ABC News

File:ABCNewsLogo.png ABC News headquarters on West 66th Street in New York City, New York (November 2008)
Division of:	American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
Key people:	Anne Sweeney President & Co-Chair Disney-ABC Television Group Ben Sherwood, President of ABC News Diane Sawyer and David Muir, Lead Co-Anchor's
Founded:	June 15, 1945
Headquarters:	New York City, United States
Studios:	ABC News Headquarters, New York City Times Square Studios, New York City Newseum, Washington, D.C. ABC-owned stations across the United States
Area served:	Worldwide
Broadcast programs:	20/20 ABC News Brief America This Morning Good Morning America Good Morning America Weekend Edition Nightline Primetime This Week World News Now World News with David Muir World News with Diane Sawyer
Parent:	The Walt Disney Company
Slogan:	See the Whole Picture
Website:	ABCnews.com
Web Portal:	go.com

ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its flagship program is World News with Diane Sawyer; other programs include morning show Good Morning America, Nightline, television news magazine shows Primetime & 20/20, and Sunday morning political affairs program This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

History[link]

Early years[link]

This section reads like a news release and needs to be rewritten.

ABC began news broadcasts early in its independent existence as a radio network after the Federal Communications Commission ordered the former NBC Blue Network to be spun off as an independent company in 1943. This was done to keep single or a few companies such as NBC and CBS from dominating radio broadcasting in the U.S., and in particular, from dominating news and political broadcasting and projecting narrow points-of-view. Television broadcasting was suspended however, during World War II.

Regular ABC television news broadcasts began soon after ABC started transmitting from its initial New York City television station and production center in late summer 1948. ABC-TV news broadcasts have continued as the ABC television network spread across the country, a process that took many years, from that beginning in 1948 through today, but they have not always had the same level of success that they enjoy now. Throughout the 1950s, the 1960s, and the early 1970s, ABC News consistently ranked third in viewership behind CBS News and NBC News. Until the 1970s, the ABC-TV network had fewer affiliate stations, and also weaker prime-time programming lineups to support the network's news departments than the two larger networks had, each of which had established their radio news operations during the 1930s.

Under Roone Arledge[link]

Only after Roone Arledge, the head of ABC Sports at that time, became the president of ABC News in 1977, at a time when this network's prime-time entertainment programs were achieving good ratings and drawing in advertising revenues and profits to the ABC corporation overall, was ABC able to invest the resources to make it a major source of news telecasting. Arledge, known for experimenting with the broadcast "model", created many of ABC News's most popular and enduring programs, including 20/20, ABC World News, This Week, Nightline, and Primetime Live.

ABC News gained respect in the early 1980s by covering the Iran hostage crisis and, later, for covering the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area with live telecasts.

The ABC News slogan, "More Americans get their news from ABC News than from any other source", is a claim that refers to the number of people who watch, listen, and read ABC News programming on television, the radio, and the Internet, and not necessarily to the telecasts alone.^[1]

Association with ESPN[link]

ESPN, a sports-news organization with several cable and satellite television channels — and also owned by Disney — provides sports bulletins and video for some of ABC News's programs, especially the overnight programs.

Job layoffs[link]

In February 2010, ABC News announced it would lay off hundreds of staff members or up to 25% of its total work force and close all news bureaus outside of its headquarters in Washington and New York, including bureaus in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.^[2]

In the wake of the job cuts, a significant controversy erupted online in May 2010 after it was announced the former VP of news coverage, Mimi Gurbst, was leaving the network to become a guidance counselor.^[3] A human interest story in the New York Observer reported that Gurbst was a "cherished" mentor inside the news division.^[4] Reporters who closely follow TV news observed that a large number of current and former ABC News staffers went online to vigorously respond that Gurbst had helped perpetuate a negative culture with ABC News.^[5][6]

International broadcasts[link]

ABC News programming is shown daily on the 24-hour news network Orbit News in Europe and the Middle East. This includes several shows from ABC News. 'Orbit News is network of three 24-hour satellite and cable channels offering exclusively American news programming from ABC, NBC, PBS, and MSNBC to U.S. expats and other viewers abroad, primarily geared towards an audience in the Arab countries. The network is available on digital satellite and cable in Europe, Middle East and North Africa, however, cable operators in Europe are currently unable to carry the channels due to unsolved rights issues.

It is also available online at ABC News Now.

In the United Kingdom, ABC World News appears regularly at 1:30 a.m. local time on the BBC News Channel, which itself may be simulcast on BBC One or BBC Two during the overnight period. No commercials are presented because the BBC's services in the U.K. are financed through license fees. ABC and the BBC also share video segments and reporters as needed in producing their newscasts.

