Campbell Brown Resigns From CNN, Gov. Spitzer to Slip Into Brown's Spot?

Media Bistro ^ | 5-18-2010

[My Favorite Headache]

CNN's Campbell Brown has resigned. The following are statements from both CNN President Jon Klein and a heartfelt letter from Brown explaining her reasons for leaving.

STATEMENT FROM JON KLEIN, PRESIDENT OF CNN/U.S. "Today is about Campbell. We want to wish her well as she begins the next phase of her life. We respect her decision to leave. We will announce our programming plans in the coming weeks."

An Excerpt From Brown's Statement "Simply put, the ratings for my program are not where I would like them to be. It is largely for this reason that I am stepping down as anchor of CNN's "Campbell Brown". ...The simple fact is that not enough people want to watch my program, and I owe it to myself and to CNN to get out of the way so that CNN can try something else."

(Read Brown's letter after the jump...it's well worth the read.)

Mediaite first reported the news of Brown being let out of her contract. Read the story here.

Meanwhile, the Washington Examiner is reporting that former N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer may be getting his own show -- it's Brown's slot on CNN.

Read TVNewser's analysis of Brown's time at CNN and subsequent departure here.

MSNBC, the network on which Spitzer occasionally substitutes as host, had no comment.

Read the scoop on Spitzer here.

> Update: The Washington Examiner, while declaring a posssible Spitzer replacement, has Spitzer himself denying the move to CNN to replace Brown. Other journos around town join bandwagon to point out the discrepancy in the story.

Campbell Brown Statement:

I knew on the day that I accepted my job at CNN that a ratings victory at 8pm was going to be a formidable challenge. As I have been told over and over, this is the toughest time slot in cable news. That is obviously due to the incredible talents of my 8pm competitors. I have also always marveled whenever a television anchor says that he or she pays no attention to ratings. I'm pretty sure the last time any anchor could honestly ignore ratings was well before I was born. Of course I pay attention to ratings. And simply put, the ratings for my program are not where I would like them to be. It is largely for this reason that I am stepping down as anchor of CNN's "Campbell Brown".

To be clear: this is my decision, and one that I have been thinking about for some time. As for why, I could have said, that I am stepping down to spend more time with my children (which I truly want to do). Or that I am leaving to pursue other opportunities (which I also truly want to do). But I have never had much tolerance for others' spin, so I can't imagine trying to stomach my own. The simple fact is that not enough people want to watch my program, and I owe it to myself and to CNN to get out of the way so that CNN can try something else.

CNN will have to figure out what that is. The 8pm hour in cable news world is currently driven by the indomitable Bill O'Reilly, Nancy Grace and Keith Olbermann. Shedding my own journalistic skin to try to inhabit the kind of persona that might co-exist in that line up is simply impossible for me. It is not who I am or who I want to be; nor is it who CNN asked me to be at any point. This is the right decision for me and I hope it will be a great opportunity for CNN.

Since its launch three decades ago CNN has strived to be an independent, credible and enduring source of news. While the rest of the cable news world moved to opinion, CNN allowed me to stay true to my hard-news roots and supported me with a true commitment to old-school journalism. There is plenty of debate now about whether real journalism even has a place in prime time. I may be taking myself out of that debate on a nightly basis, but I am truly proud of the work we have done on this program and I do still believe that journalism has an essential place in prime time and at all times. I am also especially proud of the people who put this show on the air every night. They are an amazing, dedicated, loyal and caring team. To them, I will be forever grateful.

My plan right now is to help CNN through any transition, and then to enjoy, for the very first time, the nightly ritual of "Good Night Moon" and good night kisses with my two little boys. I wish my CNN colleagues all the best. And as long as bedtime doesn't conflict with prime time, I will be watching and pulling for them.

Campbell Brown

[Enterprise]

I have no doubt that Spitzer would love to slip in Campbell’s slot.

[Deagle]

A bit of re-education and she could be a FOX news reporter...just saying...heh.

[Vision Thing]

Media Bistro is using some interesting / amusing phrasing in the article’s headline.

[streetpreacher]

“While the rest of the cable news world moved to opinion, CNN allowed me to stay true to my hard-news roots and supported me with a true commitment to old-school journalism.”

LMBO. She means “old-school” in the sense of “when there was no competition”.

[OrioleFan]

She’ll probably go to the WH to head up the Obama media control team.

[Deagle]

Geez, okay, maybe she should dye her hair so that she is another blond...okay? With a change in attitude and hair, she would fit in nicely...

[streetpreacher]

I think they should go with Blagojevich instead.

[streetpreacher]

She’d have to go blonde first.

[hole_n_one]

Somebody forgot to tell Larry King that he's dead and needs to lay down..........

The Scoreboard: Monday, May 17

By Kevin Allocca on May 18, 2010 04:51 PM

25-54 demographic: (L +SD)

Total day: FNC: 351 | CNN: 143 | MSNBC: 132 | HLN: 149

Prime: FNC: 502 | CNN: 125 | MSNBC: 273 | HLN: 179

	5p:	6p:	7p:	8p:	9p:	10p:	11p:
FNC	Beck:	Baier:	Shep:	O'Reilly:	Hannity:	Greta:	O'Reilly:
	632	449	357	648	458	399	410
CNN	Blitzer:	Blitzer:	KingUSA:	Brown:	King:	Cooper:	Cooper:
	120	120	145	108	90	177	168
MSNBC	Matthews:	EdShow:	Matthews:	Olbermann:	Maddow:	Olbermann:	Maddow:
	87	122	169	287	279	253	209
HLN	Showbiz:	Prime:	Issues:	Grace:	Behar:	Grace:	Showbiz:
	77	98	147	270	121	154	179

Somebody forgot to tell Larry King that he's dead and needs to lay down.

[Deagle]

Heh...beat you to it!

[JayNorth]

You have to love her tag line “No Bias. No Bull.” These libs actually believe that they are fair and open-minded. It still amazes me no matter how often the pattern repeats. Apparently liberalism really is a mental disorder.

[streetpreacher]

Yeah. Saw that afterwards. LOL

[Secret Agent Man]

How about the two of them team up together?

The Blago-Spitzer Hour. Two democrats who resigned in disgrace, still bitter about having to do so, and seeking an outlet for their anger disguised as a ‘news entertainment’ show.

Or they could call it “The Whores and Bribes Hour with Blago and Elliot”. I mean the possibilities are endless.

[Secret Agent Man]

Yeah, really, they should get rid of Larry first. He’s not even topping 100.

Do you even think they tell Larry when he’s on the air anymore? Or is he at a desk all day just talking, and every once in awhile someone sits down and he thinks he’s doing an interview?

[TBP]

So one ratings disaster will be replaced with another.

A previous poster was right — Rod Blagojevich is much more interesting than Elliot Spitzer.

[PzLdr]

“No bias. No bull”. No viewers...

[BradyLS]

Not guilty!

[Lancey Howard]

While the rest of the cable news world moved to opinion, CNN allowed me to stay true to my hard-news roots and supported me with a true commitment to old-school journalism.

LMAO!!
Brown's own father was a corrupt jailed Democrat pol in Florida. Yeah, she was all about "hard news", sans "opinion". Right.

[Steelfish]

Didn’t this ultra-liberal Catholic woman marry a former Bush press spokesman?

[eaglestar]

Don’t be surprised if CNN brings back Crossfire with forehead.