CNN's Specials Ep Jeff Kepnes is heading to MSNBC as Senior Executive Producer of Special Events. Kepnes will report to MSNBC chief Phil Griffin. He had worked at CNN since 2003, joining as senior producer at Paula Zahn Now. Kepnes was then upped to Ep Specials at CNN five years ago. Before joining CNN, Kepnes had worked at Fox News, and before that as senior producer of Equal Time with Paul Begala and Oliver North at MSNBC. Kepnes is the second producer to leave CNN for…...
- 3/7/2017
- Deadline TV
NEW YORK -- A day after CNN announced that Campbell Brown will join the network in the fall, another high-profile anchor, Paula Zahn, did the expected and said that she is leaving.
The six-year CNN veteran's last day on the network will be Aug. 2. Her 8 p.m. slot, occupied by "Paula Zahn Now", will be filled by a stream of substitutes until Brown's as-yet-unnamed show takes over in November.
Zahn was approaching the end of her contract at year's end and, in the course of discussing the next step with CNN-U.S. president Jon Klein, they mutually decided there wasn't a place for her at CNN.
"After 30 years in the business I've worked every daypart on the dial, and there really wasn't anything here above and beyond the show that I was doing that would have been new to me," Zahn said Tuesday.
Zahn's departure had been long rumored following the failure of her primetime show, "Paula Zahn Now", to gain traction against Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" as well as MSNBC's "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" and CNN Headline News' "Nancy Grace". Although the ratings have improved recently and the show has won awards and critical attention for its coverage of topics like race relations, "Paula Zahn Now" remained mired in third and often fourth place in the ratings at 8 p.m.
The six-year CNN veteran's last day on the network will be Aug. 2. Her 8 p.m. slot, occupied by "Paula Zahn Now", will be filled by a stream of substitutes until Brown's as-yet-unnamed show takes over in November.
Zahn was approaching the end of her contract at year's end and, in the course of discussing the next step with CNN-U.S. president Jon Klein, they mutually decided there wasn't a place for her at CNN.
"After 30 years in the business I've worked every daypart on the dial, and there really wasn't anything here above and beyond the show that I was doing that would have been new to me," Zahn said Tuesday.
Zahn's departure had been long rumored following the failure of her primetime show, "Paula Zahn Now", to gain traction against Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" as well as MSNBC's "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" and CNN Headline News' "Nancy Grace". Although the ratings have improved recently and the show has won awards and critical attention for its coverage of topics like race relations, "Paula Zahn Now" remained mired in third and often fourth place in the ratings at 8 p.m.
- 7/25/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- CNN confirmed Monday that departing NBC News correspondent Campbell Brown will join the channel for a primetime show beginning in November. CNN-U.S. president Jon Klein refused to confirm speculation that Brown's program would be taking the slot of the low-rated Paula Zahn Now.
The rumors of the demise of Paula Zahn Now have been around much longer than the speculation that Brown would leave NBC for CNN when her contract expires Thursday. Brown told her Weekend Today viewers on Sunday that she would be moving on.
NBC News still wanted to keep Brown, though CNN was able to work out with NBC the terms of Brown's departure that included a clause that will keep her off CNN until November. The 39-year-old Brown, who has worked for NBC a decade and has been White House correspondent and Brian Williams' designated sub on NBC Nightly News, will work for about a month on the air for CNN before having her first child, due in late December.
In a conference call with reporters, Klein wouldn't say that Paula Zahn Now would be canceled. He said that a formal announcement about scheduling would be coming within several days.
The rumors of the demise of Paula Zahn Now have been around much longer than the speculation that Brown would leave NBC for CNN when her contract expires Thursday. Brown told her Weekend Today viewers on Sunday that she would be moving on.
NBC News still wanted to keep Brown, though CNN was able to work out with NBC the terms of Brown's departure that included a clause that will keep her off CNN until November. The 39-year-old Brown, who has worked for NBC a decade and has been White House correspondent and Brian Williams' designated sub on NBC Nightly News, will work for about a month on the air for CNN before having her first child, due in late December.
In a conference call with reporters, Klein wouldn't say that Paula Zahn Now would be canceled. He said that a formal announcement about scheduling would be coming within several days.
- 7/24/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Word has come down that CNN is planning to cancel its low-rated news show Paula Zahn Now. Up against Fox News and MSNBC in the very competitive 8pm timeslot, the show often came in third place in total viewers.
Newswoman Zahn has been with the network since September 11, 2001 when she joined anchor Aaron Brown to covering the tragic events of that day. She then hosted a morning program entitled American Morning with Paula Zahn and began hosting Paula Zahn Now in September 2003.
