CNNNN

CNNNN
Industry	Television
Founded	2002
Defunct	2003
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Television series

CNNNN (an acronym for Chaser NoN-stop News Network) is an Australian television series recognized with a Logie Award, known for its satirical take on American news outlets such as CNN and Fox News. Created and hosted by the comedy ensemble The Chaser, the show was broadcast on ABC TV between 2002 and 2003. The program's tagline, "We Report, You Believe.", served as a parody of Fox News' slogan "We Report, You Decide." In April 2004, it earned the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Comedy Program, an honor it shared with Kath & Kim.

Overview

Styled as a "live" broadcast from a fictional 24-hour news station, CNNNN featured anchors Craig Reucassel and Chris Taylor. Each installment revolved around a specific satirical theme, including:

Lunchgate: A media frenzy erupting over a businessman’s forgotten lunch, exaggerated to resemble an O. J. Simpson-style pursuit.
Cadman for PM: A humorous portrayal of minor politician Alan Cadman mounting a leadership challenge against Prime Minister John Howard.
Shush For Bush: Coverage centered on US President George W. Bush’s brief visit to Australia, highlighting his wish for uninterrupted rest.
Animal Farm: A spoof of reality television where the death of a contestant is deliberately overlooked by producers.
Packer Health Crisis: Real-time updates on the health status of businessman Kerry Packer.
Tilt Australia: A stunt proposing to tilt the Australian continent to address water scarcity; notably deceived radio personality Alan Jones during a live broadcast.

Season 1

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Season 2

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Cast members

The principal members of The Chaser troupe featured:

Charles Firth: played an aggressive reporter in segments such as The Firth Factor, spoofing personalities like Bill O'Reilly.
Andrew Hansen: led the CNNNN musical ensemble delivering satirical songs; also portrayed Rudi J Blass, director of Newstainment game shows inspired by news stories, and Simon Target, an English-accented reporter.
Julian Morrow: acted as US correspondent conducting vox pop interviews exposing American ignorance about global events.
Chas Licciardello: hosted Lameass, parodying MTV's Jackass, and appeared as various correspondents including one from Brussels interrupted by comedic technical glitches.
Dominic Knight: transitioned from weatherman to reporter roles.
Anna Skellern: served as a correspondent.

Regular features

Recurring segments included:

An online-accessible popular news ticker.
Market research pieces by Julian Morrow featuring American respondents answering right-wing themed multiple-choice questions.
Parody commercials for fast food chain Fungry's with exaggerated menu items like Massive Meat Burger Tartare and Pickle Tower Burger.
Boggs Lager advertisements promoting extreme drinking with taglines like "The strength of fifty-four beers in a single glass."
Spoofs of current affairs programs through "A Chaser Affair."
Animated promos such as Rita + Lin: The Hyper Twins mocking The Powerpuff Girls.
Esteem cosmetics commercials ridiculing confusing marketing language with false claims.
Lameass ads lampooning extreme stunt shows.

Legacy

In November 2004, a DVD was released featuring five episodes from the 2003 season along with highlights from fabricated advertisement breaks.

By September 2005, Chaser News Alert began weekly broadcasts on ABC2 and online platforms, continuing The Chaser’s topical satire.

After concluding CNNNN, The Chaser introduced The Chaser's War on Everything in February 2006, preserving similar comedic styles.

Reruns of CNNNN have aired on 7mate, maintaining original endings with ABC branding intact.

External links