It seems we have beaten the Piers Morgan announcement to death so what to talk about this weekend? Since so many of us think we are better at Jon Klein's job then he is why not tell us what you would do if you were going to rescue the network. Give us your line up for CNN's dream team in prime time but be realistic, please.
I'll start it out, after the jump.
My version of CNN Prime time:
8 PM: Short of naked news not much will succeed in this hour since it competes against Bill O and network prime time. I'd try a round up of the days hard news, both domestic and international. Forget the interviews, special reports, etc. Just the news of the day with a likable, smart anchor. I'd give the hour to Michael Holmes, Jim Clancey or TJ Holmes. It might work well in middle America and the West Coast too as an alternative to the big 3 network's newscasts.
9PM: Move Anderson Cooper into this hour and reprise the old format of AC360 with sharp writing and a quick pace and a slightly irreverent look at the news of the day. If CNN feels the need to cover politics too then expand the show by half an hour and put the politics at the end so people can tune out!
10PM: If you must sign Piers Morgan CNN then put him here with a late night version of LKL. Talk of pop culture, authors with new books and celeb interviews.
I for one, don't think we're done with Piers Morgan. Just because they're "laying low," doesn't mean the deal isn't sealed.
ReplyDeleteWEEKDAYS:
ReplyDelete6AM-9AM - American Morning with John Roberts & Kiran Chetry
9AM-12PM - CNN NewsRoom with Kira Philips & Tony Harris
12PM-3PM - CNN NewsRoom with Ali Velshi & Alina Cho
3PM-6PM - CNN NewsRoom with TJ Holmes & Fredricka Whitfield
6PM-8PM - The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
8PM-9PM - CNN Tonight with Soledad O'Brien
9PM-10PM - Anderson Cooper 360°
10PM-11PM - Joy Behar Live OR Katie Couric Live.
11PM-6AM - CNN International broadcast instead of repeats.
SATURDAY:
6AM-10AM - CNN Saturday Morning with Carol Costello & Joe Johns
10AM-11AM - Sanja Gupta MD
11AM-12PM - Your $$$$$ with Christine Romans
12PM-4PM - CNN Newsroom with Randi Kaye & Tom Forman
4PM-7PM - CNN Newsroom with Don Lemon
7PM-8PM - John King USA
8PM-9PMor10PM - CNN Special
9PMor10PM - 11PM - CNN Newsroom with Don Lemon
11PM-6AM - CNN International
SUNDAYS:
6AM-10AM - CNN Sunday Morning with Carol Costello & Joe Johns
10AM-11AM - State of the Union with Candy Crowley
11AM-11:30AM - Fareed Zakaria GPS
11:30AM-12PM - Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz
12PM-4PM - CNN NewsRoom with Randi Kaye & Tom Forman
4PM-7PM - CNN NewsRoom with Don Lemon
7PM-8PM - John King USA
8PM-9PMor10PM - CNN Special
9PMor10PM - 11PM - CNN Newsroom with Don Lemon
11PM-6AM - CNN International
Move TSR to a 4-6 pm time slot. Air a
ReplyDeleterevamped John King USA at 6. A Nightline
type news show at 7. A news show for
women of diverse ethnic backgrounds at
8. Conor Knighton at 9 because CNN needs
a show that points out the absurdity and
mocks the media. Cap it all off with 2 hours
of 360 live. However, make hour 2 different
by bringing back the cool bump music and
the nth degree. There is nothing news or
original from CNN and the if it is true with
the lineup they are going with later this
year CNN will be hard to watch.
@6:31: While I find your schedule interesting, there are a few minor details that you have to rethink.
ReplyDeleteNo one can take 3 hours of John Roberts now. Fox and Friends continually beats them badly.
Ali Velshi is a bore and has to go and putting AC opposite Hannity's America is a more than bad idea. Hannity would whip him to shreds, and that's not even counting Olberman and Maddow who already are.
