CNN Lets 'Crossfire' Host Carlson Go
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 "Inside Politics," said Jonathan Klein, who was appointed in late November as chief executive of CNN's U.S. network.
Klein on Wednesday told Carlson, one of the four "Crossfire" hosts, that CNN would not be offering him a new contract. Carlson has been talking with MSNBC about a prime-time opening replacing Deborah Norville.
"I would host any kind of show for (MSNBC chief executive) Rick Kaplan," said Carlson, whose Friday night PBS show "Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered" resumes this week.
He said he enjoyed every minute working for CNN, but that he had told executives last April that he wanted to do something different from "Crossfire."
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," Klein told The Associated Press.
He said all of the cable networks, including CNN, have overdosed on programming devoted to arguing over issues. 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 favor among CNN executives and was moved to the afternoons in 2002. It averages 447,000 viewers each weekday, down 21 percent from the previous season, according to Nielsen Media Research. Carlson rotates as host with conservative columnist Bob Novak. Paul Begala and James Carville are the left-leaning ringleaders.
Klein said he hoped Novak, Begala and Carville would continue with meaningful commentator roles at CNN.
Carlson had one failed bid at prime time on CNN with "The Spin Room," which was canceled after less than six months in 2001.
He subbed last week for newscaster Aaron Brown as Klein wanted to see him in a different role before making a decision about his future. Klein said his views on wanting to change the tone of political coverage were separate from the decision to keep Carlson.
"His career aspirations and our programming needs just don't synch up," 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.
Speaking of partisan hacks...
- Thread starter Gaard
- Start date
umbrella39
Lifer
- Jun 11, 2004
- 13,816
- 1,126
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yup! and i love how smug they all were on crossfire about how much stewart was "uninformed" and "unfunny" after he tore them a new asshole, simply because he disagreed with them in a fundamental way. i know they will all find other work doing pretty much the same thing...but hell, its nice to see that piece of tripe cancelled.
Yes, because lord knows you dont want any dissenting opinions in liberal media.
(and Fox is just as bad by the way before you guys go off on the OMG RRR FLL!!!!!!!)
seems like Carlson is getting exactly what he wants...good for him.
Stewart is a moron, he should stick with comedy...but even at that I rarely find him funny, whats even worse were his few movie cameos....
Stewart is a moron, he should stick with comedy...but even at that I rarely find him funny, whats even worse were his few movie cameos....
Exactly. Just look at the rabid likes of Hannity, Beck, Medved, etc. They seek to inflame hostility in the name of ratings and they call it news or news-commentary.
You want news commentary? Check out the point of view segments on your local news channels, if they still have them. There's only one station here that still does it.
judasmachine
Diamond Member
- Sep 15, 2002
- 8,515
- 3
- 81
you may think that but he sure showed those beyotches on crossfire what was up
I'd wager that Jon Stewart is a lot smarter than most of the people around here
Originally posted by: Tommunist
you may think that but he sure showed those beyotches on crossfire what was up
I'd wager that Jon Stewart is a lot smarter than most of the people around here
Jon Stewart is extremely bright, he brings news to us that noone else can. The other thing is that if you really listen to Stewart, his opinions are right on the money. Hes great
Originally posted by: raildogg
Originally posted by: Tommunist
you may think that but he sure showed those beyotches on crossfire what was up
I'd wager that Jon Stewart is a lot smarter than most of the people around here
Jon Stewart is extremely bright, he brings news to us that noone else can. The other thing is that if you really listen to Stewart, his opinions are right on the money. Hes great
As one might suspect - I too agree with a lot of the points he makes and given the situation I think he is doing a good job of practicing reasonable vs partisian thinking. It's nice to see.
Because Stewart speaks eloquently and cuts through the BS people like Bozack surround themselves in and support ardently.
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