Jon Friedman: ‘CNN Should Devise a Strategy’ to Take On FNC, MSNBC

By Alissa Krinsky 

CNN’s upfront presentation may have taken place earlier this week, but reaction to it continues.

It was on Tuesday that CNN President Jon Klein told advertisers that despite concern about ratings, he believes in the network’s “no bias, no agenda” approach.

Today, MarketWatch’s Jon Friedman weighs in:

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Call me overly cynical, but I can’t help but wonder whether Klein has actually given up on catching up to the Fox News Channel, which has held a sizable lead for years. You’d almost think Klein believes that any attempt at giving CNN an injection of pizzazz would compromise its integrity…

I wish Klein could find a way to make CNN more interesting and lively — no, make that more enjoyable — to watch…

CNN has a staff comprised of proud, hard-working, talented journalists. And Klein himself is a serious, dedicated news executive. I have admired the network’s professionalism for a long time. The employees deserve to have a better shot at Fox and MSNBC. CNN should devise a strategy that encourages journalistic excellence and an interesting presentation.

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