Why not Kiran and Soledad as one of your entries. Two women anchors might be appealing in primetime instead of men?
Don Lemon also needs a primetime spot and put TJ on the weekends.
In all the line-up needs some tweeking, but you are on the right track. Just put more thought into the COMPETITION.
I like the idea of having 2 or 3 anchors
ReplyDeleteon the CNN News Room. However, I do
think CNN should only have one show
called the Newsroom. I say rotate the
anchors because I don't think the solo
anchor on weekdays is working for CNN.
I think CNN should drop Rick's List,
Your Money & Reliable Sources.CNN does
need more news and not less.I too would
like to see CNN International. I think Don
Lemon is too good to be just on weekends.
Very interesting suggestions!
ReplyDeleteI am a longtime viewer of CNN, and it is sad to see it sort of losing its way in the last year or two. I really do not see the fascination with TJ Holmes. His gangsta/cutesy delivery is a real turnoff to the point of not being able to watch him. Bring us someone like Richard Lui or Suzanne Malveaux in prominent spots.
CNN should take a page from CNN International ---- terrific reporters, terrific anchors, very professional, newsy, and void of flamboyance (other than Richard Quest from whom we sort of expect it!!)
According to TVnewser, there is talk that John King will be moving to weekends since his weekday show isn't doing so well, making The Situation Room return to a three hour format. Katie Couric says she will not be replaceing Larry King, and it looks like the Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker show is set. CNN would be stupid to hire Piers Morgan to replace Larry King. Ryan Seacrest is a good interviewer but already works more than he needs too and wouldn't be good if there was political news. I think Joy Behar would be great. She's very smart, knows entertainment and politics well, and has done a great job sitting in for Larry in the past. Here is how CNN's Primetime should look like:
ReplyDelete5PM-8PM - The Situation Room
8PM-9PM - Spitzer/Parker Show
9PM-10PM - Joy Behar Live
10PM-11PM - Anderson Cooper 360°
11PM-12AM - CNN Tonight with Soledad O'Brien
I like the Soledad O'Brien in primetime idea, and the CNN International idea instead of nighttime repeats. All of these anchors would do well working with each other by chaining their shows in a way whenever there is a big breaking news story developing. I can see Anderson Cooper saying "and now our breaking coverage continues with Soledad O'Brien." I never liked how 360° began repeating it's first hour into the second hour immediately.
CNN needs a management team that will focus
ReplyDeleteon content, content and content. Someone really
needs to know what is and is not news.IMHO CNN
ignores too many international stories. I would
add a couple of more people to AM and stop
repeating the same things over and over again.
CNN must get back to the level of being like
ABC News, NBC News and CBS News. CNN can't
continue to dumb down the news. A management
team that will take CNN to the next level and
not drag the network through the mud. TJ
Holmes, gangsta. No way and that is insulting.
The problem for CNN is that no self respecting
ReplyDeletejournalist will want to follow Spitzer. CNN
needs to take a look at Fareed Zakaria. If CNN
wants to grow it has to stop trying to appeal
to just the left or right. The majority of the
public can't stand cable news and that is why.
Why does Josh Levs just do viral videos on the
ReplyDeleteweekend. How about a daily segment on this.
I like it better than the shot on 360. CNN could
learn a lot from Time.Com when it comes to
how to make news and new media work. The
video segments for the magazine is awesome.
CNN needs to be live more on weekends and
stop it with so many repeats.
I go with the Joy Behar idea at 9pm and here's why: She already HAS a built in following from The View.
ReplyDeleteShe's entertaining, having been a stand-up comic, and most of the public would give her a chance. She's really made no enemies and ISN'T A BRITISH IMPORT, with an attitude. She's most of all, likeable.
According to TV guide she has been considered....so maybe.
I don't care much for TJ Holmes either but it IS insulting to say that he has a "gangsta," like image. He's personable enough, but my bet is on Don Lemon who is, IMHO, even more personable and appealing and should be allowed a spot in primetime.
