Campbell Brown Out At CNN

[DToTheJ]

After months of mediocre ratings that saw her 8 PM show in the cable news ratings fall way behind not only Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann, but even Nancy Grace on sister network HLN, CNN has granted Campbell Brown a release from her contract, at her request; though, she will continue hosting her fourth-place-rated show until a replacement is found.

Full story:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/campbell-brown-leaving-cnn-after-network-grants-release-from-contract/

More coverage:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/452833-Campbell_Brown_Leaving_CNN.php

Here's a few ideas for a replacement:
1. Simply extend "John King USA" another hour.
2. Simulcast "Nancy Grace" on HLN.
3. A test pattern. ;D

 

[Mark Giardina]

When will executives at CNN learn? Over the past few decades the network has hired these so-called "celebrates" at enormous salaries in an attempt to boost CNN's ratings. All of them, maybe with the exception of Larry King, have failed. So I wasn't surprised about Campbell Brown. I bet she has second thoughts about leaving the Saturday Today Show on NBC.

 

[DToTheJ]

One questionable hire after another - oh, you mean, like that boxing announcer they hired to be a legit news commentator? Would like to see how that one plays out. Hey, maybe they can give the 8 PM slot to him, and he can reuse the title of a show he used to host on Fox Sports Net: "I, Max." :

... I bet she has second thoughts about leaving the Saturday Today Show on NBC.

She'd probably have more viewers on a weekend program on NBC!

 

[kenglish]

Is it just true that hard news can not stand up to "News-ertainment", no matter what the time slot?

 

[imhomerjay]

It would look that way. Anything that doesn't say Obama is the devil is biased reporting to the Fox crowd, so straight-up news/analysis isn't going to pry them away from the rantings of Hannity et al, nor the mirror-image reverse for the MSNBC/Olberman viewers.

 

[searadiofreak]

How about James Carville and Mary Matalin? That would stir it up a bit. James is entertaining, and it would offer both sides, something CNN seemingly wants to continue to do.

 

[DToTheJ]

James and Mary have been hamming it up every Sunday on "State of the Union," recently hosted by John King. King recently was moved from Sundays to weeknights, and that does not appear to be panning out too well. Perhaps it's best to leave those crazy Cajuns confined to Sundays.

 

[Nate Wesley]

When will executives at CNN learn? Over the past few decades the network has hired these so-called "celebrates" at enormous salaries in an attempt to boost CNN's ratings. All of them, maybe with the exception of Larry King, have failed. So I wasn't surprised about Campbell Brown. I bet she has second thoughts about leaving the Saturday Today Show on NBC.

If your previous job involved doing the news on the Saturday Today Show, how much of a 'celebrate' were you in the first place?

 

[brian4]

I bet she has second thoughts about leaving the Saturday Today Show on NBC.

While Campbell Brown might wonder, I say she did the right thing: leaving her comfort zone and taking a promotion where she had a chance to succeed. I think that's the part that we forget about. While some are happy reporting the news in Yuma, Arizona (a typical Phoenix TV Board discussion point) others want to get into a top-ten market or even go national. They look at Yuma as a great place but a valuable stepping-stone to the next part of their CAREER.

Take Katie Couric. She would still be the host of Today making a ton of money and calling her own career shots. But she took a chance to become the first woman to solo lead network news. Years later, we might still be talking about the time when CBS Evening News was a disaster with Couric, at least she tried.

 

[searadiofreak]

I bet she has second thoughts about leaving the Saturday Today Show on NBC.

While Campbell Brown might wonder, I say she did the right thing: leaving her comfort zone and taking a promotion where she had a chance to succeed. I think that's the part that we forget about. While some are happy reporting the news in Yuma, Arizona (a typical Phoenix TV Board discussion point) others want to get into a top-ten market or even go national. They look at Yuma as a great place but a valuable stepping-stone to the next part of their CAREER.

Take Katie Couric. She would still be the host of Today making a ton of money and calling her own career shots. But she took a chance to become the first woman to solo lead network news. Years later, we might still be talking about the time when CBS Evening News was a disaster with Couric, at least she tried.

I think Katie is still calling her shots, even moreso after her stint (whcih BTW continues), at CBS. She is in a good position, obiviously better than Campbell Brown's at this point.

Fact is, media folks have been predicting the end of the network evening news for atleast a decade now (perhaps even longer than that), but they still exist.

 

[12 In a Row]

Diane Sawyer is watched in 7 million homes. Total #'s for ABC, CBS and NBC is 20 million. I don't think they're going away anytime soon.

 

[LKellerIII]

I bet she has second thoughts about leaving the Saturday Today Show on NBC.

While Campbell Brown might wonder, I say she did the right thing: leaving her comfort zone and taking a promotion where she had a chance to succeed. I think that's the part that we forget about. While some are happy reporting the news in Yuma, Arizona (a typical Phoenix TV Board discussion point) others want to get into a top-ten market or even go national. They look at Yuma as a great place but a valuable stepping-stone to the next part of their CAREER.

Take Katie Couric. She would still be the host of Today making a ton of money and calling her own career shots. But she took a chance to become the first woman to solo lead network news. Years later, we might still be talking about the time when CBS Evening News was a disaster with Couric, at least she tried.

What makes you think Couric isn't making "a ton of money" at CBS? She doesn't have to be on-air for 2 hours a day, she doesn't have to get up at 3:00 in the morning, she can research and report some of her own stories, she can do special reports for 60 Minutes. In no way is this a demotion for her.

And I think she's slowly gaining respect as an anchor, even if her ratings aren't great. The Big 3 networks' evening news programs aren't going away anytime soon. If and when they do, Katie will be at or past retirement age.

 

[brian4]

What makes you think Couric isn't making "a ton of money" at CBS? She doesn't have to be on-air for 2 hours a day, she doesn't have to get up at 3:00 in the morning, she can research and report some of her own stories, she can do special reports for 60 Minutes. In no way is this a demotion for her.

And I think she's slowly gaining respect as an anchor, even if her ratings aren't great. The Big 3 networks' evening news programs aren't going away anytime soon. If and when they do, Katie will be at or past retirement age.

I didn't mean to imply that Couric isn't making "a ton of money" at CBS. I'm sure there is someone other than Couric who knows her pay difference between NBC and CBS. My point was that Katie could have stayed in her comfort zone doing a job where she probably could have remained as long as she wanted to.

Plus, even though she went from 2 hours to 30 minutes on air, I think her hours behind the scenes actually increased. If a major news story were to break, she would be on the air pronto, no matter what the time. Being one of the big 3 network anchors is truly a 24/7 job.

 

[searadiofreak]

All of the above may be true, but let's face it, the anchor of CBS news, barring a major breaking news story, is thankless in today's media world. Katie would get much more exposure in a strong cable news host position. The media world has changed, and anchoring an evening big-3 newscast is not as important as it once was. The demise of these newscasts has been imminent for years, but seems to get closer every year.