Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Q and A With CNN Prez Jon Klein--Part Two
>Critics claim that CNN has a liberal slant. Does CNN have an agenda? Our only agenda is to get out there and cover the news. Partisans on both sides may be unhappy that their point of view is not represented, but being partisans they would. We try to play the facts right down the middle and let the audience make up their own minds.
> You have said that you plan on airing more CNN Presents programs during prime time during the week. Is it wise to air these at that time versus the news of the day? Our mission in prime time is to take viewers beyond the headlines. These days, thanks to the internet, radio, newspapers, etc, the audience pretty much feels they know what's going on in the world by the time the sun goes down. We've got to offer deeper insights - not necessarily into the breaking news of the day, which has been extensively covered by that time, but into the news of our times. CNN presents does that in a superlative way, and no other news network does these types of gripping documentaries anymore. As a former documentary maker, I have a soft spot in my heart for this approach,and I think our audience would like to see more work from this outstanding unit. This doesn't mean that in midweek we'll do full-hour docs - maybe shorter pieces crafted by this team.
> In your opinion what's the secret to FNC's success? They're great at what they do: talking about the news. But we're great at what we do - going out and reporting the news. They're lively and entertaining to watch - we could be a little livelier and engrossing; and we will be. That said, I don't think Fox is our main competition - we lose far more viewers to the combination of broadcast networks, Court Tv, History Channel, Bravo, etc than we do to FNC. We've got to become a must-watch alternative to all of those.
> Have you been given a time-table in which to have CNN's ratings"up to snuff" ? No. First mission: improve the quality, and make prime time offer a distinctive alternative. Ratings will inevitably follow if we maintain the pact with our audience to provide them the best, most comprehensive coverage of the world around them. Not just the news of the moment - but the news of our time.
> CNN has been around for a quarter century, where do you see CNN 25 years from now? I'm kind of focusing on the next 2 years. Let me get back to you after that!
CNN Blog would like to thank Mr. Klein for the interview.
# posted by ATN @ 12:01 AM 
