When is CNN going to drop Anderson Cooper

[koolestcat]

When is CNN going to drop Anderson Cooper. Latest ratings have him behind Maddow and about 3/4's of Larry Kings ratings.
What does he have old pictures of Ted Turner with a sheep or something that people want to keep under wraps.

 

[jal41]

In 2003, Aaron Brown hosted the 10 PM slot for CNN, called "NewsNight". Anderson Cooper anchored the 7 PM slot, still called "AC360" with good ratings. CNN execs decided to let Mr. Cooper co-anchor with Mr. Brown. A couple of months later, "AC360" moved to 10 PM, and Mr. Brown was shown the door (Mr. Brown is now a professor at Arizona State University). Why...Mr. Cooper was in his 30's, and Mr. Brown much older. CNN wanted to attract a younger audience.

So...I don't see Mr. Cooper leaving CNN anytime soon, unless they find someone in their 20's who is good looking.

 

[koolestcat]

In 2003, Aaron Brown hosted the 10 PM slot for CNN, called "NewsNight". Anderson Cooper anchored the 7 PM slot, still called "AC360" with good ratings. CNN execs decided to let Mr. Cooper co-anchor with Mr. Brown. A couple of months later, "AC360" moved to 10 PM, and Mr. Brown was shown the door (Mr. Brown is now a professor at Arizona State University). Why...Mr. Cooper was in his 30's, and Mr. Brown much older. CNN wanted to attract a younger audience.

So...I don't see Mr. Cooper leaving CNN anytime soon, unless they find someone in their 20's who is good looking.

I would agree with you if it wasn't for the fact that AC is getting his butt handed to him by Larry King who is probably old enough to be his grandfather.

 

[DToTheJ]

You've got to hand it to Anderson, though - he still beats Campbell Brown!
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/08/25/cable-news-ratings-for-monday-august-24-2009/25374

 

[imhomerjay]

As if somehow Cooper and King are competitors. Let's see, could the 10 pm hour be a bit lower because people are switching over to the local newscasts and more successful dramas at that hour...or just getting ready to go to bed?

 

[mjlarochelle]

Anderson Cooper is way better than Aaron Brown. I still remember Aaron Brown's melodramatic performance on 9/11.

 

[whit979]

The problem is that Aaron Brown was too much of a traditional journalist. That doesn't sell anymore, at least not on cable. When Anderson Cooper stops looking good then we'll see a change.

 

[KeithE4]

The problem is that Aaron Brown was too much of a traditional journalist. That doesn't sell anymore, at least not on cable. When Anderson Cooper stops looking good then we'll see a change.

Being a traditional journalist is good. Being a boring traditional journalist is not good. Aaron Brown is the latter.

 

[formeraa]

The problem is that Aaron Brown was too much of a traditional journalist. That doesn't sell anymore, at least not on cable. When Anderson Cooper stops looking good then we'll see a change.

Being a traditional journalist is good. Being a boring traditional journalist is not good. Aaron Brown is the latter.

I grew up with Aaron Brown anchoring in Seattle. He is definitely an acquired taste and appeals to a more educated audience (even though Aaron isn't particularly highly educated himself). The problem is that Aaron's delivery has a lot of subtlety, which isn't well tolerated these days. It seems that today's generation doesn't want to THINK about anything.

 

[imhomerjay]

I definitely enjoyed him, because I enjoy subtle delivery and approaches. His tenure on the first incarnation of Good Morning America Sunday was quite enjoyable to me.

 

[johnnyu]

I have never seen Anderson Cooper or Aaron Brown. Am I missing something?

 

[LKellerIII]

I have never seen Anderson Cooper or Aaron Brown. Am I missing something?

No, you're not missing anything much. Don't get me wrong, I think CNN delivers a decent product, and has some very good reporters - Amanpour, John King. Michael Ware has done some amazing reports from Iraq, and lately from the drug wars in Mexico.

But Anderson Cooper is just a likable light weight, and other than a few updates, AC 360 just repeats the same reports and runs the same pundits that appeared earlier in the day with Wolf Blitzer and others.

 

[Markxxx]

He must have something on them, because he never pulled in ratings to justify the amount of faith they have in him. Maybe he works cheap.

