CNN adds O'Brien, shuffles anchors (Rearranging the Deck Chairs on the SS Turner)

USA TODAY ^ | July 6, 2003 | Peter Johnson

[Dont Mention the War]

With Fox News clobbering it by a 1 million to 2 million viewer margin at night and a 250,000 margin in the morning, CNN, the onetime cable news leader, is regrouping.

Starting today, former NBC Weekend Today host Soledad O'Brien joins Bill Hemmer on American Morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET/4 to 7 PT. O'Brien replaces Paula Zahn, who has moved to the 8 p.m. ET/5 PT slot, where she faces cable king Bill O'Reilly. Former ABC anchor Anderson Cooper now anchors the 7 p.m. ET/4 PT hour.

[Dont Mention the War]

None of this will work. People don't want hard news in the mornings that they have to sit down and actually watch; the public is getting ready for work and the TV functions as a glorified radio for them while they're running all over the house. So American Morning is doomed no matter who anchors.

Anderson Cooper's show could work, but not at 7 pm. People aren't ready for quirky at 7 pm. Keith Olbermann is quirky at 8 pm, and his ratings blow.

Paula Zahn simply has a cold, off-setting personality. People don't want to watch her. So her show's dead, especially against O'Reilly.

CNN: One screwed-up channel.

[Mike Darancette]

Fox News is winning with its mix of confrontational talk-show hosts like O'Reilly and edgy news anchors like Shepard Smith, but CNN executives say that format is not for them.

What icebergs Captain Smith?

[Cicero]

A news channel where Larry King "gets the lion's share of CNN's prime-time ratings" is in deep trouble. King looks about a hundred years old at this point.

[RoughDobermann]

Instead, they say they're sticking with the one that CNN founder Ted Turner chose two decades ago: objective news.

They've got to be kidding...

[ladtx]

Paula Zahn == sacrificial lamb.

[sarasota]

Did you happen to see Paula Zahn when she "hosted" Ann Coulter? Ann had her totally stymied. It was wonderful.

[JohnnyZ]

Soledad is hot.

[dfwgator]

How long until Fox brings Rudi Bakhtiar into the fold?

[Izzy Dunne]

CNN executives say that format is not for them.

It's the format.
That's it! It's the format!
We've got to have a new format.
Maybe if we change our format.
I'll bet it's the format.
We can change the format.
Fox's format is what does it.
But that format's not for us.
Got to find the right format.
Just a few more changes to the format.
We want the same format, but different.
Maybe if we used last year's format...

[Russell Scott]

Put Rudi, Robin, and Soledad as co-hosts on a show with a "FOX and Friends" type format, and they might have a chance.

[BaghdadBarney]

objective news: /ob-jek-tiv noos/ term used by liberal journalists and news producers - mainly at CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC and the big metropolitan newspaper dailies - to cover over the fact that their news stories, exposes and other commentaries take on a very politically liberal slant.

[Tacis]

Never heard of most of these people!! But, any organization the gives Paul Begala employment and expects others to believe that anything Begala says isn't BS, lies, dishonesty or corruption doesn't know what he is doing.

The traditional, weasel left media is just doing fine. It has so many other revenue sources that it doesn't have to be competitive and, it gives them someting and all the lefties, something to whine about.

[TomHarkinIsNotFromIowa]

How many news cookies has Zahn crawled over?? If you handed her a kitten and told her all she had to do was twist it's head off and she would have the prime time slot. I don't think she would even flinch. I call it the dead kitty principle.

I had an aunt that was just like her. Very smug. You got the feeling you were being made fun of the whole time you were talking to her.

[musical_airman]

Former ABC anchor Anderson Cooper now anchors the 7 p.m. ET/4 PT hour

I rememeber when Anderson Cooper was on "Channel One"- my public school's morning indoctrination by television. We had to watch it every morning after we said the pledge of allegiance (yes, we still said it then). It's no surprise that he ended up on CNN.

btw.......If any of your children have to watch this crap like I did (nothing but commie-lib BS and soda commercials. Thanks to great parents I recognized it for what it was even then, which got me sent to the office more than once....) I would suggest that you go have a talk with your school board ASAP.

[quark]

Soledad is hot.

Need to do a "Rita Hayworth" on her: raise the hairline & give her a slight widow's peak.

[Freedom4US]

"they've got to be kidding."

Nope. Thye honestly think they are objective. That's what happens when virtually everyone is a dyed-in-the-wool lefty in one organization.

[KC_Conspirator]

Yes she is.

