CNN Dumps Tucker Carlson

[StriderKyo]

New York — CNN said goodbye to pundit Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, and with him likely the Crossfire program that has been the granddaddy of high-volume political debate shows on cable television.

CNN will probably fold Crossfire into its other programming, perhaps as an occasional segment on the daytime show In side Politics, said Jonathan Klein, who was appointed in late November as chief executive officer of CNN's U.S. network.

Mr. Klein on Wednesday told Mr. Carlson, one of the four “Crossfire” hosts, that CNN would not be offering him a new contract. Mr. Carlson has reportedly been talking with MSNBC about a prime-time opening replacing Deborah Norville.

Mr. Carlson did not immediately return a call to his cell phone for comment.

The bow-tied wearing conservative pundit got into a public tussle last fall with comic Jon Stewart, who has been critical of cable political programs that devolve into shoutfests.

“I guess I come down more firmly in the Jon Stewart camp,” Mr. Klein said.

He said all of the cable networks, including CNN, have overdosed on programming devoted to arguing over issues. Mr. Klein said he wants more substantive programming that is still compelling.

“I doubt that when the President sits down with his advisers they scream at him to bring him up to date on all of the issues,” he said. “I don't know why we don't treat the audience with the same respect.”

Crossfire began in 1982 and was once a mainstay of CNN's prime time. Pat Buchanan from the right and Michael Kinsley from the left were two of its most prominent hosts.

But as Fox News Channel perfected the format with popular hosts Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, Crossfire lost favour among CNN executives and was moved to the afternoons in 2002. It averages 447,000 viewers each weekday, down 21 per cent from the previous season, according to Nielsen Media Research. Mr. Carlson rotates as host with conservative columnist Bob Novak. Paul Begala and James Carville are the left-leaning ringleaders.

Mr. Klein said he hoped Mr. Novak, Mr. Begala and Mr. Carville would continue with meaningful commentator roles at CNN.

Mr. Carlson had one failed bid at prime time on CNN with The Spin Room, which was cancelled for low ratings after less than six months in 2001.

He subbed last week for newscaster Aaron Brown as Mr. Klein wanted to see him in a different role before making a decision about his future. Mr. Klein said his views on wanting to change the tone of political coverage were separate from the decision to keep Mr. Carlson.

“His career aspirations and our programming needs just don't synch up,” Mr. Klein said. “He wants to host his own nighttime show and we don't see that in the cards here. Out of respect for him and his talent, we thought it would be best to let him explore opportunities elsewhere.”

An MSNBC spokesman had no comment on CNN's decision.

“We think Tucker is a great journalist and we're exploring our options for a new 9 p.m. show,” said MSNBC's Jeremy Gaines.

I used to respect him as a debater, but lately he's devolved into a smirking, superior twit. There's a difference between passionately arguing your beliefs & trying to one-up the other guy, and just being a childish ass.

When they let him offer comment on their standard coverage, there were times the anchor was clearly embarassed Carlson's schitick was being mixed with legit journalism as he insulted politicians to their faces, made disparaging comments about other nationalities (many of which CNN is broadcast to) and even veiled and not-so-veiled insults toward other religions (guess which).

I'm suprised CNN would mention Stewart though, who went out of his way to come on their network and embarass them. I'm also suprised they're dumping Crossfire, since they didn't mention ditching The Capitol Gang, which is often a less audience friendly version of the same thing.


Cue left wing media conspiracy theory in 3...2...1...

[toxic]

CNN as a whole is falling apart ... this is just one of many programs that have failed. FOX and MSNBC are superior, and beat CNN at everything they used to do well.

[StriderKyo]

CNN as a whole is falling apart ... this is just one of many programs that have failed. FOX and MSNBC are superior, and beat CNN at everything they used to do well.

Come on now. CNN at least for the most part has journalistic integrity. FOX is one big 24 hour agenda and hardly even makes pretence at objectivity.

"And now, our FOX panel will discuss the issue. For the right, we have tough-talkin' Knows-What's-Right Radio Host man. And for the left, here's a treat for you folks - it's stuttering, nervous Dr. Sissy, director of Terrorist Appeasement Studies at Vaginal College!"

[Rocca]

Bye Bye Bowtie. Seriously, he was starting to get irritating. I didn't like him from the start so I'm glad he's gone.

