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MIKE REYNOLDS
Rick Kaplan's tumultuous tenure as CNN president-U.S. came to an end last week as the beleagured news network realigned its executive suite.
The 20-year-old CNN has been buffeted by significant ratings erosion, with its losses picked up by CNBC, Fox News Channel and MSNBC. Moreover, the explosion of Web-based news organizations also has taken a bite out of CNN's position as the news organization of choice.
Kaplan, who joined CNN in 1997 as an Emmy-Award-winning producer from ABC News, saw his reign marred by a well-publicized run-in that led to the departure of former CNNfn boss Lou Dobbs, whose Moneyline show was CNN's cash cow.
Moreover, CNN and Kaplan's aspirations to create appointment viewing during non-breaking news periods with CNN NewsStand, which linked with Time Warner titles Time, Fortune and Entertainment Weekly, never caught on with viewers in a big way, perhaps undermined by its first show. The initial story, claiming that American soldiers deployed nerve gas on defectors in Laos during the Vietnam War, crashed and burned amid a retraction and a number of firings and lawsuits.
Many observers expect CNN will now back away from the expensive, broadcast-network-like magazine shows favored by Kaplan and focus more on shorter, more newsy bites that the network, which will be integrated into the digital world of soon-to-be parent AOL, can also plug into such platforms as cell phones and other wireless delivery services.
Philip Kent, who had been president of Turner Broadcasting System International, assumes the newly created post of president/COO of CNN News Group. Eason Jordan, most recently president-newsgathering and international networks, was named president-newsgathering and chief news executive of CNN News Group. Jim Walton, president of the CNN/SI network, was elevated to president of CNN Networks/USA, with responsibility over 15 U.S. domestic news networks and Web sites. Chris Cramer, previously president of CNN International, is now president of CNN Networks/International.
The executive changes were engineered by TBSI chairman/CEO Terry McGuirk. Other changes are expected with rumors swirling that CNN chairman Tom Johnson could get caught in future reshuffling.
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