Moving back to Techwood

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📦 It's a homecoming of sorts as CNN moves to a new headquarters in Atlanta

By Daniel Wine

A mural of CNN founder Ted Turner at the Techwood campus in Atlanta. (Tricia Escobedo/CNN)

CNN is returning to its roots.

The network is in the middle of moving its Atlanta headquarters back to where things all began in 1980 — the newly expanded 30-acre Techwood campus just a few miles away from the iconic CNN Center downtown.

As you can imagine, it's a massive undertaking to move about 2,300 employees.

Jack Womack, senior vice president of operations and production for CNN, leads the team of about 100 people who are working diligently to make this huge move run as smoothly as possible. He's quick to share the credit, rattling off names of key contributors.

Womack joined CNN in 1984 and has had a front-row seat for pretty much every significant network project ever since. He coordinated the New York City team's move to the Hudson Yards complex in Manhattan. CNN also moved its London office in 2020.

Planning for the Techwood move began in 2017, but then Covid-19 threw a wrench in the works in early 2020.

"This was the most complex project we've ever worked on because about halfway through, just as we were getting rolling, Covid happened," Womack said. "There was a lot of talk about remote work and days in the office and how departments would change their requirements."

As a result, the team considered 21 different design plans before settling on one. Momentum picked back up nearly two years ago, and now the last employees are scheduled to relocate in January.

The new space includes state-of-the-art control rooms for CNN television broadcasts. (Tricia Escobedo/CNN)

"Our goal was to give the journalists every tool that they need to get the job done," Womack said. "This is probably the nicest newsroom we've ever built."

The new space at Techwood includes TV studios and control rooms, the technical hubs where behind-the-scenes teams produce the shows you see on air.

CNN's early days

Ted Turner speaks on stage outside "The Mansion" for the launch of CNN in 1980. (R. Cotton Alston, Jr.)

The original building at Techwood, known as "The Mansion," used to be a country club, Womack said. CNN founder Ted Turner bought the property in 1979 and got down to work.

"It sat vacant for years," Womack said. "You were literally parking on the old tennis courts when you went in."

Turner stood outside The Mansion to celebrate the launch of CNN in June 1980. His old office is now used for intimate special events, interviews, VIP gatherings and meet-and-greets.

Lois Hart and Dave Walker at the Techwood campus in 1980. (R. Cotton Alston, Jr.)

The network's rapid growth — Headline News began in 1982 — meant that it quickly outgrew the space, and the headquarters shifted from Techwood to the CNN Center downtown in 1987.

Over the years, hundreds of thousands of people took CNN studio tours, which became a popular tourist attraction alongside the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park and the College Football Hall of Fame — all within walking distance.

The CNN Center was sold in 2021, and it's unclear what the future holds as far as redevelopment or new tenants.

On the move

Techwood offers great views of the Georgia Tech campus and downtown Atlanta. (Tricia Escobedo/CNN)

Hundreds of employees have already made the transition to Techwood.

Kamal Wallace, a producer on CNN Digital's Off-Platform and New Audiences team, recently started working there a few days a week.

"There's plenty of open space and natural light in the newsroom," Wallace said. "I love the view from my window of Georgia Tech and downtown."

One important benefit of the campus layout is tighter security, Womack said.

"Our security situation is greatly improved," he said. "As you can imagine, at CNN Center with a place completely open to the public and built over the top of a railroad track, trying to secure everything 24/7 was a challenge for us."

At the CNN Center, employees shared the food court with crowds of people, especially during conventions at the nearby Georgia World Congress Center. Now, they have a food hall and a Starbucks all to themselves at Techwood.

"It feels more like a college campus," Womack said. "You tend to walk a lot more, and you're not really chained to your office like you were. It's a real laptop and mobile environment.

"Now we've got parking decks and buildings with outdoor space and plazas, and it's really a great place to work."

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- Edited and produced by Kyle Almond, Tricia Escobedo and Kimberly Richardson