Thinking John King's move to the weekend is a good idea, but CNN needs to revamp his show completely. He was better at doing SOTU than Candy. She's become too political and he's become too political, but nobody knows political statistics the way the John does, and that's a skill.
Giving Wolf back his hour is a more than a great idea...probably didn't come from Klein, who we already know is brain dead.
I'd like to see more women in primetime and having Soledad or Suzanne Malveaux either before or after Anderson would be ideal. All three are atleast on the same page.
But, unfortunately KNOWING CNN, and their "contempt" for the viewer, none of this will happen. What do we know, we just watch....?
Meant also to say, running CNN international is most important. Hearing THEIR journalists and their delivery and their take on international news has a certain upgraded quality to it and MUST be done and interjected right smack dab, where it was before KLEIN, in midday EST.
ReplyDeleteGet rid of Velshi. He serves no purpose.
CNN should have an hour or 2 when they let
ReplyDeleteCNN viewers choose legitimate news items.
A Digg type newscast if you will, but other
interesting items you might come across on
the web from Yahoo,Facebook, Youtube,
Twitter, AOL or even CNN's website. Perhaps
a reporter at CNN did a story on the topic
someone submitted and CNN can make the
connection and bring it all full circle. Real
news not opinion. People must use their
real name and not insults but civil discussions
about the news. Facebook is about to reach
500 million users. Facebook got there by
being the alternative to MySpace . That is
the critical mistake CNN is making.CNN
will not benefit from imitating FNC or
MSNBC. Also set a blog up like the 360
blog that is a one stop destination for
people to exchange the news. Instead of
putting ideologues on that are portrayed
as the people, we all know they are not
regular folk. Give the power to the people.
It doesn't just have to be limited to the web
the are great magazines out their as well
and newspapers too.I say go with Don
Lemon and hire a couple of journalists
who are strictly new media reporters who
can connect with the people. I say go
with Don Lemon because he always has
the IPad and it is the world at your hands
and is a great news tool. Digg, Reddit,
Mixx, Vimeo, Youtube, Facebook and
Twitter have no problem getting really
good material by reaching out to the
people. One person I vote to join Don is
Katie who was just on with him.
I really don't get why CNN is writing off women.
ReplyDeleteThe female journalists at CNN should have an
hour of prime time on CNN. Women are the
majority population and workforce right now
and a study came out this week show that women
are on social media by the millions and not for
girl talk by the way. Anon 6:08 you are so right
but I am not sure CNN management understands
the potential for millions of women as viewers
for CNN if only they would do a news show
aimed right at women. Just rotate the anchors
and go with at least 3. It can be hit and miss
with a solo anchor. If it is 3 you are bound
to like at least one of them
@7:57PM: You are right in your thinking about women. Women make up for over half of all the household items bought and even car dealerships are now catering to them far more than their male counter parts in the showroom. 70% of them work outside the home and are not stay at home moms anymore, inspite of the "housewives shows," on Bravo, who are not typical.
ReplyDeleteCNN has to respond to this and change with the times. Hate to bring this up again, but if you look at the competition, which consistently beats CNN, during the day, at least, Fox News has shows, that have women anchors, like Megyn Kelly, whose star is currently on the rise.
First CNN dumped women anchors from the
ReplyDeletelineup from 11-8. Now there are are zero
female anchors in prime time. That is just
dumb business. You ignore women at your
own peril.CNN must have a prime time show
anchored by a female or they will be the only
cable news channel without a female who has
her own show in prime time. MSNBC tried this
for years and had low ratings until the added
Rachel Maddow into the mix.CNN is clearly
sliding backwards.
@7:25am: So glad we are on the same page so to speak, about the need for women in the prime line up at CNN.
ReplyDeleteJust today I read that FOX is having Dana Perino, the former White House Press Secry, who is cute and smart, fill in for Greta.