[Yoshi]

CNN has at least as much journalistic integrity as CBS. They'd have more if they'd change their acronym to officially stand for Communist News Network. That would be truth in advertising.

And for the left, here's a treat for you folks - it's stuttering, nervous Dr. Sissy, director of Terrorist Appeasement Studies at Vaginal College!"

Sounds representative to me.

[Rocca]

CNN as a whole is falling apart ... this is just one of many programs that have failed. FOX and MSNBC are superior, and beat CNN at everything they used to do well.

I hope you're kidding, because I can't think of a station with better devotion to their news coverage.

[youandwhosearmy]

I hope you're kidding, because I can't think of a station with better devotion to their news coverage.

The BBC makes CNN look like what it truly is, a bunch of amaeturs. If you ever want to switch over to PBS and watch BBC (the main headlines are on at midnight on PBS in most places), you'll be quite shocked about the things you'll hear about going on Iraq, and indeed our own country, that don't get picked up (by picked up, I mean, it doesn't fall into lazy American Journalists laps) by any of the major American news networks.

Come on now. CNN at least for the most part has journalistic integrity. FOX is one big 24 hour agenda and hardly even makes pretence at objectivity.

"And now, our FOX panel will discuss the issue. For the right, we have tough-talkin' Knows-What's-Right Radio Host man. And for the left, here's a treat for you folks - it's stuttering, nervous Dr. Sissy, director of Terrorist Appeasement Studies at Vaginal College!"

Stop trying to reason with him about Fox, people like Yoshi think its the real news.

Anyway overall, you had to know this was coming. Since Jon Stewert went on that show and just ran up one side of it and down another, for just being a horrible display of how not to run a debate show, and crossfires own audience (the people in their crowd for chrissake) got behind him, well, this was coming. Shows don't get that discredited and publicly humilitated without someone paying the price.

[toxic]

Its funny to hear people complain about FOX bias .... when network news has been that way for decades. People have been so programmed by the network-style news (read as: left), that when FOX came out, everybody got outraged.


"I can't believe FOX is slanting news stories this way." "Irresponsible!" I laughed and laughed ... poor people.




The ratings don't lie ... CNN is failing. whosearmy is right, if you are going to defend CNN as a 'heavy content' news program, then watch BBC. They show you how real journalism is done. CNN tries to do half and half.

[Error]

I think they mentioned Stewart because they knew he was right, and so did everyone else. I'm not sorry to see Mr Carlson go, his welcome had long since worn out. Mr Novack should be next on the chopping block, or stick him on that one other show that was mentioned and leave him there, early Sunday morning where nobody can hear him.

And just so you dont think I'm hating on the Right minded voices at CNN, James Carville's gotta go too. Cross Fire itself used to be interesting, if a bit hampered by hosts wanting to talk over guests who were proving hosts wrong, but with the competition from Fox it just went down the tubes. I just hope they replace the show with something interesting, and at least get a host that I can stand watching. Paula Zahn, Anderson Cooper, Judy Woodruff (ESPECIALLY HER) are all really hard to watch, they don't have what I want to see in a news anchor.

CNN as a network seems to have fallen into the Barbie and Ken mold of newscasting.

[youandwhosearmy]

Its funny to hear people complain about FOX bias .... when network news has been that way for decades. People have been so programmed by the network-style news (read as: left), that when FOX came out, everybody got outraged.


The ratings don't lie ... CNN is failing.

I could honestly care less about bias. If the guy telling me what Bush choked on at lunch today is liberal or conservative, and how he swings it, or what his personal reasons are. As long as he eventually tells me what the president choked on at lunch (A pretzel no doubt), I'm cool with it.

I am more disappointed at the fact that I learned more about the circumstances of American troops from the BBC (a foreign news organization) than from CNN (and any of the jokes they call journalists nowadays in America who still have their 9/11 dummy hats on and refuse to investigate anything for themselves) in the last three years. Its been eye-opening, and it has helped me appreciate what our parents had before us in the way of credible news and journalists back in the 60's.

Oh well. Such is life. CNN needs to go. As does FOX, and MSNBC. Someone just give us a direct line into 24 hour BBC news and I'll be happy.