Andrew Morse (born March 10, 1974)
is an American journalist and television news executive. He was the Executive Vice President of
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
US, as well as EVP and chief digital officer of CNN Worldwide from 2013 until 2022.
Morse is also the co-founder of
Great Big Story, a digital storytelling network.
He previously held executive, editorial and production roles at
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
and
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is a privately held financial, software, data, and media company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, with Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan, Charles Zegar, and a 1 ...
Early life and education
Morse is the son of Erica (née Ritter) and Lewis F. Morse. He attended the
Landon School
Landon School is a private, college preparatory school for boys in grades 3–12, with an enrollment of approximately 680 students, in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.
Background
Paul Landon Banfield and his wife, Mary Lee, fo ...
, an independent boys day school in
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...
for his grade school education. He graduated from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
, where he majored in government and was the editor-in-chief of ''
The Cornell Daily Sun
''The Cornell Daily Sun'' is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees.
''The Sun'' features coverage of the university and its environs as well as stories from the Associa ...
''.
In 2009, he was a Fellow of the Punch Sulzberger Executive News Media Leadership Program at the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City.
Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism s ...
.
Career
Early career, ABC News (1996–2011)
Morse joined
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
as a desk assistant and production coordinator for its Washington Bureau in 1997. He was an associate producer for ABC News.com when it launched that year, beginning his lifelong career in digital news. From 1998 to 2001, he was an assignment editor and producer at ABC's London bureau.
In 2001, he tracked the voyage of Team Adventure as they attempted to break the record for the fastest
Transatlantic crossing
Transatlantic crossings are passages of passengers and cargo across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe or Africa and the Americas. The majority of passenger traffic is across the North Atlantic between Western Europe and North America. Centuries ...
.
He was the Asia bureau chief and producer from 2002 until 2005. He led ABC's coverage of events like the
War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
* Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
,
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
,
2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January revolution ( ar, ثورة ٢٥ يناير; ), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police ho ...
,
2010 Haiti earthquake
A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's c ...
,
2004 South Asia Tsunami
An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
and the
2002 Bali bombings
The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 23 Britons, and people of more than 20 other national ...
.
In 2003, Morse filmed his ascent to the
Mount Everest Base Camp as part of a special celebrating the 50th anniversary of
the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. He spent two weeks reporting from North Korea in 2004. During this visit, he was detained, and had his notes and video footage confiscated by the
Korean Friendship Association
The Korean Friendship Association (KFA, es, Asociación de Amistad con Corea) is a Spain-based friendship association with North Korea. The KFA was established in November 2000. It claims to have official representatives in 34 countries. The KFA ...
.
After returning to the United States in 2005, Morse was a senior producer for the network's early morning programmes, including the weekend edition of
World News Now
''World News Now'' (or WNN) is an American overnight news broadcast seen on ABC. Airing during the early morning hours each Monday through Friday, the program features a mix of general news and off-beat stories, along with weather forecasts, ...
, and ''
Good Morning America''. From 2007 to 2010, Morse was the Executive Producer of ''Good Morning America Weekend.''
He also served as Executive Producer of Innovation, overseeing ABC's digital portfolio, including the 24-hour broadband channel ABC News Now, as well as the development and launch of its iPad and iPhone applications.
Morse is credited with developing ''The Quick Fix'', a short-form online news programme which launched in 2009. The programme was more conversational and irreverent tone, which drew in younger audiences. He also oversaw ABC's first media partnership with
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
in 2008.
Bloomberg (2011–2013)
Morse was head of the
Bloomberg television network in the U.S. from 2011 to 2013.
While at Bloomberg, he launched a new programming slate, built up the network's technology coverage and the San Francisco Bureau. He led Bloomberg's work in digital programming and expanded its viewership beyond its core audience. He also produced the network's first Presidential Debate and coverage of the 2012
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and
Democratic National Conventions.
CNN (2013–2022)
In 2013, Morse became senior vice president of editorial at
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
US Television. Morse managed U.S. newsgathering and the D.C. bureau operations, including all political coverage.
Jeff Zucker stated that Morse's hire was meant to connect the network's digital and television newsgathering efforts.
In 2014, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Manager of CNN Digital Worldwide, in addition to his editorial role. He managed its editorial, product, technology, business development and partnerships.
He managed various platforms including CNN.com, CNN Underscored, CNN Audio, and Vault by CNN.
CNN Digital expanded significantly during his tenure,
and partnered with distributors like
Apple TV,
Roku
Roku ( ) is a brand of hardware digital media players manufactured by American company Roku, Inc. They offer access to streaming media content from online services.
The first Roku model, developed in collaboration with Netflix, was introduced ...
,
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United S ...
,
Samsung
The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
and
Snapchat Discover
Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before th ...
.
He oversaw the acquisition of Canopy, a technology company specializing in data privacy and content recommendation. In 2020, ''
Fast Company
''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year.
History
''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
'' included CNN Digital on its list of the "Best Workplaces for Innovators".
Morse spearheaded
CNN+
The Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news channel and website headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently ow ...
, the network’s streaming service, oversaw the content and product development, as well as the hiring of 500 employees and on air talent. He also secured funding from
WarnerMedia
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
and
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
. CNN+ launched on March 29, 2022.
Great Big Story
Morse co-founded
Great Big Story with Chris Berend, as a separate operation from CNN.
The start-up launched in October 2015 as a social and mobile-first video streaming network not focused on news content.
Awards and honors
Morse has received numerous awards and nominations over the course of his career. He has been nominated for several
Emmy Awards, winning two. Morse was named one of the "Changemakers in Media" by ''
Digiday'' in 2017. He was also included on
''Variety'''s "New Power of New York List 2017." In 2018, the
Jewish Community Relations Council
A Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is a locally based Jewish organization that carries out "action agendas on behalf of and in the name of the local Jewish communities." Councils may aim "to represent the consensus of the organized Jewish ...
of New York awarded Morse their Media Visionary Award for his commitment to the community.
Personal life
He is married to Ana Karina Burdsall; they have two children. His wife is a writer, and was the president of the board of directors of
ECPAT USA.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morse, Andrew
Living people
American television executives
American television news producers
CNN people
CNN
ABC News
Bloomberg L.P. people
People from Potomac, Maryland
Cornell University alumni
1974 births
Columbia University alumni