This is a smart move on FOX's part.
This is a trial run for her and if she does well, I bet they offer her an anchorship somewhere along the line. I'm not saying I'm a FOX fan, but they are successful because they try NEW, creative talent....and they are unafraid. My guess, Perino will more than hold her own agaisnt AC.
CNN management is running scared and they are on the defensive and not the offensive. When you respond to fear and act accordingly, you ultimately fail because you make poor choices.
CNN is losing out because they have continually failed to analyze their competition. All they know is the word Partisan.
ReplyDeleteAccording to TVN, Greta got a 1600 in totals this Friday. I don't know whether this was a rerun program or not, but AC360 was. Doing a taped segment opposite Greta EVERY Friday is like throwing in the towel. AC was also beaten by Olberman and Maddow though Maddow was low also.
My point is, it is Friday for ALL of the networks. Why is it a woman like Greta, who really is not much to look at, can continually pull in the numbers over a handsome, intelligent guy like Anderson?? Her show has CONTENT and sometimes she is likeable and not partisan, but just more astute and more interesting to watch because she covers MORE CONTENT. Her show is faster paced than 360. Yet no one at CNN takes the time to ANALYZE what she is doing right and that's not a pun.
Shepard Smith, is not partisan or less so than any Fox program and he STILL beats everyone else. The question is WHY???
CNN needs to worry less about FNC and MSNBC
ReplyDeleteand concentrate on what they need to do to fix
CNN. You will not find answers from FNC or
MSNBC. Don't let your competitors determine
what you do. You come up with a plan to top
what they are doing. I am not sure why both
CNN and MSNBC are going with tape on Friday.
The answers for CNN are not going to come
from watching or imitating FNC or MSNBC. CNN
needs to quit with the manufactured news and
move away from the partisans. Last night
Campbell Brown did a segment on the report
from the Washington Post about the size of
the intelligence community. Where was
Dana Priest ? She clearly should have been
a part of the interview segment since she
did break the story.It seems Rick Sanchez
has done it again. Samchez apparently does
not know when the Nixon/ Kennedy debate
took place. Since this was the first televised
presidential debate in America. Every student
of journalism learns this and he gets to be
in prime time. CNN management does not
know they need to have their best in prime
time certainly not someone who way too
often shows he is clueless to facts and
they are going with Rick Sanchez for the
summer.
How is mamagement going to "fix" CNN if they don't recognize it is broken??
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, they DO need to concentrate on their competition because the "competition is doing something right," and winning the ratings game.
Kudos to John Roberts & Tony Harris for practicing
ReplyDeleteresponsible journalism with regards to the firing of
the USDA employee. Cable News should NEVER take
news from the political blogs as news. The national
media is a disgrace because they would not know
the facts it they give them a swift kick in the butt.
That is exactly what is happening now. There needs
to be a divorce now. CNN drop the partisans from
your network. This is an example of why CNN does
not need to follow Fox News.. This is clearly a black
eye for the media and yet they continue to feed
be beast and bring them on to for an ideological
discussion. How about elevating the conversation
CNN and talk about irresponsibility in cable news.
Brain Williams was so on point tonight. CNN
stand up for journalism and don't follow Fox
News people expect better of you and it will
not increase your ratings. Where are the
news rebels who will stand up and say not
on my network. Game over, you no longer
will pimp us to get your message out and
manipulate the news.
Last night on 360 Anderson Cooper and Joe
ReplyDeleteJohns also jumped to conclusions with regards
to Ms Sherrod. They owe her an apology as well.
Did anyone at 360 wonder about context before
going with the story because it was on FNC. It;s
the blind leading the blind and CNN is in a
muddy ditch.
At least 360 is trying to clean things up but
ReplyDeletethis also explains why we need real journalists
and not the talking heads. This would have been
a disaster for CNN had Elliot Spitzer been on at
8. That simply makes CNN a part of the problem
and highlights the downward spiral that cable
news is in and it will all come crashing down.
