A Week in the Life of ...(Cover story)(Diary entry)

ANDERSON COOPER

The anchor of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360A[degrees]" spends so much time on the road, he was hard pressed to come up with a firm schedule.

I've stopped making plans--like dinners with friends, vacations--because my schedule changes at the last minute. I try not to think about where I'm going until I'm on the plane getting there. Even though we are overseas, we still have a nightly live show to do so I am always working on two different time zones: American time plus the place I am in.

Last year when we went to Niger, we hit the ground running. We were shooting all day and then editing all night, plus doing a live two-hour broadcast. Then we had to start all over again the next day. I can maintain that for about a week before I hit a brick wall.

Logistics is 80 percent of the battle. We land in a place with the crew and then set up for the broadcast. I'm writing the story in my head while we are shooting.

I'm always on the lookout for little stories that are not being covered. I automatically start to calculate how long it will take to get there. I was looking this morning, wondering if I could get to Nepal. I am particularly drawn to Africa. I would love to go to the Congo, but logistics can affect how stuff gets done. Broadcasting out of a place like that can be a real difficulty.

A Week in the Life of ...