Aaron Brown out at CNN

[ShangriLaTroubl]

Funny I love Paula Zahn for some reason...hell I love the whole CNN crew, it's probably just a familiarity factor with me. I have been watching them for years, I've grown to like them all. (Except Soledad and Miles O'Brien!)

[dissention]

Originally Posted by ShangriLaTroubl

(Except Soledad and Miles O'Brien!)

They make me gag.

[SuzeQuze]

Blitzer gets an additional hour? Blech.

[bikerchic]

Have they actually announced it (on t.v.) to the viewers yet?

[dissention]

Originally Posted by bikerchic

Have they actually announced it (on t.v.) to the viewers yet?

Not that I'm aware of. But they'd better do it soon, lest people think that their current line-up of Leslie Wolf Bull****ter, Paula Zzzzzzz, Larry King, and Rick Sanchez is permanent. Oy.

Here's another funny article:

With Cooper now on top, Brown leaves CNN
http://news.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=u...cid=1102108214

By Gail Shister

New Age has trumped Old School at CNN.

Anderson Cooper, a breakout star for his Katrina coverage, yesterday bumped Aaron Brown from the prime-time lineup - a move that prompted Brown to leave the network, effective immediately.

Cooper, 38, will anchor a live news show from 10 p.m. to midnight beginning Monday, CNN announced. Title: Anderson Cooper 360º, the handle of Cooper's (now) former 7 p. m. program.

Brown's 10 p. m. NewsNight is toast as of Monday. His last CNN appearance was Friday; he and Cooper are on previously scheduled vacations this week.

Brown, who turns 57 next Thursday, was hired as CNN's big gun in 2001. A contemplative, understated guy who never met a pause he didn't like, he has an estimated $1 million-a-year contract that runs until July '07.

The suave, silver-haired Cooper - like Brown, a former ABC newsman, hosted the ABC reality show The Mole before joining CNN as a weekend anchor in December '01.

Contrary to prevailing logic, Brown was not offered Cooper's 7 p. m. time slot, CNN/U.S. president Jonathan Klein confirms. He wasn't offered bupkis.

"We never got to the point of anything concrete... . I think when you've been in the business a while, as Aaron has, you can come to conclusions pretty quickly. He has a clear sense of what he wants to do, and we have a clear sense of what we want to do."

In the new lineup, Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room, now seen from 3 to 6 p. m., will run from 4 to 6, and 7 to 8. Lou Dobbs remains at 6, but his 11 p. m. repeat will move to the wee hours. Paula Zahn and Larry King stay at 8 and 9.

Brown's departure was mutual, says a CNN rep, but don't believe it. Cooper has been Klein's golden boy since Klein joined the network in December.

The situation came to a head in early September, when Klein added Cooper to NewsNight and expanded the show to two hours. Brown went ballistic over the arranged marriage, CNN insiders say, but ratings improved.

Klein labels Brown "an absolutely brilliant writer" and "one of the classiest people I've ever worked with." He says the 10 p. m. move is more about Cooper's strengths than it is about Brown's weaknesses.

Cooper "gives us passion, energy on the screen, and the ability to be informal and at the same time informative. He's comfortable talking to ordinary people or confronting [public] officials."

Moreover, Cooper "fits with the persona of CNN that we're projecting - an aggressive pursuer of the facts."

The son of Gloria Vanderbilt, Cooper, with his increasing celebrity, hasn't hurt the network in its pursuit of No. 1 Fox News Channel, Klein concedes.

Over the past year, Cooper "has jumped onto the radar screens of people who watch cable news. He's being talked about more and more... . This is a person who was virtually unknown one year ago. We always knew he was a comer."

Cooper and Blitzer are "momentum drivers," in Klein's lexicon, and he wants to build on that.

Brown's exit doesn't sit well with some industry experts and CNN alums.

"I think he's a smart, thoughtful, careful, unhyperbolic newsman - exactly the kind of analytic thinker and calm presence that CNN should want to have," says Alex Jones, director of Harvard's Shorenstein Center on the Press.

Charles Bierbauer, dean of the College of Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina and a 20-year CNN correspondent, says Brown's style is an acquired taste.

"Initially, I was uncomfortable. He was so introspective. He always seemed to be pondering the news rather than delivering it. Over time, I came to understand what he was trying to do and what his strengths were."