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[JohnnyZ]

"Yeah, come to think of it,
I do think JohnnyZ's a stud!"

[Poser]

Anderson Cooper won't be doing "The Mole" this year? OH NO!

[Nick Danger]

"I'm really not interested in having an anchor ram their opinion down a viewer's throat. I'm more interested in being objective and reporting stories."

Well of course you don't ram your opinions down their throats. You slip the knife in sideways, like all good objective liberal journalists.

You objectively report everything that Tom Daschle said today, you report on all the press releases from environmentalists and anti-gun crusaders, and you objectively tell us that three professors at Berkeley have pronounced Bush "the most failed President in a hundred years." Hey... it's news. They really said that.

No thanks. Rather and Jennings were doing that when you were a zygote. I'd as soon have you tell me flat-out that you're a partisan advocate, and all the stories I'm going to hear today will either highlight items from the DNC's daily talking points memo, or show Republicans throwing homeless grandmothers into the streets. We both know you're going to do that anyway, so why not be up front about it?

[Yehuda]

"Soledad is hot."

iirc, she's a lib moron.

[JohnnyZ]

iirc, she's a lib moron.

And . . . she's hot.

[CholeraJoe]

Bill's already made Larry King his b*tch. Now it's Paula's turn.

[Dont Mention the War]

Put Rudi, Robin, and Soledad as co-hosts on a show with a "FOX and Friends" type format, and they might have a chance.

It'll never happen. CNN is terrified of "fun." The newsroom culture will allow for "slightly quirky," but actual FUN equals "unserious news" which equals "going against CNN values."

The fact that CNN hasn't had any values since the day Turner sold them to Time Warner, and especially not since the day Eason Jordan sold his soul (and other peoples' lives) to Iraq just so they could brag about having a bureau there, doesn't seem to be something that anyone at CNN realizes.

[Itzlzha]

Instead, they say they're sticking with the one that CNN founder Ted Turner chose two decades ago: objective news.

BWA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!

Oh man..stop...I'm dyin' here!!!!

This article belongs in the comedy section!

"...objective..." BWA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!!!!!

(Snort...snuffle...giggle...) No really...what did they REALLY give as an excuse..er expalnation...(snicker)...

[Fausto]

I rememeber when Anderson Cooper was on "Channel One"- my public school's morning indoctrination by television. We had to watch it every morning after we said the pledge of allegiance (yes, we still said it then). It's no surprise that he ended up on CNN.

Good to know I wasn't the only one who had to struggle through Channel One. Here's hoping it still does not exist. I literally lost days off my life by being forced to watch/wait through CH1. Everytime I channel surf by CNN now and Cooper on I've just got to laugh. Anderson is maybe 35 and colors his hair grey to look older! That's about as fake as CNN's *objective news coverage*.

[Right Wing Professor]

Anderson is maybe 35 and colors his hair grey to look older!

Anyone else pick up a certain odd vibe from Anderson? Well, not exactly odd, maybe strange, not that's not the word I'm looking for. Peculiar...? Nah...

[ItsBacon]

Channel One is still around, and it was shown at my high school for the four years I was there (I graduated this past May). Most of the time, though, the teachers didn't force us to watch it, we'd just use it as a short break/study hall and it'd serve as background noise. I did watch it a few times, and it was still mainly commercials and liberally biased "reporting."

[Tall_Texan]

How long until Fox brings Rudi Bakhtiar into the fold?

Yum! That would make my month...

[snooker]

Iceberg ramming speed ... aye captian.

[Tall_Texan]

Seriously, this story needs to come with a laugh track. There are so many unintentional knee-slappers in this report.

CNN will stick to objective news...yeah, like mercury.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I guess they need to shoot up anothe Iraqi guard post. That was the first time I tuned in CNN in over a year. Haven't been back since.

[Tall_Texan]

"Darn! Lost *another* loan to DiTech!"

"Oh, wait! Am I supposed to be doing hard news this hour?"

[Akira]

Instead, they say they're sticking with the one that CNN founder Ted Turner chose two decades ago: objective news

Uhhh...if by "objective" they mean selling integrity for access, then I wholeheartedly agree. What a joke.

[John W]

Another World News Now alum,too big now to have it mentioned in the article as it was about Cooper.

[Tall_Texan]

"I think the show will be successful if it is distinctive and reflective of my voice and sensibilities," says Cooper.

What an ego! He thinks the show is all about him! If it reflects *his* voice and *his* sensibilities, it will be a success....

oooooooh!