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发帖数: 901 | 1 After several months of speculation over her future at the network, Kathleen
Parker has left CNN, clearing the way for her co-host, Eliot Spitzer, to
begin a new show--"In the Arena," which will remain in the nightly 8 p.m.
time slot "Parker-Spitzer" has occupied since last October.
"We will be adopting an ensemble format with several newsmakers, guests and
contributors joining Eliot Spitzer each night," said Ken Jautz, CNN's
executive vice president, in a staff memo Friday. "E.D. Hill and Will Cain
will join the program as well others within and outside the CNN family." The
new show starts Monday, and CNN said Parker will continue to appear on the
network from time to time.
In his statement, Jautz said Parker was leaving the program "to focus on her
writing" as a syndicated columnist. But rumors about tensions between
conservative Parker and the former Democratic governor of New York have been
swirling for some time. Parker was said to be frustrated that Spitzer
dominated the conversation and that Spitzer's ratings shot up when Parker
wasn't on the air. Gossip circulated that they were at each others' throats,
and that Parker had even stormed off the set at one point.
Murmurs of the imminent split first appeared Friday morning in the New York
Post. The Wrap confirmed Parker's departure ahead of the network's official
announcement.
Parker and Spitzer were recruited last year as part of a broader effort by
CNN to bolster its prime-time ratings. But the show failed to develop an
audience, regularly lagging far behind its competition on Fox News Channel
and MSNBC.
Nevertheless, Jautz said, "We have been pleased with how the 8 p.m. hour has
become a centerpiece of substantive, policy-oriented conversation, and we
are looking forward to building on that with this new format."
As far as public appearances are concerned, the break-up was amicable.
"While I am extremely proud of the show we created, and the subject matter
and level of discourse Parker Spitzer promoted every night, it was a
difficult decision to scale back my column a few months ago and, with the
show going in a new direction, it is a good time to move on," said Parker.
"I wish Kathleen all the best in continuing on with her spectacular career,"
said Spitzer. "It has been a joy working with her as a teammate, and I
continue to be a huge fan of the wisdom that jumps from her written work and
the wit, charm and insight she brings to all that she does." |
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