While NBC staffers are still reeling from the hatchet job issued by Jeff Zucker yesterday, we’re told it’s not all crystal chyrons and teleprompter rainbows at CNN — Time Warner doesn’t want to be left out of the hit parade.
Sources tell us that the Atlanta-based cable news network is laying the groundwork to remove .. wait for it, wait for it .. Paula Zahn. The Paula Zahn Now anchor, who has been with the network since 2001 (originally heading American Morning), is barely holding her own against MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann in recent weeks. At least that’s the excuse CNN will likely hint at if these rumors come to fruition.
Don’t get too excited: Zahn isn’t departing yet. We’re told she’s got just under a year left on her contract. But one insider tells us CNN is using its election coverage to quietly phase Zahn out. One source points us to the gameplan put in place to phase Paula out:
Paula is giving up her 8-9pm broadcast next week for a week-long Broken Government series. When that wraps, she still won’t have her own show: She’ll be moving in with Wolf Blitzer to co-anchor a two-hour primetime version of The Situation Room, airing 7-9pm from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3. And when CNN shifts to “all elections, all the time” for the three days leading up to the Nov. 7 vote, Zahn will be all but invisible, merely “joining” Blitzer, Lou Dobbs, and Anderson Cooper while they man anchor duties.
CNN, meanwhile, has dutifully rebuffed these rumors. Spokeswoman Christa Robinson insists these rumors are “ridiculous,” adding: “Paula is a co-anchor on election night and there are no changes to her role after that.” So she’s not leaving her primetime show? “No.”
Though, is that a “no” like the “no” given by MSNBC when asked if Tucker Carlson and Rita Cosby are leaving? We’ll surely find out, sometime between now and after Karl Rove’s mid-term election surprise.
No. 1
Scarlett says:
What are the odds they’ll replace her with John Roberts? He did very well in the ratings when he subbed for AC recently. Of course he’s subbed for Zahn and not done nearly so well but perhaps with a different show format, he might. Any ideas on what they’d put in her place?
Posted: Oct 20, 2006 at 3:50 pm
No. 2
Mike says:
Paula Zahn is a bore, the way she talks is a bore. I would get rid of her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted: Oct 22, 2006 at 1:03 pm
No. 3
Birdie says:
I cannot say I have ever actually listened to a Paula Zahn broadcast, but I recently I saw her when I was at the gym. She was doing something or other with Larry King. I felt embarrassed for her because she seemed to be playing the ‘giggle, giggle. I am a cute little girl!’ card while Larry King was being the serious man. Again, I really do not know what was going on, but my thought was that she must not be doing too well in the industry if she has to present herself in an unprofessional light in order to get attention.
Posted: Oct 22, 2006 at 3:31 pm
No. 4
Bozly says:
Paula and others have been in the ranks that have given Bush folks quite EZ passes these last six plus years…Could be that a shift due to Gopers being replaced, well, trims at the networks are due as well. The cables/networks and others would do much better if they REALLY could muster those that seek to REPORT and without glazed biasness showing..Blitzer needs some shaving as well and the public has NOT been oblivious in how the media allowed SO MUCH TO GO UNNOTICED/ UNREPORTED and the skewing of FACTUALS that helped to SELL much of the Bush “agenda” and sell the country “out” in more ways than JUST the Iraq “mistake”. The media had a hand in GIVING the nation dear George and his brigade way back in 2000 (too often highlighted was how the “public” just wanted the “decision”, over and done and did NOT presumably CARE whether VOTES were or were NOT accurately accounted for !!!) and in 2004, they gave ample highlighting to leanings of the GOP once again, the Swiftboaters would have been NON issues , non influnecers if NOT for the broad MEDIAIZATONAL coverage they got which spread their errant “message” as IF factual..along with that, the infamous DEAN SCREAM, totally OUT of context but presented ever after as something it was actually NOT but even today, is tossed in for good mongeral mongerings…So much DIS-information, and the corporates preferences too often are too obvious for them it is just another product to “sell” and to profit off of…unfortunately, in a democracy, an INFORMED population is a necessary ingredient and these days such is difficult with all the partisan hacking that subs for “reporters reporting” facts to public so the public CAN be informed and better equipped to evaluate the citizen “options”.
Posted: Oct 23, 2006 at 12:03 pm
No. 7
SL says:
Paula is the only anchor out there who gives an interesting cut of the news without the emotionally overcharged attitudes and opinions of Lou Dobbs and John Roberts… if you ask me she’s not a bore… the men on that station or gut wrenchingly egotistical and pompous… personally she’s the only anchor i can stomach after a day of putting up with nothing but attitudes from people i have to deal with… if they lose her… they lose little old me and my dollar… i’d rather read or listen to the news than patronize a sexist station that couldn’t portray the news from an intelligent woman’s point of view… i’ll say goodbye to CNN for good
Posted: Oct 23, 2006 at 8:22 pm
No. 9
bob milwheel says:
Paula is very good at what she does. I felt Dobbs ..now a one-trick pony..embarassed her when she was trying to interview him a couple seeks ago. I think’s she great…a beautiful woman with class and intellegence. This isi NO Cinnie Chung my friends!!!!!!!
LOve you paula…..
Dodger
Posted: Oct 27, 2006 at 3:12 pm
No. 10
Jon Klown says:
What Christa says are more lies from CNN (see Klein gets feet, hands wet….I bet he’s watching his boyfriend Anderson Cooper when they get wet, ewwww) it’s the same crap they said right before Klein fired Aaron Brown, Daryn Kagen, David Ensor and others.
Poor Christa does not get paid enough to lie for Klein and babysit him in interviews.
Next on the chopping block Larry King. Everyone who gets ratings higher than Klein’s boyfriend Anderson Cooper gets shown the door.
Posted: Oct 27, 2006 at 11:40 pm
No. 11
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Posted: Oct 28, 2006 at 3:52 am
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