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
Hated it!
February 25th, 2011
3:15 pm
Enter your comments here
Boring show
February 25th, 2011
3:16 pm
I’ve tried watching this show and it nearly put me to sleep. CNN really needs to re-vamp their prime time shows.
Joe
February 25th, 2011
3:21 pm
Bet he hit on her.
Joe
February 25th, 2011
3:22 pm
Maybe CNN could hire Lindsay Lohan to go on the air with him.
Joe
February 25th, 2011
3:22 pm
Or some other prostitute.
jh
February 25th, 2011
3:35 pm
she has blond hair, she could work at fox
Rafe Hollister
February 25th, 2011
3:48 pm
They should replace her with Rosie O’Donnell and call the show ROSIE and THE MAN, or Get way out there with Rosie and The Man.
granny godzilla
February 25th, 2011
3:49 pm
Spitzer is a scumbag ex-Governor that had to step down after he got caught sleeping with expensive prostitute while in office. Why CNN would give him a show is beyond me and maybe one reason their ratings suck. Also, it would creep me out to work with him. I am sure Parker is glad to get away from the scuzzball, Spitzer.
Elliot Garcia
February 25th, 2011
3:51 pm
Bring back Bobbie Battista! Does she still live off of Rumson??
Chris
February 25th, 2011
3:51 pm
CNN.. the criminal news network..
Buckeye
February 25th, 2011
3:54 pm
The fact that this scumbag is on the air is unfrreakin believeable. Is CNN that hard up for “talent”?
Tweets that mention Kathleen Parker steps down from CNN after five months -- Topsy.com
February 25th, 2011
4:00 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rodney Ho, Atlanta Rio . Atlanta Rio said: Kathleen Parker steps down from CNN after five months: CNN announced the departure of Pulitzer-Prize winning col… http://bit.ly/fTXACs [...]
Tom
February 25th, 2011
4:03 pm
I finally agree with Granny@3:49p, can’t believe it!!! Spitzer should go to PBS, and then cut off all funding!!!
independent news watcher
February 25th, 2011
4:07 pm
I too was surprised that Spitzer got a show on CNN. But, Fox news never had a problem hiring criminals or unethical people…
To his credit, he is very knowledgeable. Parker never seemed comfortable and had little insight to offer. I would imagine her thought process works better for writing than broadcast journalism.
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””’
Charles
February 25th, 2011
4:25 pm
” with Parker leaning right and Spitzer leaning left”
Parker may have leaned to the right with 5% of her body weight but Spitzer had leaned so far left he was laying on his side.
Tom
February 25th, 2011
4:26 pm
GRANNY, you do know that Kathleen is a Conservative??
LS
February 25th, 2011
4:35 pm
I will never watch any show with him on it.
Toodles McDiddle
February 25th, 2011
4:36 pm
CNN? Are they still around? Are they even relevant?
JF McNamara
February 25th, 2011
4:47 pm
They should actually replace her with Christine O’Donnell. She’s crazy enough that she would get ratings and she wants to be a star more than a politician. She’s probably holding out for a FoxNews show though.
Clay
February 25th, 2011
5:33 pm
CNN is absolutely horrible at bringing in talent that people want to watch. And even the few times that they did bring in a few talented people they left for Fox News where their ratings soon went thru the roof. I always root for CNN because they’re a hometown company but their ability to put together engaging, fun-to-watch shows is terrible.
Escaped from Email Purgatory
February 25th, 2011
5:33 pm
I enjoy the show and the format. It’s a pleasant break from O’Reilly’s bombast – although I’m a big fan of his and watch The Factor often.
Parker’s a cutie. I’ll miss her.
Spitzer’s all right. You harpies get off his back.
Jejune Missive Monkey
February 25th, 2011
5:36 pm
Ashley Dupree would be a great replacement. She could discuss what The Lov Gov looks like in his socks. BTW, CNN stands for Client No. Nine.
Viewer
February 25th, 2011
5:47 pm
I did not realize until I started watching the show just what a brilliant intellect he is. Too bad about keeping his pants zipped. Parker is likeable, but I agree she seemed uncomfortable. Few people will be able to hold their own with Spitzer.
Joe
February 25th, 2011
6:01 pm
Bill O’Reilly? He’s a self-centered, arrogant ass. When he and Glenn Beck get together for fun, who’s the girl?
Freakshow Blue
February 25th, 2011
6:27 pm
Parker is no more a conservative than the man on the moon. CNN really sucks. Their high point was the guy on the phone under his bed in the 1st Iraq war. You know, back when they had no competition.
TRUTH
February 25th, 2011
6:41 pm
Hey, Ms. Parker (Friday). Can you take Wolf Blitzer with you?
Myra Richman
February 25th, 2011
6:42 pm
Who would even look at that creep Spitzer — with or without his socks!
Steve
February 25th, 2011
6:50 pm
Wow. A show on CNN that dares to have a ‘mild’ Conservative viewpoint and it didn’t have high ratings with the liberal viewers of that station? So shocking.
