When people recognize veteran journalist Miles O'Brien from his days covering aviation for CNN, they often thank him for his coverage of the Challenger space shuttle explosion.
O'Brien has to politely correct these grateful fans. He was on the air on CNN for 16 straight hours to cover the crash of the space shuttle Columbia, which broke up in the skies over Texas on February 1, 2003, as it reentered Earth's atmosphere. The seven astronauts on board died after 16 days in orbit.
The 1986 Challenger tragedy was a defining moment for Generation X, who witnessed it firsthand in their classrooms. Teacher Christa McAuliffe was one of the crew members. In contrast, the Columbia mission remains obscure in the public consciousness, as it occurred between the September 11 terrorist attacks and the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
Perhaps that's why the story appears like a mystery in the four-part CNN original series “Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Voyage,” in which O'Brien stars. The series, which premieres Sunday at 6 p.m. PT, is from CNN Originals, the cable network's much-loved production entity that is looking to return under the network's new leadership.
“The Final Flight” is a co-production with the BBC, which is one of the ways CNN Originals has had to adapt after being decimated during the fall of 2022. The unit, founded in 2012, was hit hard by former CNN chief Chris Licht’s budget. Cutting spree during his short stint in the network.
Space Shuttle Columbia launched on its 28th and final mission in 2003.
(Scott Andrews)
This was after the closure of the CNN+ streaming service – nine days after the acquisition by Warner Bros. Discovery on the network – eliminating a number of planned CNN Originals projects.
The downgrade came after CNN Originals had been aggressively buying in the movie markets for 10 years. Since the cuts, the unit has pulled back on acquisitions and halted development on big-name projects such as three-time Emmy Award winner “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.”
Citing the group's success with the Oscar-winning “Navalny,” filmmakers say CNN Originals has missed the documentary circuit. “In a relatively short period of time, they became a powerful force,” said Betsy West, co-director of “RBG,” the 2018 Oscar-nominated film about the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “We love working with them.”
But there are plans for CNN Originals to return to rolling out its prestigious projects again. Mark Thompson, the former New York Times boss who took over as CNN chief last fall, said in a recent memo to staff that he was working to increase investment in the unit.
“It's good business and it's what Mark wants CNN to come back to,” Amy Entelis, CNN Originals' executive vice president of talent and creative development, said in a recent interview.
Miles O'Brien, former CNN science correspondent, talks about the space shuttle Columbia in 2003.
(CNN)
Entelis said it is cautiously optimistic that it will have a full slate of original works for 2025, with some new projects to be announced in late spring.
The reduction in the size of CNN's original business, which includes CNN Movies, has been puzzling to many within the network and much of the television news industry because its formula has worked so well.
CNN has historically struggled to attract audiences during lulls in the news cycle. CNN Originals addressed the problem by creating series and movies that gave viewers a reason to come to the network during those slow times.
From 2014 to 2021, docuseries like “Anthony Bordain: Parts Unknown” helped make CNN the most-watched cable news channel on Sunday nights from 9 to 11 p.m. ET among the 25-54 demographic that advertisers desire. In getting it.
Today, CNN could use a boost. While its ratings have stabilized in recent months, last year they fell to their lowest level since 2014, according to Nielsen, setting the network apart from more politically partisan cable news competitors like Fox News and MSNBC.
The unit also provided CNN with a library of programming that the company could repeat on television and sell to streaming services and broadcasters abroad. Some of her films have been released in cinemas.
The projects won awards and attracted younger viewers who typically did not watch cable news, creating increased demand for advertising. The film “Navalny,” released in 2022, remains of particular interest, given the recent death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Russian prison.
While Entelis is happy that CNN Originals will have the opportunity to return to full strength in the future, she said she will also continue to look for co-production partners.
“We've spent the last year regrouping and meeting people who want to partner, and that has allowed for some really cool projects,” Entles said. “We will continue to build on these relationships in our upcoming slate while also commissioning our own series.”
Space Shuttle Columbia: Final Voyage shows that compelling stories can be told without the high-profile (and expensive) names that have been attached to previous CNN Originals projects. The series is based largely on archival footage from NASA, which is in the public domain, and the network's own video.
The documentary shows that from the moment of lift-off, there were questions about the impact of a piece of lightweight foam that broke off from the rocket launcher and hit the left wing of the reusable spacecraft, which had been on 27 previous missions. NASA's failure to act on it — even resisting using spy satellites to inspect the damage — is a dark chapter in the history of the space program.
Old photos are complemented by new and chilling interviews with NASA employees, some of whom are speaking publicly for the first time about Columbia; And family members of the crew, including the children of two astronauts.
O'Brien, now a science correspondent for “PBS NewsHour” and an analyst for CNN, provides an eyewitness account throughout the series. As head of CNN's six-person science unit — which had been shuttered during an earlier era of cost-cutting — he was immersed in the shuttle program.
The memory is sad for him.
Upon launch of the shuttle, O'Brien immediately watched on video as debris struck Columbia's wing. He made some calls to his sources at NASA, but never raised the issue during his CNN coverage about how the raid might have jeopardized the mission — a decision he deeply regrets.
“I didn't push for this story as much as I should have,” O'Brien said in a recent interview. “I thought about it several times. The moment the connection with Houston was lost, I knew what was going on.”
The missed opportunity has bothered him for 20 years.
“I share the guilt, to some extent,” O'Brien said. “I carry it with me. It's a hard lesson to learn as a journalist. You can't take it seriously with a few phone calls, when you know this is bad.”