CNN is reportedly trying to woo Weekend Today's co-anchor Campbell Brown away from NBC to fill the slot. Zahn is expected to leave CNN in the fall when her contract runs out. Stay tuned!
Newswoman Zahn has been with the network since September 11, 2001 when she joined anchor Aaron Brown to covering the tragic events of that day. She then hosted a morning program entitled American Morning with Paula Zahn and began hosting Paula Zahn Now in September 2003.
CNN is reportedly trying to woo Weekend Today's co-anchor Campbell Brown away from NBC to fill the slot. Zahn is expected to leave CNN in the fall when her contract runs out. Stay tuned!
- 6/18/2007
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
NEW YORK -- Keith Olbermann will continue to count down the day's top stories on MSNBC for another four years and will add two primetime specials a year and occasional essays to NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams.
Financial terms of the deal for the Countdown host weren't announced.
Locking up Olbermann gives MSNBC added security and firepower at a time when it has never been in a better position against second-place CNN in the cable news race. Countdown, which Olbermann hosts weekdays at 8 p.m. against Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor and CNN's Paula Zahn Now, is been a major growth agent in MSNBC's rise.
Olbermann's ratings have jumped 89% year-over-year, in part because of his commentaries against the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and against the war in Iraq. And a on-again, off-again feud with O'Reilly as well as the show's quirky, informative and fast-paced tone haven't hurt ratings either.
"It's an incredibly important franchise for us," said NBC News president Steve Capus, adding that Countdown has been the centerpiece for the resurgence and growth at MSNBC.
Financial terms of the deal for the Countdown host weren't announced.
Locking up Olbermann gives MSNBC added security and firepower at a time when it has never been in a better position against second-place CNN in the cable news race. Countdown, which Olbermann hosts weekdays at 8 p.m. against Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor and CNN's Paula Zahn Now, is been a major growth agent in MSNBC's rise.
Olbermann's ratings have jumped 89% year-over-year, in part because of his commentaries against the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and against the war in Iraq. And a on-again, off-again feud with O'Reilly as well as the show's quirky, informative and fast-paced tone haven't hurt ratings either.
"It's an incredibly important franchise for us," said NBC News president Steve Capus, adding that Countdown has been the centerpiece for the resurgence and growth at MSNBC.
- 2/16/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Things are looking up at MSNBC, with the channel registering double-digit gains in viewers and adults 25-54 for October while Fox News Channel led all news networks for the 250th straight week.
Leading the charge was Countdown With Keith Olbermann, which jumped 67% in viewership and 61% in the adults 25-54 demographic compared with October 2005. Countdown averaged 637,000 viewers (including 233,000 in the demo) for the month, according to data released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. It's nowhere near The O'Reilly Factor (which led all of cable with 2.1 million viewers) but it beat CNN's Paula Zahn Now in the demo and narrowly missed tying it in viewership.
"Keith Olbermann is the right person at the right time, and doing it in the right way," MSNBC general manager Dan Abrams said.
MSNBC was up in viewers total day and primetime as well as in the demo in both total day and primetime. Scarborough Country remained behind Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" and CNN's Larry King Live, but was up 13% in the demo. The 7 p.m. edition of Hardball was up 27% in adults 25-54 and up 5% in viewers. MSNBC's Imus in the Morning simulcast gained some ground on American Morning, averaging 324,000 viewers last month compared with 425,000 for American Morning.
MSNBC is in the best competitive position in total day since April 2003 in the opening weeks of the war in Iraq. Abrams said the strength was almost completely across the board -- praising Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews and Don Imus as well as Olbermann -- but he said he was also cautious.
Leading the charge was Countdown With Keith Olbermann, which jumped 67% in viewership and 61% in the adults 25-54 demographic compared with October 2005. Countdown averaged 637,000 viewers (including 233,000 in the demo) for the month, according to data released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. It's nowhere near The O'Reilly Factor (which led all of cable with 2.1 million viewers) but it beat CNN's Paula Zahn Now in the demo and narrowly missed tying it in viewership.
"Keith Olbermann is the right person at the right time, and doing it in the right way," MSNBC general manager Dan Abrams said.
MSNBC was up in viewers total day and primetime as well as in the demo in both total day and primetime. Scarborough Country remained behind Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" and CNN's Larry King Live, but was up 13% in the demo. The 7 p.m. edition of Hardball was up 27% in adults 25-54 and up 5% in viewers. MSNBC's Imus in the Morning simulcast gained some ground on American Morning, averaging 324,000 viewers last month compared with 425,000 for American Morning.
