure potential renters to the property, the CP Group is promoting the CNN Center as being “in the center of Atlanta’s CBD, surrounded by other landmarks, including State Farm Arena, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia World Congress Center and the World of Coca-Cola.”
The mammoth building also contains a 50,000-square-foot fitness center, conference facilities and a tenant lounge and is easily accessible to the Atlanta subway system, locally referred to as Marta.
In its heyday, the CNN Center was a vibrant, bustling building full of activity, as the 24-hour nature of CNN’s business gave the building life. It was even busier when the local sports teams, concerts and/or big-time events would take place in the surrounding buildings as crowds would flood the food court to check out the available eating options.
The CNN Tours also made the building an attractive tourist destination, bringing tourists from across the country and the world to glimpse the news-making process.
CNN still has some operations located within the building, including studio space, with a spokesperson saying that the network “should be completely moved over (to the Techwood facility) in the next couple of months.”
The news network’s former parent company, WarnerMedia, sold the building to the CP Group in 2020, with CFO Pascal Desroches noting that the transition had been in the works for some time.
Time Warner was already assessing the company’s Atlanta operations prior to the merger with AT&T, wrote Desroches, and it resulted in extensive renovations to the Techwood campus to accommodate CNN’s many operations and functions.
“Now that we’ve had time to further evaluate, we’ve concluded that the best course of action is to sell the CNN Center,” Desroches said.
CNN’s move to Techwood was seen as a downsizing of Atlanta’s operations, with many functions moving north to New York and Washington, D.C. However, the announcement from CNN’s president, Mark Thompson, on Monday that the new morning schedule will be produced out of Atlanta gives credence to the fact that CNN is comfortable with its new Atlanta facilities.