Let’s Run That Car Chase Package Again!

> Update: 10:10am: “When I worked at CNN Headline News, the order came out to blow off any regular programming if there was a car chase anywhere (providing there was video). That’s what CNN does instead of covering real news these days,” a tipster says…

Car chases deliver great ratings, right? Viewers love to watch crazy criminals run away from the cops. CNN has figured out how to exploit this phenomenon without actually broadcasting the car chases live. (They leave that to Headline News.) Seven times in the last month, CNN has reaired the exact same car chase package by CNN correspondent Ted Rowlands.

The long report showcases dozens of chases, “which some consider the ultimate in reality television.” A car chase in L.A. today gave Anderson Cooper an excuse to replay the piece on tonight’s 360. But I knew it looked familiar, so I checked Nexis for previous broadcasts of the package. It turns out it has aired at least six times:

> CNN Live Sunday, March 5, 2006

> Live From…, March 3, 2006

> Anderson Cooper 360, March 2, 2006 (twice in two hours!)

> Showbiz Tonight, February 23, 2006

> Paula Zahn Now, February 22, 2006

> “Since day one at CNN, Jon Klein has encouraged all of primetime programming to re-air good pieces,” a tipster said last month. “He has said that repeats are needed because the average CNN viewer only watched between 4-6 minutes a day and that viewers would not notice repeats.” Well I noticed, and I’m not the only one…