MSNBC is in the best competitive position in total day since April 2003 in the opening weeks of the war in Iraq. Abrams said the strength was almost completely across the board -- praising Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews and Don Imus as well as Olbermann -- but he said he was also cautious.
- 11/1/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- CNN on Tuesday took the wraps off a new high-tech studio that will house Anderson Cooper 360, Paula Zahn Now and American Morning. Zahn and Cooper's shows -- three hours of primetime out of the New York studios -- started in the new studio Tuesday. The three hours of American Morning will begin Monday, and Larry King Live will originate from the new studio when King is in New York. The fifth-floor studio used to be CNNfn's home base until that network closed and later was used for Nancy Grace and Showbiz Tonight. It has undergone an extreme makeover during the past eight weeks, with 25 plasma screens and 47 LCDs fitted inside the space, including a 24-foot edge-blended wall of video that will be used to show as many as 12 separate moving pictures on a screen in front of the anchor.
- 10/3/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- More changes are in the air for CNN's morning and primetime programming, with two American Morning co-hosts leaving the show and the channel naming new executive producers for Anderson Cooper 360 and Paula Zahn Now. Miles O'Brien, who had been co-anchoring an afternoon news program on the network, will join Soledad O'Brien as co-host of American Morning. O'Brien replaces Bill Hemmer, who will leave CNN on June 17. Jack Cafferty, a former local journalist who had been working on American Morning, shifts to Wolf Blitzer's new afternoon news program, The Situation Room. Meanwhile, CNN has tapped veteran news producers Victor Neufeld and David Doss to run some of its primetime programming. Neufeld, executive producer of CBS' The Early Show, who also has run ABC's "20/20" and PrimeTime Thursday, will be senior executive producer of Paula Zahn Now. Doss, who has been executive producer of PrimeTime Thursday and NBC Nightly News, will fill the same role on Paula Zahn Now.
NEW YORK -- In its first month, Nancy Grace has helped carry the new Headline Prime block on CNN Headline News into uncharted ratings territory. The show, named after the Court TV host and popular fill-in for Larry King Live, has been delivering audiences to the channel. The Headline Prime block ratings are up 56% in total viewers compared with a year ago, due in part to the success of Nancy Grace. The show has averaged 472,000 viewers during its 8 p.m. ET telecast in its first month, compared with the 209,000 viewers Headline News was getting a year ago in the slot. In the news demographic of adults 25-54, Nancy Grace averages 164,000 viewers versus 82,000 a year ago. Nancy Grace has overtaken MSNBC's Countdown (308,000 viewers, 112,000 in the demographic) but is in third place behind Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor (2.3 million viewers, 544,000 in the demo) and CNN's Paula Zahn Now (673,000 and 234,000).
- 3/22/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former CNN Washington bureau chief Frank Sesno is returning to the all-news network as a special correspondent. Sesno, who left CNN in September 2001 after a 17-year tenure as an anchor and reporter, will focus on enterprise reporting and analysis for Paula Zahn Now and other CNN programs. Sesno also will continue to work as a professor of public policy and communication at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. In recent years, Sesno has produced a number of documentaries, including Ronald Reagan: A Legacy Remembered for the History Channel and Avoiding Armageddon for PBS.
- 3/10/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Funnyman Bill Cosby has attacked his fellow African-Americans again, blasting community leaders on live TV for not getting tough with rising problems. Cosby appeared on CNN presenter Paula Zahn's Paula Zahn Now show last week and launched into a lengthy rant about the poor state of black America. He targeted juvenile delinquency, poor parenting and bad language for the problems, and urged his black fans to take more responsibility. He fumed, "This is about little children... and people not giving them better choices... You got to straighten up your house. Straighten up your apartment. Straighten up your child." Critics have attacked Cosby for his stark views in the past, accusing him of picking on the black community, but the comic admits he expected the ignorant to turn on him. He added, "Let them stay mad as long as they don't have good sense. I don't care what right-wing white people are thinking... How long are you gonna whisper about a smallpox epidemic in your apartment building when bodies are coming out under the sheets? What kept me out of trouble is going right to the edge and then thinking that my mother would be embarrassed, and that I didn't want to embarrass her, and that my father would be embarrassed, and I just didn't want to do that to my family."...
- 11/15/2004
- WENN
NEW YORK -- CNN's newly formatted Paula Zahn Now show has added Victoria Clarke, the former head of public affairs at the Pentagon, as an exclusive contributor, CNN said. The network also is expected to name veteran political writer and novelist Joe Klein as a contributor within a few days, sources close to the situation said. A contributor to Time, Klein is best known as Anonymous, who authored the novel Primary Colors, a thinly veiled account of Bill Clinton's stormy 1992 presidential campaign.
- 9/23/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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