The New York Times
Replacing an anchor known for his outspoken political beliefs with a traditional Washington reporter, CNN on Thursday said a political news program led by John King would fill Lou Dobbs‘s time slot early next year.
Mr. King is currently the anchor of “State of the Union,” CNN’s Sunday political talk show.
Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN/U.S., told employees in a conference call Thursday morning that Mr. King’s move was “a statement about the importance of real nonpartisan news to CNN.” The channel’s middle-of-the-road newscasts, however, have lost market share to the more cacophonous programs on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel.
In interviews Thursday, Mr. Klein denied that CNN had acquiesced to pressure by Hispanic advocacy groups to drop Mr. Dobbs, a fervent opponent of illegal immigration. Rather, he said, it was Mr. Dobbs’s decision: while the anchor had adapted in recent months to CNNs mostly opinion-free format, “he came to me a few weeks ago and said he’d decided it wasn’t for him,” Mr. Klein said. More…