CNN is finding out that being MSNBC Lite isn’t working. MSNBC is crazy slanted, Fox is about half as bad, and CNN is right there with Fox. Simple fact is, CNN is getting beaten out by it’s competition on the liberal agenda, and they are too liberally slanted to draw in most Conservatives.
They need to either come back to 20 years ago when they were ‘mostly’ a non-partisan network, or they need to just come right out and tell the world they are no longer going to try to hide their liberal agenda (like casting Parker as a Conservative .. lol).
KenGo
February 25th, 2011
7:09 pm
Saw Spitzer and Michael Steele go at it one night. He would be a great replacement.
KenGo
February 25th, 2011
7:10 pm
and i hate michael steele. he looks like a muppet!
TRUTH
February 25th, 2011
7:13 pm
who cares!!!!!!!!!!
mirandalambert2012
February 25th, 2011
7:44 pm
No surprise there. I watched it a lttle bit when it first came on and the show was quite frankly unwatchable. Parker became famous for one reason only: she was a supposedly conservative writer who trashed Palin. So for that she got accolades from the left wing press. That why she got this gig and now the show has bombed.
Ted
February 25th, 2011
7:54 pm
Why is this news?
Wrong Again
February 25th, 2011
8:34 pm
CNN gets it wrong again!! The problem was not with Parker but with Spitzer. I am appalled that CNN would give him air time!! Best of luck to Ms. Parker.
george
February 25th, 2011
8:42 pm
parker was nothing but blonde diva anyway. she didn’t deserve the Pulitzer & was nothing but an Obama hater with borderline racist tendencies. send her to Fox News where she belongs anyway.
Jason T
February 25th, 2011
8:58 pm
CNN is still on the air??? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Chris Matthews
February 25th, 2011
9:04 pm
Send Tucker and Bookman up there. And Luckovich too.
Reality
February 25th, 2011
9:10 pm
Let’s face it…the Cartoon Channel does better than MSNBC and CNN. The loony left just doesn’t get it. Nobody buys their snake oil anymore.
Top School
February 25th, 2011
9:16 pm
They both READ most of the information like a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS in front of the camera. Their personalities are not fit for this kind of journalism. The tension between the camera and their dull reading with mono tone voices are not missed by the general public.
Their reports sound like a student in front of a classroom reading a bad report…
AND PLEASE…THE CNN British accents need to go!
Didn’t MADONNA try that about 10 years ago?
I am totally tired of it!
Find someone that looks like they are at least enjoying what they are doing.
Joy Behar is great!
NANCY GRACE…eeew…I can’t take all the makeup and vile tone. It is too much like the FOX attitude of Orielly and HANNITY…and that other guy that talks like he is a puppet…in about 5 different voices…and should just include …are you stupid on the end of every comment because it sounds like he saying it even if he isn’t.
Where are some decent everyday people with some style and grace…
Please…bring back some quality to the CNN cast. Anderson is all you’ve got going for you right now. Doesn’t he have a few buddies he can bring up to the table?
Piers might as well be interviewing the same person every night…The questions and tone are the same over and over again. Big buildup for nothing…the money spent on promoting him was a waste.
Reality
February 25th, 2011
9:20 pm
“…Please…bring back some quality to the CNN cast. Anderson is all you’ve got going for you right now. Doesn’t he have a few buddies he can bring up to the table?…”
Oh, I’m sure ol Cooper has some “buddies”…LOL
Client Number 9
February 25th, 2011
9:23 pm
Granny, I wasn’t exactly “sleeping” with the prostitute! Wide awake the whole time, believe me.
AS PREDICTED...
February 25th, 2011
10:18 pm
I actually gave this show 3 months.
Choppinmama
February 25th, 2011
10:36 pm
I can’t stand to even look at that guy. Tried to watch the show several times though………borrrring, and no on air chemistry between P&S. She’s smart to leave this sinking ship while the band is still playing.
Jane
February 25th, 2011
10:49 pm
I think Nancy Grace would be a perfect replacement for her. She could totally emasculate Spitzer like she does every man on her show. I wish, just once, one of her panelists would call her out on the way she treats people. That woman is pure evil. It just goes to show how desperate a lot of people are to be on TV, when they’ll go on her show and be chewed out just for her own pleasure.
Jane
February 25th, 2011
10:51 pm
Joy Behar is great! Love her
she wa' hot
February 25th, 2011
11:22 pm
she wa’ hot. Elliot all over her after da’ show.
Bail out!
February 25th, 2011
11:23 pm
Is anything on CNN not sinking?
Whatz?
February 25th, 2011
11:24 pm
george
February 25th, 2011
8:42 pm
parker was nothing but blonde diva anyway. she didn’t deserve the Pulitzer & was nothing but an Obama hater with borderline racist tendencies. send her to Fox News where she belongs anyway.
George must date fat ugly women.
Georgia Girl
February 26th, 2011
12:40 am
Never even heard of this show.
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
Selling The Girl Next Door – CNN Special Report | PimpHop Lifestyle Magazine
February 27th, 2011
3:13 pm
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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.