Kathleen Parker steps down from CNN after five months
CNN announced the departure of Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Kathleen Parker from the network, leaving former New York governor Eliot Spitzer to host a new show dubbed “In the Arena.”
“We will be adopting an ensemble format with several newsmakers, guests and contributors joining Eliot Spitzer each night,” CNN Executive Vice President Ken Jautz wrote to staff today.
The original show “Parker Spitzer,” which debuted last October at 8 p.m., was supposed to be a daily debate hashing issues in a substantive, analytical manner with Parker leaning right and Spitzer leaning left. Ratings, however, remained relatively anemic.
Last week, the show drew about 500,000 viewers a night, according to Nielsen ratings. That’s about half of what Lawrence O’Donnell pulled in at MSNBC and one-sixth the numbers Bill O’Reilly received on Fox News.
“Parker’s a very talented writer, but I don’t think anyone had a whole lot of specific praise for her on air,” said former CNN anchor Bobbie Battista. Parker and Spitzer “didn’t gel well at all.”
In December, the New York Times reported that there were tensions between Spitzer and Parker that fueled speculation that Spitzer would eventually go solo.
According to the New York Post, Spitzer felt he excelled when she was out sick and he hosted alone during the recent Egypt crisis.
In a statement, Parker said, “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.” Spitzer also released a statement saying it was “a joy working with her as a teammate.” She plans to appear on CNN in the future as an occasional contributor.
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By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog
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83 comments Add your comment
robinhuud
February 26th, 2011
4:06 am
Isn’t it sad how far down Time Warner has dragged CNN. Under Ted Turner, Spitzer would never have gotten a job or the network wouldn’t have sunk so low. Typical Northeastern attitude; those idiots think the whole world thinks like they do. She never had a chance to say anything; Spitzer hogged the whole show and he is as boring as a dieing tick. Thanks CNN for hiring a guy who was only good at putting New Yorkers in jail and running prostitutes. Is he poor wife still with the loser.
Brenda
February 26th, 2011
4:59 am
is Blogjegoch not availble? why wouldnt CNN sign him up too? CNN really understands what we viewers want. not only was out-of-touch fossil larry king awesome, but his arrogant limey successor has really done well too. great job, CNN.
Viewer
February 26th, 2011
5:47 am
It’s a show for deep thinkers. I’m not surprised it draws a small audience. As H.L. Mencken said decades ago, no one ever went broke under-estimating the taste of the American public.
esfritzi
February 26th, 2011
6:13 am
Bring back Rick Sanchez; oh, I forget, he killed someone in Miami while DUI and was never charged; CNN is getting like Florida State, home of the “CriminOLES”
Sam
February 26th, 2011
6:36 am
gm
February 25th, 2011
4:20 pm
How can a former Gov who resign after being caught in a prostitution ring have a show?
Only a white male in America can get away with this””’
==========================================================================
GM, it’s always about race, right. Take a look at all the corrupt black politicans who make it…
Client #9
February 26th, 2011
7:33 am
Client #9, he of the knee high black socks fame, is a bully. He literally bullied her off the show.
Ratings jump 100%, however. Before, 1 person watched; now 2 people watch.
Hotrod
February 26th, 2011
7:46 am
I always thought this was a strange choice to award their own show to.
Terd Furgesun
February 26th, 2011
8:00 am
Gee, a CNN show with low ratings. When will these clowns understand that FNC kicks their a**es every night because they have better hosts and they show both sides of the political spectrum? Like Time Magazine, Newsweek, msnbc, The New York Times, and any news paper in the US viewership and readership is down in big numbers. Except of course for FNS which continues to grow in both conservative, independents, and liberal viewers. Until the othere understand the formula they will be nothing but an after thought with the public and keep losing talent.
Oh Well...
February 26th, 2011
8:34 am
I guess I am one of the few that actually like Spitzer. He is very knowledgeable, passionate, and assertive enough to get his point across with facts to substantiate his beliefs. Parker was wayyyy out of her league and definitely needs to go back to writing articles.
meem
February 26th, 2011
8:48 am
Did not know this show was still being aired. Such a bore! And to think that Spitzer character was the host! HAHAHAHAHAHAH…must be The Americas…. LOL
PatDowns
February 26th, 2011
9:38 am
@TRUTH 6:41 pm – “Hey, Ms. Parker (Friday). Can you take Wolf Blitzer with you?”
Actually, you just came up with the next show format: BLITZER AND SPITZER – Total BS
PatDowns
February 26th, 2011
9:41 am
@Ted 7:54 pm – “Why is this news?”
It’s not. It’s entertainment fodder. That’s why it is on The Ho’s blog.
Gresham Brown
February 26th, 2011
9:47 am
Who cares?
marcus
February 26th, 2011
9:47 am
spitzer creeps me out…………
Mr. Mustard
February 26th, 2011
9:56 am
Oh Kathleen, go back to writing your slanted columns about evil liberals and how they forced Wall Street to make bad loans.