Follow the news and not the noise.
Evidently no one listened to Campbell Brown tonite, and that's exactly why she's leaving, she really gave it to the President of the NAACP and told him he wasn't "snookered," as he so claimed. She asked HIM to apologize to Shirley and so he and the rest of the media should, including this Administration.
ReplyDeleteDon't blame the entire incident on FOX, just because some video went viral and everyone played along. There's more than enough blame for everyone who uses camera phones and records things out of context.
This will happen again, unfortunately because everyone has their own little agenda.
I have often posted on this blog about CNN
ReplyDeletehelping churn out discord and division and
why cable news should not hire people who
engage in these sort of antics that set out to
do nothing but destroy lives. I applaud Shirley
Sherrod for not being afraid and standing up
to those who set out to ruin her. Cable news
can't be trusted or expected to tell the truth
because they are not interested in doing so,
there is a pattern here of Fox News dong this
type of journalism and getting other news
organizations to do the same. This has to
stop. John Roberts and Tony Harris listened.
Both could have simply ignored what Sherrod
was saying but someone at CNN dug deeper
and even found the farmer. This was very
much a team effort and I am certain that
there are producers, assignment desk people
and others who sort the truth. Which you
will never get for the talking heads.CNN
let the news determine what you do not
blogger or pundits.
There are lesson to be learned by all here.
ReplyDeleteI bet I am like so many others today saying
that could have been me. That is the problem
for the media. This was an innocent individual
that was dragged into the nastiness on cable
news and the hyperbole driving news. Cable
news is on an island and needs to reconnect
with the real world and quit being lazy.
John Roberts rocks. Yesterday both FNC &
ReplyDeleteMSNBC were not interested in the facts and
now they are all trying to excuse their behavior.
The media has one huge problem video of how
they originally handled this new story is out
there and they can't hide from their role in
what happened to MS Sherrod, John King is
in trouble as well because he brought on the
Redstate blogger & Roland Martin to talk about
this. Where are the grownups at CNN.
Welcome to the age of the internet everyone...all access to everybody and everything. Yes, it could have been anyone of us doing an innocent public address to a small group of people and someone with a camera phone who had the speaker phone on, and it goes viral.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should just ban all camera phones during a public event or unless the third party, which is this case was Ms Sherrod, is notified that she is being recorded and video taped. Isn't this against "the privacy law?"
Not only were her "civil rights violated, but her Constitutional rights as well." And President Obama being the Constitutional scholar, should know this...anyone home??
IMHO, seeing Campbell last nite, her fiesty self going after the the CEO of the NAACP, led me to believe, that CNN pulled the plug on her a bit too quickly.
ReplyDeleteHer ratings last nite prove this.
While we didn't expect her to be fiesty Campbell every nite, there were nights that she showed us there was more to her than meets the eye. It takes time for an anchor to develop a rapport and an audience.
Spitzer and Co, may NEVER reach 600
in totals, ever. The NYPost reported today, that Spitzer is only getting half a million dollars for his deal with CNN because the odds are, he will fail.
So, even though he may be cheaper than Campbell, he is also not up to par. The bets are on.
The problem is the media and it is true that
ReplyDeletethere is video that shows how much cable
news has adopted the rhetoric from bloggers
and ideologues. They speak the same language
and there is video evidence. The media might
be trying to run but they can't hide. I want know
if this will lead to a change in policy for CNN
or will they continue to employ the circus
clowns who don't believe in facts and come
on tv just to misinform people.
CNN is a big joke. Come this fall CNN's lead
ReplyDeleteshow in prime time will be left vs right.CNN
has no credibility on the ideological issue.
They have them on their payroll.
That is exactly why CNN should hire Conor
ReplyDeleteKinghton who can point out the absurdity
that is the norm in the media these days.