Slashdot Mirror
CNN Cancels Crossfire
blonde rser writes "Three months after Jon Stewart
appeared on (and lambasted) CNN's Crossfire the
Globe and Mail reports that CNN is dumping Tucker Carlson. It appears that Crossfire is being canceled and Carlson's contract is not being renewed. As to whether Stewart's opinion had any affect on the decision there is this quote from Jonathan Klein, CEO of CNN's US network:
'I guess I come down more firmly in the Jon Stewart camp.'"
I'm a conservative and I absolutely hate that guy. He tries to defend Bush when there is no reason to defend him. I'm a conservative and Bush is an insane president with a socialist agenda. I suppose they only got Carlson on there to make conservatives look retarded.
the Political Inquirer
I agree with you completely. I take it a step in a different direction though, and would prefer a lot of people with questionable credentials coming to a conclusion on an issue. Something such as Slashdot mainly.
Takes your mind down more interesting paths and forces you to question things.
Was Carlson's personality something taht anyone could market though? Was he presented as an asshole to make it so that people from "the left" would watch to hope he gets his ass handed to him?
That's scary.
If you read the article, it's really more about what CNN sees, quite sensibly, as the change in the wind, and the necessary end of Crossfire than what they think about Carlson. As unbelievable as it is, he wants, or even expects, a primetime 9pm slot for his own one hour show. CNN even investigated moving him in as an anchore by having him sub for Aaron Brown. MSNBC looks like they're going to give it too him. (Honestly they're starved for content.) They're looking at him to replace Debra Norville, who once asked a woman mauled by a mountain lion if it hurt when the animal bit into her. (Which is about the most awesome question, and reaction to a question, I've seen on TV.)
CNN's parting with Carlson isn't as much about how John Stewart became a folk hero by crushing him and that corpse that O.D.'d on botox. It's about CNN not wanting to give him a promotion at this time. They still acknowledge him as a significant "talent", whatever that means in his genre.
I liked what was said on what direction they thought CNN should go it. It was something to the effect of, "When the President sits down with his advisors, do you think they just all start yelling? Shouldn't we consider affording our audiance a similar level of respect?" Personally, they should just buy and play episodes of Frontline, those guys know exactly what the hell they're doing.