CNN Apologizes To Guam, Will Air Free Commercials

Guam - CNN has agreed to provide free air time for commercials touting Guam as a tourist destination to make up for the networks mistake in airing footage of Yap last year and calling it Guam.

The Guam visitors bureau says the TV commercials promoting Guam as a world-class destination will begin airing on CNN and CNN International next week.

The commercial are being provided at no cost, after GVB complained to CNN about the erroneous report that aired on May 24, last year.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[deepintheheartoftejas]

They owe me an apology too! After I saw that special last year, I wasted several thousand dollars in luggage fees, toting a bunch of 2-ton stone coins to Guam.

[Graywolf48]

I was stationed at the U.S. Naval Station on Guam in the late 60's and certainly wouldn't describe it as "hell". As a matter of fact many of the best times of my life I had when I was assigned to the Marine Barracks as their Field Med Corpsman. The island was beautiful. Thick tropical foliage and some nice beaches. The USO beach was especially nice. If you love water sports (diving, snorkeling, sailing, fishing) you'll love Guam. We had one bad typhoon hit the island when I was there, but most of the storm's damage was felt on Tinian Island to the north. I really enjoyed "boonie stompin'" because there is a lot of WWII history in those jungles. I think the last Japanese soldier finally came out of the jungle and surrendered in the early 60's. As we used to say, "Guam is good!". But, Guam is really far away from the U.S. mainland and I don't know if I could sit that long on a plane any more. I wouldn't mind seeing the island again. I have very fond memories of Guam.

[MajorKong]

Actually it was the early 1970s when the last Japanese soldier came out of the jungle!

[birdonamission]

Tatiana--you sound like a world-class _________. As an Air Force retiree, I personally knew Air Force (and Navy) people who absolutely loved Guam and would volunteer to serve there again immediately if it were possible. Invariably, they weren't the whiny, self-absorbed empty-headed drama queens who threw temper tantrums like a spoiled 2 year old because not everything went according to their Mayberry world.

Maybe your military husband can teach you a thing or two about life and do the best with the situation or place you find yourself in, no matter the challenges. Ever though of the fact that you, as a military person, was being hosted by the people of Guam and some of that sewage that might've leaked to one of their beaches came out of your own butt--all the while enjoying pristine Tarague Beach protected by the fence and Security Forces out at the main gate?

[PoliticalAmazon]

ITA, except about the "husband teaching part." Hello, Fred Flinstone?

The happiest people who live and travel abroad are the ones who know that you don't go to another country where good times happen, you take the good times with you. About 95% of it is your attitude.

[birdonamission]

LOL! A little over the top, I admit. ;-)

What you said is true--attitude makes a huge difference. I've been to many, many places here in the mainland and it doesn't matter whether it's east coast, west coast, down south, northeast, or in the midwest...there are places that will scare the living daylights out of anyone. Abject poverty, "nuclear" disaster zones, or just plain distasteful. But carry a fortress attitude accompanied by a superiority complex with you and you're guaranteed to (a) be miserable (b) get run out of town with your tail between your legs, or (c) both.

[harriettubman]

Everybody doesn't enjoy the same experience when living in various countries. Guam was nice but very hot to me and the school district was deplorable. Navy families fought for better schools for years but DoD didn't start listening to them until the 90s. There were more families homeschooling in the Asian countries then I ever saw before in my life.

I've had great experiences in Europe too but some people don't enmesh themselves in the culture. Plus, a lot of what we see on TV is not the reality once you actually live in some places. Where I lived in Japan the sewers were street level and talk about stench but I fell in love with the culture.

[birdonamission]

You are spot on. Well said. I'm sure Guam is NOT perfect, which many problems--certainly not unlike many other American communities, whether in another U.S. territory, commonweatlth, state, or the District of Columbia.

Not even here in Maryland, the wealthiest state in the nation, do I find nirvana or just the most blissful and wonderful heaven on earth dreamland blah blah blah.

[Tatiana]

Yeah know what you mean.
Culture's are easy to love, it's the countries and governments who make it difficult to assimilate.
Don't see it though until you experience it.

[Tatiana]

OMG! Who are you to name call me?
WhereTF do you get off?
You don't like my opinion, FINE! Argue all you want, no problem. But don't demean my character on top of all that!

My husband teach me? Not a chance!
I've lived all over the world (thru dad, not military) so I know...
Never lived anywhere until recently, longer than 5 years and I'm in my mid 40's!
But I don't care to explain anything to you because you're a hateful human being!

One last thing...if the sewage came from my own butt, shouldn't it have been treated first and not leaked into the Pacific?

