CNN unveils upgraded, high-tech studio at twofour54 in Abu Dhabi

Becky Anderson, host of Connect the World with Becky Anderson, at Abu Dhabi’s twofour54 studios. Courtesy CNN

Six years after launching its fourth broadcast hub in Abu Dhabi, CNN has recommitted to the emirate by unveiling an upgraded, more high-tech studio at its twofour54 headquarters.

Home to the current affairs programme Connect the World with Becky Anderson, the facility features the latest HD broadcasting equipment, including new cameras and equipment, and an eye-catching LED wall.

The company has also reconfigured its rooftop space, which in the autumn will not only be home to a variety of interviews but The Rooftop Sessions @ CNN, which aims to bring together some of the UAE’s best creative minds, artists and thought leaders to perform and speak.

And while Anderson considers putting a face on the continuing refugee crisis the most important regional story her staff has covered in recent months, at the recent rooftop launch of the new studios she said it is the capital’s vibrant and continually growing arts and culture scene is at the forefront locally.

“It’s really deep,” she said. “I think what’s going on up here and what’s going on down in Dubai is incredibly exciting and we’re able to reflect that on the show as well. And we’re able to get access as well, I mean everything is here, and you get people travelling, it’s not just regional and local artists. I’ve got an interview with Carlos Acosta, the Cuban ballet dancer, who’s here this week ... Wonderful, I know Carlos well, I’ve interviewed him in London, but to get the opportunity to have him out here is fantastic. So I feel that as a journalist I’m evolving again.”

As Anderson told VIPs who gathered for the studio launch, the topic may not be serious, but it is important.

“I always say a good news show is like a good dinner party, you talk about news and current events, but then you quickly move into arts and culture,” she said.

Since launching in 2009, the bureau has processed about 50 young people from Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the wider region through its internship programme.