How it was liberals who forced President Bush to hand over free taxpayer money to Wall Street and how it was not Republican Dick Cheney who told us the Iraq war would last 6 months and pay for itself.
Never EVER admit that a Republican has any responsibility in anything Kathleen, not even that President George W. Bush inherited a balanced budget and $2 trillion surplus and he and the Republican Congress quickly bankrupted the country.
No Kathleen and teabaggers, the Republicans are good with money. I am shocked, SHOCKED that few wanted to watch yet another priviliged Republican who won the birth lottery blame everything on evil liberals.
SHOCKED I tell you.
CH2
February 26th, 2011
10:29 am
I think that the previous morning/mid-day anchor from FOX, (sorry, the name escapes me), Gov. Spitzer, and Micheal Steele would be a great three-some.
DAvid P. McKnight
February 26th, 2011
11:53 am
Much Obliged, Ms. Parker
Just think if Atlanta-based CNN were slightly “more Southern” in the tradition of Boston-based news media reflecting New England values and Chicago press organizations honoring the traditional Midwestern outlook in American affairs.
Then Southerners would not always have to make their cases in the regional or national “dialects” of all the other commentators and experts. Too bad there’s not some major Southern city where eloquent and perceptive views such as those of Kathleen Parker could be expressed through the broadcast medium without always having to be “translated” to the satisfaction of people who do not appreciate the traditions of a Georgia-Georgia Tech football game.
I’m thankful I had the chance to study French, German and other languages because it takes all the language skills I can muster to “translate” my Southern perspectives into “neutral” or non-Southern regional “dialects” needed to render logical arguments understandable to good people who never took the time to look at public issues from any kind of below-the-Potomoc outlook.
How did Bob Schieffer of CBS learn to speak fluent “American English” without having to abandon his Southwestern roots?
David Proctor McKnight
Durham, N.C.
Tom
February 26th, 2011
1:00 pm
Just got an amazing idea, perhaps Spitzer’s new co-host could be that young 20 something escort he consorted with. That way CNN could pay her instead of Spitzer! What do you think people? Probably be the best looking woman CNN has ever had on the air?? Go Fox News!!!!
TRUTH
February 26th, 2011
1:26 pm
Who is kathleen parker???
TRUTH
February 26th, 2011
1:29 pm
70st
Howard
February 26th, 2011
1:48 pm
It not Parker who should be leaving. You need to get rid of Spitzer.
who fo?
February 26th, 2011
1:58 pm
maybe they can replace her with whoopi goldberg and devote the show to bashing anything non-black and non-liberal!
S
February 26th, 2011
3:10 pm
Parker was a drag on the show..Spitzer will do fine without her.
Rabbit
February 26th, 2011
4:09 pm
It’s interesting how the comments sound like tv producers – all about star power. I didn’t always agree with Parker, but she’s a bonafide journalist. The Idiocracy no longer wants that, though. spitzer, even tarnished is a smart guy, but he’s more suited to the entertainment industry that tv “news” has become. Parker is right to return full time to the NYT where there is
“all the news that’s fit to print”
new times
February 26th, 2011
5:00 pm
replace her with someone younger and much hotter. She got too boring to look at and listening to her made me sleepy.
johnny
February 26th, 2011
7:23 pm
spitzer OK he is educated former lawyer and governor with weakness on women same Clinton have, but both very bright. must admit beck get much bigger ratings and he is pure idiot with lunacy and paranoia. so switch the channels to fox and enjoy to be with 3 mil. morons watching delirium every day.
RGB
February 26th, 2011
8:43 pm
Who? Never heard of them.
Dave
February 26th, 2011
8:45 pm
She must have been called by False News Corners aka Fox News
Boare22
February 27th, 2011
12:28 am
CNN what a joke! All they are around for is to get the back of this incompetent boob that is in the white house! The entire station should be taken off the air thankfully America is smart enough to realize this station is a propaganda station for the white house with all the scumbag fact checks by Anderson Cooper that are so pathetically biased to the left finally America is waking up and in less than two years them viewership will almost be non existent and the
America hater Muslim will be out of office and then we will never be duped again
Boare22
February 27th, 2011
12:31 am
Not a huge fan of beck however big fan of fox news who always have more than one point of view but idiots like Johnny would not know that because he does not even know what a point of view is because he is a middle school dropout
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February 27th, 2011
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Chess
February 28th, 2011
9:48 am
Both suck. Show sucks.
Morris
March 2nd, 2011
7:46 pm
WHEN WILL CNN FIGURE IT OUT.IT’S ABOUT IN YOUR FACE POLITICS.SAY WHAT YOU MAY,BUT THAT’S WHERE THE RATINGS ARE.SO TAKE A SIDE.BECAUSE FAIR AND BALANCE DOES NOT WORK.ASK FOX IT’S OK TO PREACH IT.JUST DON’T PRACTICE IT.