New CNN Exec Wants Anchors to Show More Passion

Memo to Paula Zahn, Anderson Cooper and Aaron Brown: Can we beef up the personality?

That request could be coming soon from Jonathan Klein, the new president of CNN/U.S. Klein, an online entrepreneur and former CBS News executive, was brought in Monday as CNN reshuffled its executive ranks again in the latest effort to save its declining prime-time ratings.

CNN News Group President Jim Walton said the network wanted to take advantage of Klein’s business know-how and expertise in digital information, as well as his hard-news and documentary background. Klein will oversee all programming, editorial tone and strategic direction.

In a news conference, Walton and Klein declined to specify the nature or timing of changes.

But Klein left no doubt that he would like to see more varied programming. He also wants to inspire CNN’s often-undemonstrative journalists to show more of their personalities on air.

“Translating the passion of extremely dedicated journalists is the biggest challenge,” he said.

Zahn, Cooper and Brown are all “intelligent, articulate and professional,” Klein said. “But I’m not sure I’m seeing the real them. When you think about those people we’re talking about, like Christiane Amanpour, you feel like you’re seeing the real person. They all have it; they just have to allow themselves to show it.

“The best shows on TV are the direct reflections of producers and correspondents and anchors,” Klein said, citing ABC’s “Nightline” and the syndicated “Oprah Winfrey Show.” He even praised Bill O’Reilly, the host of “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News Channel, as someone who can “channel his passions onto the screen.”

As more viewers migrate from broadcast to cable, CNN, which is owned by Time Warner Inc., is facing prime-time competition not only from News Corp.’s Fox News but also from smaller networks such as Court TV, the History Channel and Discovery, Walton said. CNN’s total daily audience, 994,000, is down 16% from last year. Fox, which has been considered its primary rival, grew 1% to 1,996,000.

There is competition on another front as well. In earlier interviews, Klein predicted that Internet news would one day replace the traditional news fare of the major networks and local TV stations. On Monday he said television and the Internet “are becoming one and the same.”

In 1999, Klein founded FeedRoom Inc., a broadband video company that offers television-style news on the Internet. Previously, he was executive vice president of CBS News, where he oversaw prime-time programming including “60 Minutes,” “48 Hours” and “Public Eye With Bryant Gumbel.”

“We haven’t had an executive at CNN that has the versatility Jon has,” Walton said, adding that the network was determined to hire Klein for the job. “We romanced him very hard.”

Klein will be based in New York. Walton said one reason for the move from the network’s Atlanta base was to “get the leadership up to New York, where a lot of programming originates.”

Princell Hair, executive vice president and general manager, was named senior vice president of program and talent development for CNN News Group.