I Survived Night One Of “Survivor Stories”

This week in CNN primetime, “correspondents take a look at how everyday people pull through in extraordinary conditions.” It’s called Survivor Stories. (Unlike Crime Week, there was no press release this time.)

I was really excited to watch Anderson Cooper 360 tonight. The teaser promised me a STORY OF SURVIVAL: “Hear an amazing story of survival as a wife watches helplessly while a chimpanzee nearly mauls her husband to death. Tune in at 7 p.m. ET.” Tune in I did, but sadly, “moderate Senators” had to interrupt my chimp carnage. Halfway through the show, Cooper promised the chimp story was coming up, but then he had to toss to D.C. for the filibuster deal.

Thankfully, though, Paula Zahn, Larry King and Aaron Brown made time to share survivor stories. After a filibuster focus, Paula Zahn shared the story of a professional boxer “who chose to live.” Here’s the transcript. (She was off the air last week — apparently she survived Crime Week!)

Then at 9pm, CNN walked away from the filibuster fight “and went to near-death experiences with Larry King,” an e-mailer says. “CNN is telling their viewers they’re out of the breaking news business.” Jane Seymour and Sade Baderinwa were among the guests.

And at 10pm, just as promised, viewers found out how a woman survived when her father collapsed at the controls of an airplane. I can’t wait to hear more survivor stories on Tuesday!

> WHAC: “How bout a ‘News in Prime-time Week?’ Now there’s an idea.”

> Some NY staffers are grumbling about being stuck with stories “unworthy” of their talents, a tipster says…

> Update: 8:45am: Two e-mailer comments: “We’ll see who’s laughing at the end of the 2nd Qtr, when the ratings numbers come out, you FNC stooge!” And: “Fox and CNN have decided that cable news is no longer for analysis or informing the viewer. CNN is doing what the radio business calls ‘stunting.’ When a radio station is about to change format, it will sometimes play “Wild Thing” 24 hours a day for a solid week to call attention to itself and help launch its re-formatting with some local press. CNN is announcing that it’s leaving the news format just the way Fox was never in the format.”