Shake Up At CNN

There was more storm coverage on CNN Wednesday; however, the coverage was provided by other news media as the cable news network contended with yet another programming upheaval that included the ouster of an eminent anchor, his replacement by a rising star, and a realignment of shows. CNN/US President Jonathan Klein suggested that what he had once called his "fire and ice" pairing of Anderson Cooper and Aaron Brown during the 10:00 p.m.-to-midnight time period was not working and that he had no option other than to drop Brown.

The decision came while Brown was on vacation, and reporters could not reach him for comment. However, the blog "What's Happening at CNN" quoted a source close to the journalist as saying he felt "somewhat 'liberated' by CNN's action. "He was NOT happy with much of what's been going on at CNN," the source said. Klein told Reuters that there was "no reason to delay making this move. We've got the pieces in place," apparently referring to the fact that, because of Brown's absence, Cooper had already taken over as the de facto sole anchor of the late-evening time period.

In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Klein expressed confidence that "Anderson's the man, obviously" to reinvigorate the news channel and overcome the current ratings lead of rival Fox News Network. "The whole country is talking about Anderson," Klein told the newspaper, "and it only made sense to find a larger showcase for him." Klein also announced a reshuffling of CNN's primetime programs. Wolf Blitzer will take over Cooper's former time period at 7:00 p.m. with The Situation Room, which will now air from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Paula Zahn and Larry King will continue in their present time periods at 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and Anderson Cooper: 360 will take over the 10:00-p.m.-to midnight hours.

Reaction to the CNN moves by critics and business analysts was generally negative. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Alex Jones, director of Harvard's Shorenstein Center on the Press, deplored the fact that CNN could find no place on its schedule for Brown, whom he called "a smart, thoughtful, careful, unhyperbolic newsman -- exactly the kind of analytic thinker and calm presence that CNN should want to have." But Charles Bierbauer, now dean of the University of South Carolina's College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, noted that "Cooper is younger, more energetic" than Brown. "He cuts a different figure."