CNN to broadcast pope's funeral live
VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- CNN will carry extensive live coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II on Friday.
CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour together with anchors Anderson Cooper and Bill Hemmer lead CNN's historic coverage from Vatican City.
Also reporting from Rome will be Rome Bureau Chief Alessio Vinci, CNN International anchors Jonathan Mann and Richard Quest and correspondents Jim Bittermann and Jennifer Eccleston.
Broadcasting from the network's specially built studios on the rooftop of the Collegio Urbano overlooking St. Peter's Square, CNN's coverage starts at 0700 GMT.
CNN en Espanol will also be broadcasting live to more than 15 million households in Latin America and the United States, while CNN+ in Spain, CNN Turk in Turkey and n-tv in Germany reach an additional 40 million households in their local languages.
With CNN now reaching more than 250 million households worldwide and CNN's coverage being streamed on the Web and also on mobile phones in parts of Europe and Asia, millions of viewers will have access to more than seven hours of live coverage from Rome.
"Our audience expects CNN to rise to an occasion like this and we will not disappoint," said CNN International's Managing Director Chris Cramer.
"While this is a sad and solemn time for many, the funeral of a pope is a global event and his passing will have ramifications for people around the world."
CNN.com's Web sites saw a 52 percent jump in traffic over the weekend when the Pope's condition began to decline.
CNN's Web sites -- including Arabic and Japanese-language sites -- will also provide comprehensive coverage, while CNN Radio and CNN Newsource will feed nearly 3,000 television and radio affiliates.