In Australia, ABC World News is broadcast at 10:30 a.m. daily and Nightline is telecast at 1:30 a.m. daily on Sky News Australia. This can be confusing in Australia, where "ABC News" means the news broadcasts of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Also, Primetime is broadcast at 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays (extended edition) and at 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays. 20/20 is broadcast at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays (extended edition) and on Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m.

In New Zealand, ABC World News is broadcast daily at 5:10 p.m. and at again at 11:35 p.m. Just as with the BBC in the U.K., these are shown commercial-free on Television New Zealand's TVNZ 7 channel.

Other forms of broadcasting[link]

ABC News Radio, a service syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks, broadcasts newscasts on the hour, live feeds and specialty news, sports and entertainment programming to approximately 2,000 radio affiliates nationwide. As part of Disney's sale of the ABC Radio division to Citadel Broadcasting in 2007, ABC News entered into an exclusive agreement with Citadel to distribute its radio news service on terrestrial stations (Citadel has since merged with Cumulus Media).

ABC NewsOne is ABC News's affiliate news service. It gathers and feeds regional, national and international news material to ABC affiliates around the country and foreign networks.

ABC News Now is the ABC's 24-hour news channel available online and other sources such as mobile phones.

A thirty-second ABC News Brief is broadcast weekdays at 2:58 p.m. ET following The Revolution, before the start of General Hospital (though these newsbriefs are not aired on all ABC stations).

A news brief containing information relevant to college students is shown every hour on mtvU, and ABC News segments are packaged or customized for broadcast over Wal-Mart's in-store television network.

Slogans[link]

• See the Whole Picture."

• More Americans get their news from ABC News than from any other source.

It means that more Americans get their news from the combined sources of ABC News — television, radio and internet — than from any other news provider.

• From the global resources of ABC News this is:
  • Nightline (since 2005)
  • World News with Diane Sawyer (2009–2010)

• "From ABC News, Live in Times Square," this is:
  • "Good Morning America" (Since 2009 on weekdays. They used New York on Weekends rather than just Times Square. Starting on March, They started using the date on weekdays)

• "From ABC News"
  • "ABC World News with Diane Sawyer" (March 2010-May 2010, August 2010–Present)
  • "ABC World News" (March 2010-May 2010)

• "From ABC News Headquarters" this is:
  • ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (May 2010-August 2010)
  • "ABC World News" (May 2010–present)

Former notable personnel[link]

Marco Rubio
United States Senator from Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011 Serving with Bill Nelson
Preceded by	George LeMieux
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
In office January 2, 2007 – January 2, 2009
Preceded by	Allan Bense
Succeeded by	Ray Sansom
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 111th District
In office January 25, 2000 – January 2, 2009
Preceded by	Carlos Valdes
Succeeded by	Erik Fresen
Personal details
Born	Marco Antonio Rubio (1971-05-28) May 28, 1971 (age 41) Miami, Florida
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Jeanette Dousdebes
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Florida (B.A.) University of Miami (J.D.)
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic[1]
Website	www.rubio.senate.gov

Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is the junior United States Senator from Florida, serving since January 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (2007–2009).

Born to Cuban immigrants, Rubio was raised in Miami, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended Tarkio College and Santa Fe Community College before graduating from the University of Florida. He earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996 while interning for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. In the late 1990s he served as a City Commissioner for West Miami. Rubio was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, representing the 111th House district. He was elected Speaker in November 2006.

Rubio announced a run for U.S. Senate in May 2009 after incumbent Republican Mel Martinez resigned. Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Republican Governor Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed him in polling for the Republican nomination. Rubio won the Republican nomination after Crist opted instead for an independent run. In a three-way split against Crist and Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek, Rubio won the general election in November 2010 by a 19-point margin.

Rubio has been called the "crown prince" of the Tea Party movement.^[2][3] He has been mentioned as a potential choice for the Republican vice presidential nomination in 2012 but has said he is not interested.^[4]

Early life, education, and early political career[link]

Rubio was born in Miami, Florida,^[5] the second son and third child of Mario Rubio and Oria Garcia. His parents were Cubans who had emigrated to the United States in 1956 and were later naturalized as U.S. citizens in 1975.^[6] Rubio's family was Catholic, but from age 8 to age 11, he and his family attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while they lived in Las Vegas. He received his first communion as a Catholic in 1984, before moving back to Miami with his family a year later. He was confirmed and married in the Catholic Church.^{[7][1][8][9][10]}

Rubio attended South Miami Senior High School and graduated in 1989. He then attended Tarkio College for one year on a football scholarship from 1989 to 1990, before enrolling at Santa Fe Community College (now Santa Fe College). He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida in 1993, and his J.D. degree cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996.^[11]

While studying law, he interned for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.^[12] Marco Rubio served as a City Commissioner for West Miami before being elected to the Florida legislature.^[13]

Florida House of Representatives (2000–2009)[link]

Rubio was elected to the Florida House of Representatives for the 111th district in a special election on January 25, 2000. He won each of his re-election bids.^[14] In November 2006, he was elected Speaker of the Florida House for the 2007–09 term.

