Biden and Trump face off for what’s billed as a debate in my hometown, Atlanta.
I know you are eager for the insider stuff from an Atlanta native.
The debate comes from CNN’s Ted Turner Campus, what we used to call the Techwood Campus, a 30-acre facility in Midtown. CNN owner Warner Bros. renamed it in 2019 for CNN founder Ted Turner.
Turner got into media because his dad owned an Atlanta billboard company. When satellites came in he figured you could have a national TV channel. Thus Channel 17, the Super Station, was birthed. I was a columnist at the morning journalism newspaper powerhouse The Atlanta Constitution and Turner had me over for the Sunday “Meet The Press” type show.
One day they asked me if I had heard of the latest venture, an international cable channel called CNN.
I had ‘t but they took me to the basement where a crowded Headline News set was located. They asked if I would like to work there.
No, I said, I don’t think people will watch news 24/7. So much for judgment.
It became so big CNN moved to what at the time was known as the Omni (like the hotel) Center where it stayed for 35 years, across Marietta Street from Olympic Park, and was a must-see for tourists.
Interestingly, although it was two blocks from my Constitution office I never saw it until I was a New Jersey-based author and newsman. CNN called and wanted me on air. I said I was traveling in Georgia. “Not a problem,” they said, “we can put you on from Atlanta” unaware they were referring to this Jersey Guy’s briar patch.
The Turner Campus is on the Interchange where Interstates 75 and 85 share 12 lanes of pavement. A traffic nightmare. It’s surrounded by a truly great internationally respected engineering school, Georgia Institute of Technology (what Atlantans call Tech and we University of Georgia alumni call The North Avenue Trade School). And just a stone’s throw from the worldwide headquarters of the hometown soda, Coca-Cola.
Across the big noisy road is the Varsity, since 1928 billed as the world’s largest drive-in. They claim to serve daily two miles of hot dogs, usually with awful neon yellow mustard, 300 gallons of chili plus fries, rings, fried apple pies and other greasy eats.They say they’re the largest purveyor of Coca-Cola, which is two blocks away. The parking lot used to be a lot bigger but the eternal traffic jam took some of it and they had to build a parking deck.
The Techwood area is where segregationist Lester Maddox operated his Pickrick Cafeteria and sold souvenir ax handles.
Oh, yeah back to the debate.
I will watch it but unlike other journalists will wonder if Trump is aware that just a few hundred yards away is all that Diet Coke. Oceans of it.
He has a legitimate reason to cross the road: Presidents Carter, H.W. Bush, Clinton and Obama have eaten at the Varsity, probably regretting it.
You won’t get this kind of reporting from the others, not even CNN.
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