NBC's Brown may move to CNN
June 15, 2007

Cable network plans to cancel 'Zahn'

By MICHAEL LEARMONTHNEW YORK -- CNN is planning to cancel the low-rated "Paula Zahn Now" and may replace it with a news show anchored by NBC's Campbell Brown if the network can come to terms with the "Weekend Today" co-anchor.
Sources said CNN is planning to offer Brown a contract, and Zahn's 8 pm time slot, but NBC has an option to match the offer for Brown, whose contract expires at the end of July. Zahn is expected to leave the net when her contract expires in the fall.

The move would be part of a broad shakeup in early primetime, where CNN faces stiff competition from Fox News' "Fox Report with Shepard Smith" and "The O'Reilly Factor."

In addition, sources said CNN is weighing whether to move "Lou Dobbs Tonight" to a later hour and possibly to 8 pm if Brown's deal falls through. Dobbs anchors CNN's highest-rated hour in the 25-54 demographic and some inside the network believe his brand of opinionated populism would better compete against the right-leaning O'Reilly and MSNBC's left-leaning host, Keith Olbermann.

CNN/U.S. prexy Jon Klein is under pressure to make progress in those competitive time slots after Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons last week told analysts "I worry a lot more about CNN than I do about CNN.com."

CNN is weighing several options 8 pm, the most competitive hour in cable news populated by opinionated hosts and dominated by Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, who averages 2 million viewers a night according to Nielsen Media Research.

Zahn was third-place in total viewers during the hour to Olbermann (652,000 viewers) in May, but she was fourth to Headline News' Nancy Grace, another tough-talking, opinionated host, in the 25-54 demographic, the most important for news advertisers.

If CNN lands Brown, 39, the most difficult question is how to compete at 8 pm. One insider pointed out that Brown resembles Zahn in that they are both polished, network-style anchors, who have proven no match for the kind of brash, opinionated hosts that dominate on cable. "Why replace Paula with another Paula?" the source said.

The shakeup could also mean changes for Wolf Blitzer's "The Situation Room," which runs for two hours starting at 4 pm EST and then returns for a third hour at 7 pm after "Lou Dobbs Tonight."

CNN could consolidate Blitzer into a three-hour block starting at 4 pm and then slot Brown at 7 pm followed by Dobbs at 8 pm.

Should CNN fail to land Brown, Dobbs could also do a two-hour show, much like Anderson Cooper, who anchors to live hours from 10pm to midnight.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111796 ... id=14&cs=1