[boyo1872]

I just got back yesterday from Guam. The people are some of the nicest I've ever met, extremely friendly and gracious. The island has a lot of history over 3000 years of civilization on the island from Chommora, Spanish, and American. Of course food is expensive, everything must be flown in. Of course you're not going to have alot of the comforts you would get in a mainland resort area or Hawaii or the Caribbean. But I really didn't care, I liked the place, it's a part of America (Guamanians have fought and died in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq), the people are cool ( BBQing is a national past-time and they love Reggae, and most of the island is beautiful. Yeah it's not Hawaii, but it's not trying to be.

[missviv]

My boyfriend is Guamanian and I was absolutely embarrassed at the fact that I had never heard of the place til I met him :( Colbert did a hilarious skit on them a while ago. Guam definitely needs some PR.

[Tatiana]

World class destination? Not on my planet.

Lived there for 2 years when my husband was stationed at Anderson AFB. When I got back to the states my favorite comment was "No one better ever tell me to go to hell again because I've been there and am not going back!"

Tumon Bay is the location of the resort style, very-high-priced hotels and is blanketed with massive amounts of seaweed, sewage run-off and polluted tainted sea water. Not an attractive place to relax on the beach during holiday. Not to mention the stench.

Brown and black outs were common because the electric generators were unable to power up 24/7 and this problem still hasn't been remedied.

Typhoons (6 of them during my tenure), earthquakes, brown tree snakes, cat size rats, outrageous food prices, shortages of goods and dangerous tides that make swimming in the ocean a hazard are just few of the obstacles you have to deal with on a regular basis.

Americans can't go there on vacation because of the tremendous costs in transportation and the prices of just about everything.
It's an 8 hour flight from Hawaii!
Better off just staying in Hawaii.

Guam is hell, Hawaii is heaven.

[guammiemimi]

sadly when you were last here it was in the 90's.

-Tumon is as beautiful as ever.
-The power authority has cleaned up its act.
-Typhoons have not severely struck since 2001
-Guam is certainly far from your version of hell.

[PoliticalAmazon]

Destinations are what you make of them. If you found Guam so objectionable, there will be many countries where you will have a miserable time.

[IslandGurl89]

I agree w/ birdonamission, you sound like a world class -----. My husband was a Marine was stationed on Guam, he fell inlove with the island. So much that after he got out, he STAYED and joined the Police Department. I didn't meet him until after he became a "cop". He made so many friends while he was there and even knows the Guam Hymn BY HEART and can sing it IN CHAMORRO. Unfortunately after 20 years, of making Guam his home, we had to move back to NY so that he could take care of his ailing mother.

Living in the big city was a big change. I could have adopted YOUR negative views of NYC and bitch abouth the pollution, the rats in the street, the crime, the corruption and YOU WANNA TALK OUTRAGEUS HOTEL PRICES (since when does it cost $300+ a night to sleep at the COMFORT INN?)

But I took what every Islander takes with them - a POSITIVE ATTITUDE, and now, NYC is just as much my home as Guam was, yet to me, it will NEVER COMPARE to the beauty of the island, or the kindness and hospitality of the people.

I moved to NYC in the summer of 2003 - and guess what THEY HAD A MAJOR BLACK OUT, and for the record, every summer since I've been in NY, there have been rolling black outs in all 5 burroughs, so it really doesn't matter where you go...IT TRULY IS ABOUT ATTITUDE!!

[Tatiana]

Another hateful comment.
Go ahead, call me names. Does that make you feel better about yourself? It must.

Did I say anything about the Chamorrian's? Not at all.
Some of the greatest people I met living there were of the native population.
I wrote of the island's defunct infrastructure and natural disaster's, some of them caused by an ineffectual government policies and lack of oversight.
Ever heard of Sanchez?
Others were by God.
Ever experience an earthquake at a magnitude of 8?
I'm guessing not.

You had a blackout, poor thing.
We had 4 hrs/day of scheduled brown outs for 6 months and another 6 months of 2hrs/day.
No power after Omar for 2 weeks!

TAKE YOUR CAPS AND ATTITUDE SOMEWHERE ELSE!

I'm allowed to have an opinion without getting demoralized.

[Tatiana]

OK, I get it.
After checking profiles.
You and bird are only here and now.

[manitoumackinac]

Lots of strip clubs and massage parlors. It's mainly a Japanese destination anyways... They get to shop at the famous K-mart.

[KCFreedom]

Guam or Yap? Who really cares?

95+% of Americans will never be able to afford to go there, anyway.

Might as well call it "Gilligans Isle".

[MajorKong]

I've been there. It's kind of like a low-budget Hawaii.

[Durango]

Yeah, that's right.

Let us glory in our ignorance. As Americans.

If we "can't afford to travel there' let's pretend the places don't exist. That couldn't possibly hurt us could it? (Hint: See 9/11/01)

[Sumocat]

You mean not counting the Americans who are already there? Guam is a U.S. territory. Their motto is: "Where America's Day Begins." In other words, the folks who really care about Guam are Americans.