 

[mjlarochelle]

Don't get me wrong, Aaron Brown was a good journalist - but as I remember from 9/11, he was very melodramatic and editorializing about everything compared to, say, Peter Jennings on ABC. I was in school at the time but according to my mother who was watching CNN the morning of 9/11, Aaron Brown was on when the second plane hit the WTC and he suggested there was something seriously technically wrong with the two planes that would happen to both hit buildings in the same area, dismissing the possibility of terrorism. Later in the day when I was home he was being loud and obnoxious, compared to Jennings and CTV's Lloyd Robertson who were more subdued and professional about the whole thing. I might be mistaken on what exactly happened (hard to believe it's almost eight years since that horrible day) but that's what I was told.

Other times I saw him on CNN he was a good, professional journalist, and he's appeared good in clips I've seen from his days at KING in Seattle.

As for Anderson Cooper vs. Larry King, I find Cooper's show far more interesting than King's. King used to have a very good show back in, say, 2001, but now it's all about celebrities and Octomoms, with semi-frequent appearances by Dr. Phil.

 

[Whale]

No offense but nobody cares what an anchor said on 9/11. I don't many remember what was being said and by whom due to shock and the fact it was 8 years ago, nobody really knew what was going on, and only a handful of nerds would actually want to re-watch the clips.

 

[searadiofreak]

No offense but nobody cares what an anchor said on 9/11. I don't many remember what was being said and by whom due to shock and the fact it was 8 years ago, nobody really knew what was going on, and only a handful of nerds would actually want to re-watch the clips.

I guess that would make me a nerd then. 9/11, while certainly an awful day, was also a fascinating look at TV news. I'm sure I am more than a handful who think that.

As for Aaron Brown, I agree an acquired taste, but he came across to me as intelligent, challenging me to think. As another poster put it, nobody wants you to think anymore. Too bad.

I believe Anderson Cooper is one of CNN's franchise players. I don't expect him to be "dumped" anytime soon. They may try and find another role or show for him, but I think they will do everything to hold on to him. He could probably increase his role at CBS if he wanted to.

 

[mjlarochelle]

No offense but nobody cares what an anchor said on 9/11. I don't many remember what was being said and by whom due to shock and the fact it was 8 years ago, nobody really knew what was going on, and only a handful of nerds would actually want to re-watch the clips.

I guess that would make me a nerd then. 9/11, while certainly an awful day, was also a fascinating look at TV news. I'm sure I am more than a handful who think that.

Not to get this too off-topic, but a lot of the Youtube clips of news coverage from that day get a lot of views and comments these days. I think it's more than a handful that still look back at it from the news reporting angle. I have always been fascinated by that angle of it, and I have a tape of Lloyd Robertson chatting with Peter Jennings in New York in late 2001 about the struggle to remain professional during a massive tragedy. Interesting stuff to watch, especially since Jennings passed on.

More on-topic, but what an anchor does during the big news stories is what shapes the reputation of an anchor. Walter Cronkite certainly gained noteriety for trying to hold back tears when JFK was killed and simply telling viewers what was going on. Not that Aaron Brown was holding back tears on 9/11, but his performance during the biggest news story of this century so far is what has shaped his reputation for me, much like what Cronkite was when JFK was killed.

 

[Silkie]

Anderson Cooper did a pretty good job lampooning what's her name that nobody ever heard of, but everyone was acting as though she was someone famous. I'm surprised nobody mentioned that, even though the thread started right after he performed the laudatory deed.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

You've got to hand it to Anderson, though - he still beats Campbell Brown!

Charlie Brown could beat Campbell Brown.

Brown is another example of CNN's consistent philosophy of hiring what some network executives believe are " star-power celebrities" only to have them go down in flames ratings-wise.

Previous examples include Paula Zahn and Connie Chung.

I am actually surprised that CNN didn't try to hire Katie Couric.

 

[DToTheJ]

Ah, yes, Paula Zahn - the one hyped in promos as someone who's "smart, sophisticated, and oh yeah, just a little sexy [zipper sfx]"?

Speaking of Anderson Cooper - excuse me, "A.C." - they abruptly ended their coverage of the Kennedy memorial service. After Caroline spoke, they cut away from the closing number from the two Irish tenors, to go directly to an in-progress "AC 360". Someone must have been miffed that the service went a little longer than scheduled...