John King will be replacing Lou Dobbs, who announced Wednesday evening during his broadcast that
it would his last on CNN after 30 years with the cable news network.
Dobbs did not disclose his plans, but did acknowledge that political "winds of change buffeting this country" contributed to the decision.
The longtime anchor said he has been urged by media, political and business leaders to "engage in constructive problem solving" more directly. Here's the text of his opening remarks:
"Tonight I want to turn to a personal note if I may and address a matter that has raised some curiosity. This will be my last broadcast here on CNN, where I've worked for most of the past 30 years and where I have many friends and colleagues whom I admire deeply and respect greatly.
"I'm the last of the original anchors here on CNN, and I'm proud to have had the privilege of helping to build the world's first news network. I'm grateful for the many opportunities that CNN has given me over these many years. I’ve tried to reciprocate with the full measure of my ability and my energy.
"Over the past six months it's become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us and some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem solving as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day, and to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible.
"I've talked extensively with Jonathan Klein, Jon's the president of CNN, and as a result of those talks Jon and I have agreed to a release from my contract that will enable me to pursue new opportunities. At this point I'm considering a number of options and directions and I assure you I will let you know when I set my course."
While Dobbs decides what's next, CNN has made its decision.
The ratings-challenged network elected to reassert its position as a nonpartisan news source.
In a statement announcing King's appointment, Klein said, "The program will reflect what CNN is all about: the widest range of opinions from across the political spectrum."
The Washington Post says King is "known for his reporting and
neutral approach to politics."
While MSNBC positions itself with liberal leaning commentators and Fox News stables conservative commentators, CNN is left to try positioning itself as the straight-down-the-middle network. But it is a difficult play to pull off because all sides can find examples that suggest CNN leans one way or another.
CNN has been floundering in the ratings lately.
AP reported this week: "CNN's average prime-time audience was third behind Fox and MSNBC during October, and it was even eclipsed by sister network HLN among younger viewers, according to the Nielsen Co. Perhaps more ominous, CNN finished well behind Fox when big news was breaking -- Election Night and the Fort Hood massacre. Big stories usually sent viewers flocking to CNN."
As J
im Walton, president of CNN Worldwide, recently pointed out, the network probably would see ratings rise if it went partisan in the evening hours, but there is a serious question about whether such a move would damage the other day-parts, which bill themselves as being the straight story. From a marketing perspective, you have to be one thing or the other.
And there is a serious question about whether there would be any audience left for CNN to appeal to in a partisan way. CNN already has the majority of Democratic viewers and Republican leaning viewers are fairly strong Fox News followers. Last month,
the Pew Research Center found:
"Among regular Fox News Channel viewers, 39 percent identified as Republican, 33 percent as Democrats and 22 percent as independents. Among regular CNN viewers, 51 percent identified as Democrats, 23 percent were independents and just 18 percent were Republicans. In short, Democrats comprise a larger share of the Fox News audience than Republicans do of CNN's audience.
"However, it should be noted that there are more Democrats than independents or Republicans in the general public. In the 2008 news consumption survey on which this analysis is based, 36 percent identified as Democrats, 29 percent as independents and 25 percent as Republicans.
"In terms of partisan affiliation, the audiences for both news networks differed substantially from the public. The Fox News audience was 14 points more Republican than the general public (39 percent vs. 25 percent of the public) and three points less Democratic. The regular CNN audience was 15 points more Democratic and seven points less Republican than the general public.
"CNN's audience was not the only TV news audience that was more Democratic than the national average -- the same was true of regular viewers of network evening news programs (45 percent Democratic, 22 percent Republican) and MSNBC's regular viewers (45 percent Democratic, 18 percent Republican). Both audiences were nine points more Democratic than the general public in that poll."
Dobbs started as a financial and business commentator, but the immigration issue pushed him to produce more opinionated shows.
In 2007, he railed against "illegal immigration" saying, "The national media, if I may say, appears hell-bent on obfuscating the issue, frequently equating legal immigration with illegal immigration. But the facts are clear. There are as many as 20 million people in this country illegally. And the Bush administration and the Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill seem determined to impose a massive illegal alien amnesty on American citizens, with little or no regard for the consequences."
The immigration issue, along with international trade,
especially involving China, became cornerstone Dobbs topics. He also frequently
criticized public schools and saw
lobbyists as a plague on the country.
But along with the way, Dobbs managed to damage his reputation by giving voice to the so-called "birthers movement" -- the fringe group that believes President Obama was not born in Hawaii and should not be president.
Back in August, AP said:"Dobbs has acknowledged that he believes Obama was born in Hawaii. But he gives airtime to disbelievers, and has said the president should try to put questions fully to rest by releasing a long version of his birth certificate.
"He's twice done stories on his show after the public leak of a memo from CNN U.S. President Jon Klein saying that 'it seems this story is dead.'
"Klein said those stories were OK because they were about the controversy and weren't actually questioning the facts. But critics suggest Klein is parsing words, that even raising the issue lends it credence.
"Joked The Washington Post's Lisa de Moraes: it 'explains their upcoming documentary: "The World: Flat. We Report -- You Decide.' "
"Dobbs hasn't made it any easier by using his radio show to fight back at critics, who he called 'limp-minded, lily-livered lefty lemmings.' He considered going on CNN tormentor Bill O'Reilly's Fox News show to thank him (O'Reilly says the birthers are wrong, but he defended Dobbs' right to talk about it).
" 'He's embarrassed himself and he's embarrassed CNN,' said Brooks Jackson, a former CNN correspondent. 'And that's not a good thing for any network that wants to be seen as a reputable, nonpartisan news organization.' "
The
Southern Poverty Law Center and
Media Matters for America both called for CNN to dump Dobbs.
