CNN has told Connie Chung, one of its most prominent
anchors, that it has dropped her prime-time program, effective immediately.
Although CNN asked her to stay in some other capacity, she declined and will
leave the network, an associate of Ms. Chung said last night.
Ms. Chung, a longtime news anchor who has worked for all
three major broadcast network news departments, joined CNN last summer. She
was informed of the decision by Jim Walton, the new president of CNN, the
associate said yesterday. The program, "Connie Chung Tonight,"
which was usually broadcast at 8 on weeknights, had been suspended for
coverage of the war with Iraq.
Ms. Chung pressed CNN's management last Friday to put the
program back on the air as soon as possible. CNN, a unit of AOL Time Warner,
responded by telling her that it would decide over the weekend when it would
bring the program back. Instead, its management called her in yesterday to
tell her the program would not resume when the war coverage ended.
Ms. Chung has a contract, worth about $2 million a year,
that has more than a year left. It promised her a prime-time program, Ms.
Chung's associate said.
"She was very shocked and extremely
disappointed," the associate said. "She did the show she was asked
to do even though she argued that she wanted to do a different kind of show.
But the management changed, and the new management said, `We don't want that
kind of show.' She was not given a chance to do something different for
them."
Mr. Walton became CNN's chief executive in January,
succeeding Walter Isaacson, who had brought Ms. Chung to the network. It has
since been seeking to revamp its image, looking to remake itself as a
harder-edged news network. This month, it dropped a daytime talk program,
"Talk Back Live," saying it no longer fitted with its new plans.
Ms. Chung's program, which was built around interviews
with personalities who sometimes were involved in less-than-serious events,
like contestants from "American Idol," was criticized in some
quarters of the network for being out of step with the new approach.
The associate of Ms. Chung defended the program, saying:
"When she was hired they said they didn't have a newsmagazine-type
program and wanted her to do one. She said she didn't want to do that kind
of show. She wanted to do a news show. But this is what they wanted."
Most memorably, Ms. Chung was mentioned by Ted Turner, the
CNN founder, who said in an interview that her program was "just
awful." In an interview only a few days ago, Mr. Turner said he
regretted making those comments.
The ratings for Ms. Chung's program were among the
strongest on CNN and would not seem to have marked it for cancellation.
She was watched by about a million viewers nightly, and
her audience had grown in recent months. It was up more than 50 percent over
the program CNN had in the same time slot last year. Throughout her career,
Ms. Chung, 56, has consistently been among the most popular figures in TV
news.
CNN executives declined to comment directly on the
decision to drop the program. But one CNN executive said the move was not
related to ratings.
No decision has been made about a program that will
succeed Ms. Chung's, the executive added.
The associate of Ms. Chung said she would look for other
opportunities at other networks.
"Connie was hired by the old CNN crowd," the
associate said. "There's a new crowd at CNN now, and they don't want
people associated with the old crowd."
- 26 March 2003 New
York Times
Connie Chung jumps to CNN from ABC
The
game of musical chairs involving the female anchors of American news
networks continues with ABC's Connie Chung moving
to CNN.
Chung, who reportedly earned more than US$1-million a
year at ABC, is believed to be filling the slot vacated by anchor Greta
Van Susteren when she left The Point, a show created for her that airs
weekdays at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Van Susteren moved to Fox News Channel this month in
what was seen as a "snatch" by a rival network. However, others
saw it as revenge for CNN coaxing Fox's Paula Zahn to enter their camp.
The moves prompted much speculation that angry rival
news executives were trying to outdo each other by poaching high-profile
news anchors.
But yesterday ABC was quick to praise Chung -- a
three-time Emmy winner -- on her move, while CNN refused to comment until
today.
David Westin, ABC News president, said: "Connie has
been a valued member of the ABC family. This is a very important
opportunity for her to have her own program. We wish her nothing but great
success and happiness in her new job."
Last night a spokeswoman for CNN said: "We can't
comment on any details. We are hoping to have an announcement
tomorrow."
Chung was once a favourite at CBS News, which she joined
in 1971; she left five years later, only to return in 1989. However, in
1993 she co-hosted the ill-fated CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and
Connie Chung.
The teaming failed to work, and she was fired in 1995,
claiming she was made a patsy for the show's low ratings.
Before being dropped she conducted what became known as
the "bitch" interview with House Speaker Newt Gingrich's mother,
Kathleen. Mrs. Gingrich recalled her son made a disparaging remark about
First Lady Hillary Clinton, and Chung persuaded her to reveal what it was,
saying it would be "just between you and me." When Mrs. Gingrich
said he called Mrs. Clinton a bitch, Chung told the world.
In 1997, she was hired by ABC on a multi-year contract
reported to be worth US$1-million a year.
It is not known how much she will earn with CNN, but
when Zahn was poached by the network last year it was believed she
switched sides for US$2.1-million a year. Van Susteren, a former trial
attorney who made her name as a commentator during the O.J. Simpson
hearings, reportedly moved for US$1-million.
Yesterday, sources said ABC had voluntarily agreed to
release Chung from her contract so she could take up her new position.
At ABC, her most famous moment came last year when she
interviewed Congressman Gary Condit about his relationship with missing
intern Chandra Levy.
The interview was remarkable for the behaviour of the
Democratic lawmaker, who dodged questions about whether he had been a
lover of the intern and showed little sympathy for her family.
Michael Higgins, National Post