Among them, ironically for TV, was Brown's appreciation of daily newspapers.

At the conclusion of every show, he held up copies of the next day's headlines from papers around the country - including The Inquirer.

Deborah Potter, executive director of the Washington-based NewsLab and a CNN correspondent from 1991 to '94, calls Brown "one of the great writers in television."

He may not have been well-suited to anchor, however, she adds.

"Sometimes, people who are wordsmiths and who care deeply about getting it exactly right don't handle that live, roll-with-the-punches requirement that comes with being an anchor."

Potter warns that it's too early to interpret the switch at 10 as a victory of style over substance.

"Reading one leaf in the cup of tea may not tell us the whole story. CNN has been in a quandary about what to do. When things aren't working, just changing the nameplates on the door isn't enough."

Harvard's Jones has nothing against Cooper, he says.

"I just want to know why there is no place at CNN for an Aaron Brown."

So does Aaron Brown.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by bikerchic

Have they actually announced it (on t.v.) to the viewers yet?

They just announced it on their site:

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/...own/index.html

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by dissention

They just announced it on their site:

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/...own/index.html

Oh, they did too much airbrushing on that picture!

[dissention]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

Oh, they did too much airbrushing on that picture!

You should see Paula Zzzzzzzz's picture. And Erica Hill's.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by dissention

You should see Paula Zzzzzzzz's picture. And Erica Hill's.

I can imagine. I think subtle lines on a face are important to a person's character and removing them makes them look unreal. You can soften without removing all of them!

I love this part "Anderson is one of the most distinctive voices anywhere on television," said Klein in a press release. "He has broken through the clutter with his candor, his humanity and his emotional connection to the most pressing stories of our time. As a result, he has gained a strong following among viewers that we hope to build on."

He freaking rocks. Of course the network would capitalize on that. So is 10:00cooler than 7:00? I'm surprised they didn't just keep him on at 7 and put him on at 10 too. Why more Blitzer? Yuck.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

I can imagine. I think subtle lines on a face are important to a person's character and removing them makes them look unreal. You can soften without removing all of them!

Some of those photos make them look like aliens; almost nothing like they actually look on the air. Klein must hate Brown, though, because his photo is...umm...interesting.

I love this part "Anderson is one of the most distinctive voices anywhere on television," said Klein in a press release. "He has broken through the clutter with his candor, his humanity and his emotional connection to the most pressing stories of our time. As a result, he has gained a strong following among viewers that we hope to build on."

That's why I love him.

He freaking rocks. Of course the network would capitalize on that. So is 10:00cooler than 7:00? I'm surprised they didn't just keep him on at 7 and put him on at 10 too. Why more Blitzer? Yuck.

Bull****ter is so obnoxious. I can't stand him. He makes Jack Cafferty look loose and easygoing. It's very uncomfortable to watch him because he always looks like he's going to pass out.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by dissention

Some of those photos make them look like aliens; almost nothing like they actually look on the air. Klein must hate Brown, though, because his photo is...umm...interesting.

I'll have to go look at that one too. Zahn's wasn't too too bad, the super white chiclet teeth are terrible though. Erica Hill's was really odd looking.

Originally Posted by dissention

That's why I love him.

I know, me too. He's like a frikkin news media miracle. I cried when he called out the governor of LA and other times during his candid coverage. But you know that. His credit of being "The Mole" host looks a bit out of place on his resume, however.

Originally Posted by dissention

Bull****ter is so obnoxious. I can't stand him. He makes Jack Cafferty look loose and easygoing. It's very uncomfortable to watch him because he always looks like he's going to pass out.

When Steph "does him" she sounds like she's got something wedged in her throat. They always talk about how uncomfortable he appears and makes them.

[Serrart]

I like Aaron Brown and his sense of humour. Does Anderson Cooper have one? I'm not being sarcastic, I really don't know, his program usually is broadcasted here at 6.00 am.

Romy

[DavidMn]

I found him to be VERy annoying. I think Anderson Cooper is better suited for the job anyway. I like his style much more.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by dissention

Most definitely. That woman is so dull that she puts herself to sleep.

I'm certainly happy for you btw.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by Serrart

I like Aaron Brown and his sense of humour. Does Anderson Cooper have one? I'm not being sarcastic, I really don't know, his program usually is broadcasted here at 6.00 am.

Romy

His humor shows better in his Details column.