CNN unveiled the new version of its long-running headline news yesterday, in what CNN officials said was an attempt to appeal to a younger wider audience. CNN says the changes include splashier graphics, a TV screen that looks like a website, and a techno music backdrop. One of CNN’s new anchors will be actress Andrea Thompson, who until recently starred on the TV show ”NYPD Blue.” CNN sent Thompson to a local news bootcamp in New Mexico to make up for the fact that its newest anchor has no journalism experience. At a news conference, Andrea Thompson said, “Certainly I am not a seasoned journalist. If my stardom or past has something to do with that, then what I say is, 'You know what? Use me, baby.'”
In related news, CNN announced that it will soon allow corporate advertisers to put their logos on the screen during newscasts. Among the first to sign up was Bank of America. It recently agreed to a $100 million advertising agreement with AOL Time Warner, the company which owns CNN.