CNNj, a team product of CNN and JCTV, is to launch in March a new service for Japanese viewers. It plans to combine content from three of CNN's award-winning networks, and to increase the use of the Japanese language in its news and feature programs. Amongst the U.S. shows that it will make accessible to viewers in Japan, many of them for the first time, will be the popular "Connie Chung Tonight." This is an hourlong program that, based on exclusive interviews, investigates the backgrounds of top news stories. Seasoned by more than 30 years in this kind of penetrating work, anchorwoman Connie is referred to as an "icon journalist" who specializes in "enterprise reporting."
Endowed with appearance, voice and camera presence, she began the way she intended to continue in her hometown of Washington in 1969. Graduated from the University of Maryland, she went at once into television. In a small way at first she became a copywriter, then advanced quickly to become a news writer, and finally a news reporter at WTTG-TV. Two years later as a national correspondent she joined CBS News. Her work still at that early stage carried her into top-level political reporting, across the world as well as at home. She covered the big-name events of George McGovern's presidential campaign, the 1972 Democratic National Convention, Watergate and the vice presidency of Nelson Rockefeller. She traveled to report on the Nixon/Brezhnev SALT talks, and on Nixon's final trip to the Middle East.
After five years, Connie left Washington for Los Angeles and KCBS. As anchor she spent seven years there. Then Connie found a superior niche giving wider exposure as correspondent and anchor with NBC News. She worked on news and analyses, prime-time specials, and actively with politics at conventions and during presidential campaigns and elections.