It was good news all around for CNN yesterday, with a re-up for CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein and a memo from CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton discussing all the “fun” the network is having.
Then there’s today’s plum profile of Klein in the New York Observer. In the Felix Gillette story, Klein makes several bold predictions and hopes for the new year, including his plan to win the 10pmET prime time hour. That would, of course, mean Anderson Cooper 360 would have to take over FNC’s On The Record with Greta Van Susteren, when it sometimes doesn’t even finish in second place in the A25-54 demo (behind MSNBC’s Doc Block).
Klein doesn’t think highly of MSNBC’s focus on documentaries, saying, “When they do that, they’re really competing with Court TV.”
He goes on to tout the news chops of CNN, saying, “It enhances our brand. We’re the last man standing in terms of covering the news. We love that.”
But later in the article, Klein talks about the great response to this year’s CNN documentaries. “Sure enough, over the past year, CNN documentaries have riled up everyone from media watchdog types to conservative political operatives to MSNBC’s Dan Abrams,” Gillette writes.
“What I love is when our competitors then turn that into segments on their shows,” Klein said. “They have nothing else to talk about other than who has CNN pissed off today.”
Klein also said he hopes to “significantly boost” the ratings for American Morning, which recently dropped to third place in the A25-54 demo during November.
Regarding the article, an industry insider told TVNewser, “Forget the fact that the Observer has lost its edge, but basic news judgment should still apply. How do you not ask Klein about CNN’s recent debate debacles and the network’s penchant for confusing Barack Obama with Osama bin Laden?”