He is the author of the book 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future. This book included information that Rubio compiled while traveling around the state and talking with citizens. This was done through what Rubio calls "Idearaisers". Many of the issues that he pushed for in his first year as speaker came from ideas in this book.^[15] During 2007, Marco Rubio championed a major overhaul of the Florida tax system, arguing it would reduce property taxes and decrease the size of government.^[16]

During his tenure serving as Speaker of the Florida House, Rubio shared his residence with another Florida State Representative, David Rivera. The two men co-owned a home together in Tallahassee, which later fell into foreclosure after deferring months of mortgage payments. This issue surfaced in June 2010, during Rubio's run for the US Senate but was considered resolved according to Rubio's spokesman.^[17]

U.S. Senate (2011–present)[link]

2010 election[link]

Rubio speaking at CPAC in February 2010.

On May 5, 2009, Rubio announced on his website that he planned to run for the United States Senate in 2010 for the Republican seat being vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez, who had resigned and been replaced by George LeMieux. Prior to the announcement, he had been meeting with fundraisers and supporters throughout the state.^[18] Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Governor of his own party, Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed Crist in polling for the Republican nomination.^[19][20]

On April 28, 2010, Crist announced he would be running as an independent, effectively ceding the Republican nomination to Rubio.^[21] Several of Crist's top fundraisers, as well as Republican leadership, refused^[22][23] to support Crist after Rubio won the Republican nomination for Senate.^[24]

On November 2, 2010, Marco Rubio won the senatorial election with 48.9% of the vote to Crist's 29.7% and Democrat Kendrick Meek's 20.1%.^[25] On May 20, 2011, Marco Rubio visited Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Fortuño, and made a statement of wanting to "represent the Puerto Ricans" since he already felt he owed those who had voted for him in the Florida election.^[26]

Following his victory in the elections, Rubio soon became the subject of speculation as a potential GOP candidate for the presidential election of 2012.^[27][28] Rubio stated shortly after taking office that he has no interest in running for president or vice president in 2012.^[29]

Tenure[link]

Upon taking office, Rubio hired Cesar Conda, former lobbyist and "top domestic policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney during the first two years of the Bush administration" as his Chief of Staff.^[30]

Rubio is also a member of the Congressional Hispanic Conference.^{[citation needed]}

Rubio cosponsored a resolution, which was passed, to declare September as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.^[31]

Rubio's amendment, co-sponsored by Joe Manchin (D – WV), to allow employers to be exempted from newly mandated coverage for contraception, based on religious or moral grounds by such employers, did not pass the Senate.^[32] The Obama White House singled out Rubio from the many co-sponsors of the similar Roy Blunt amendment, which also failed to pass the Senate.^[33]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
  • Subcommittee on Science and Space
  • Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
• Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs
  • Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
• Select Committee on Intelligence
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Personal life[link]

Rubio married Jeanette Dousdebes, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, in 1997. She is of Colombian descent, and together they have four children named Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominic.^[34] Rubio and his family live in West Miami, Florida.^[1][35] Rubio attends Catholic Mass as well as a Southern Baptist church in West Kendall, Florida.^[36][8][37]

"Son of exiles" controversy[link]

In October 2011, the St. Petersburg Times and The Washington Post reported that Rubio's previous statements that his parents were forced to leave Cuba in 1959, after Fidel Castro came to power, were incorrect as they had in fact left Cuba in 1956 during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. According to The Washington Post, Rubio's "embellishments" resonate with many voters in Florida, who would not be as impressed by his family being economic migrants seeking a better life in the U.S. instead of political refugees from a communist regime.^[6] Rubio responded, "The real essence of my family’s story is not about the date my parents first entered the United States. Or whether they traveled back and forth between the two nations. Or even the date they left Fidel Castro’s Cuba forever and permanently settled here."^[38][39][40] According to a number of commentators within the Cuban exile community in Miami, Rubio is justified to continue to characterize himself as a son of exiles.^[40][41]

Electoral history[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marco Rubio

	Biography portal
	Florida portal
	Politics portal

• Senator Marco Rubio official U.S. Senate website
• Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Appearances at the Internet Movie Database
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Collected news and commentary at The Guardian