ATLANTA — The company that owns Atlanta-based CNN will be moving the famed 24-hour news company's headquarters from its longtime location downtown.
A spokesperson confirmed to 11Alive on Monday afternoon that CNN will be moving its operations over to the newly redesigned Techwood campus.
"This will increase collaboration and optimize use of Techwood, which was created to be a state-of-the-art hub for our diverse business portfolio," the statement read.
However, the move won't be overnight, the note added.
"Once sold, we will lease back the property for a minimum of five years," a spokesperson wrote. "There will be no immediate impact to employees working at the CNN Center."
In a note to employees, the company said that it had been assessing the Atlanta operations even before Time Warner's sale to AT&T. This was a major part of what led to the renovations at the Techwood campus and discussions of the future of the CNN Center.
"These discussions were put on hold until the completion of the merger. Now that we’ve had time to further evaluate, we’ve concluded that the best course of action is to sell the CNN Center," the note to employees continued.
Though not the first building for CNN, the current location adjacent to what is now Centennial Olympic Park has been the headquarters for decades. Only a few years ago, the road that runs in front of it was renamed to honor CNN founder Ted Turner.
However, the company wrote to staff members that it was not turning its back on Atlanta or Turner's legacy in moving on from the location.
The note to employees described Turner as a pioneer who "reinvented media" with the launch of the 24-hour news channel in 1980. The Techwood campus was also dedicated to Turner in December.
"This move in no way should suggest that WarnerMedia is less committed to Atlanta. Following the sale of the CNN Center, we plan to centralize most of our employees on the Techwood campus," the company said. "This process will take several years, so we don’t expect any immediate changes for employees working at the CNN Center."
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