Posted on 10/07/2002 5:37:51 AM PDT by Tancred
NEW YORK (AP) - Shortly before CNN unveiled the new studio it had built in Manhattan for Paula Zahn's "American Morning" last month, a telephone rang at the desk of a reporter.
A publicist for Fox News Channel was calling. For anyone writing about Zahn's show, she wanted to point out how much better Fox's morning show, "Fox & Friends," was doing in the ratings.
With that in mind, CNN's new studio "is nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," Fox spokeswoman Tracey Spector said.
As digs go, this one was relatively mild. But it follows a pattern.
Ever since Zahn jumped from Fox News Channel to CNN last fall, her former employers have badmouthed her relentlessly. The jibes are sometimes brutal, sometimes humorous, and once even profane. The underlying message seems clear: It's not wise to cross Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes.
Zahn was host of a prime-time news hour on Fox News Channel last year when CNN weighed in with an offer she couldn't refuse — her own three-hour morning show, reportedly at twice the salary.
When Ailes learned of the offer, he fired her. CNN immediately signed Zahn, and put her on the air six months earlier than it had expected.
That dismissal is an important distinction to Fox. More than a year after it happened, network representatives called The Associated Press to complain that a story about Zahn did not say she was fired.
Ailes set a tone for the post-Zahn era with a comment that quickly became legendary, in part with the help of Fox's on-air personalities. In an article about Zahn's firing, he minimized how she had improved ratings in her time slot while at Fox News Channel.
"I could have put a dead raccoon on the air this year and got a better rating than last year," Ailes told The New York Times. "That's all just the growth of our network. All our shows are up."
Subsequently, the "Fox & Friends" anchors talked about Zahn on the air with a stuffed raccoon toy on the table in front of them. Fox anchor Steve Doocy, cameras in tow, presented Zahn with a gift basket including the stuffed raccoon after the new studio opened.
Ailes sued Zahn's agents, claiming breach of contract. A New York State Supreme Court judge dismissed the complaint in March.
"From the very beginning, this was a case of sour grapes by Roger Ailes," Zahn said at the time. "I am glad the judge saw it for what it was, and dismissed the suit as meritless."
During the past year, Zahn's "Fox & Friends" rivals have been her most frequent needlers.
In January, the disc jockey Mancow, a "Fox and Friends" contributor, called Zahn a "knucklehead." Because she's the enemy, he said, "I just want to punch her in the face."
Two months later, Mancow performed an on-air skit with an actor he said was portraying Zahn. He hit the actor in the face, knocked him down and shouted, "I'll kill you, Paula. We will kill you, Paula."
"That was great," anchor Brian Kilmeade said, although co-anchor E.D. Hill urged Mancow to stop as he kept pounding away. Hill has said that Zahn is host of a "bad program, but she's a nice woman."
Mancow also made an off-color remark about Zahn that refers to the anchor's hobby as a cello player.
When the CNN studio opened, trucks carrying Fox signs circled the Manhattan block around it. People distributing Fox merchandise and wearing Fox t-shirts passed by the studio window, according to CNN.
Last month, Fox News Channel spokesman Robert Zimmerman was quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Paula Zahn's supposed attempt at reinventing herself as a journalist is like putting a fresh coat of paint on an outhouse."
Zahn would not comment for this story, but her network came to her defense. CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson said Ailes seemed obsessed with his lost anchor.
"At first it was somewhat amusing, but one year later it's getting old and, frankly, a little bizarre," Robinson said.
"Paula simply chose to leave Fox to join CNN," she said. "Given the success of her show and her reputation in the industry, I'm sure this was a disappointment for them. Their actions are deliberate, sad and speak for themselves."
A Fox News Channel spokeswoman, Irena Steffen, said that "we don't go out of our way to shoot at her."
CNN and Zahn have attacked Fox, she said, declining to provide examples. Both the "dead raccoon" and "outhouse" remarks appeared in stories after CNN statements defending Zahn's ratings and describing "American Morning" as a more traditional news show than its cable rivals.
"Why don't you ask why she's making a mountain out of a molehill?" Steffen said. "Why don't you ask why she's turning this around and why she's making herself into a victim?"
Steffen again pointed out the "Fox & Friends" ratings advantage. "As a former network star, it's sad Paula has sunk to this level, but we wish her well," she said.
The publicist turned down requests to talk to Ailes.
Some of the motivation here may be revenge from a former political streetfighter who hates to lose, particularly to chief rival CNN. Ailes retaliated months after Zahn's exit by plucking CNN's Greta Van Susteren to fill Zahn's old time slot.
Oddly, Ailes' best revenge may simply be the ratings; Fox News Channel passed CNN in average viewership earlier this year and hasn't given up the lead since.
It would seem to make all the trash talk redundant.
Yeaaaah baby, YEAH!!!
I gotta be careful, my wife is a member here.
That said, lip gloss is just that...GLOSS. It has emollients in it that reflect light, making the lips more natural looking & eye catching than just lipstick.
I think the biggest thing is in what someone else on this thread said, though, and that's the attitude you see BEHIND the lips. Fox women SMILE and appear to enjoy what they are doing so much more than those at CNN. It's like being a liberal means you have to be physically sick with yourself and that comes across deep down within the CNN and Network women (ie; Perky pixie Katie's bolted on smiles), while Fox Women look genuinely guilt free being conservatives.
I think personal choice. When it comes down to it, I figure lip gloss is still up to the woman wearing it.
Henneberg and De Ramel
She went to Court TV, I believe. she was on O'Reily recently.
CATHERINE CRIER
Catherine Crier, joined Court TV's distinguished team of anchors in November 1999 and is host of Crier Today, a new thought-provoking legal news show. An experienced former judge, Ms. Crier's show offers insightful commentary and analysis on "front-page" topical legal news stories and focuses on current issues. The Emmy award-winning journalist's midday show addresses the day's leading legal-news stories from across the country with the nation's principal law-makers and influential professionals. In addition to hosting a one-hour daily talk show, Ms. Crier is a contributing anchor for Court TV's primetime and other programming specials.
Prior to joining Court TV, Ms. Crier anchored The Crier Report for Fox News Channel, a live, one-hour interview program airing nightly during which she interviewed the leading newsmakers of the day and celebrities. Ms. Crier joined Fox News after spending three and a half years at ABC News. There, she served as a correspondent and as a regular substitute anchor for Peter Jennings on ABC's World News Tonight, as well as a substitute host for Ted Koppel's Nightline. She also worked as a correspondent on 20/20, the primetime news magazine program. Ms. Crier was awarded a 1996 Emmy for outstanding investigative journalism for her work on the segment "The Predators" which examined nursing home abuses throughout the United States.
Ms. Crier began her television career at CNN. She was co-anchor of both Inside Politics '92, a daily show which followed the 1992 political process, and The World Today, the premier nighttime newscast. Additionally, she hosted Crier & Company, a live, half-hour news talk show. This show included a panel of female policy experts who discussed popular national and international issues.
Prior to her distinguished career in television journalism, Ms. Crier presided over the 162nd District Court in Dallas County, Texas as a State District Judge. When she took the bench in 1984, she became the youngest elected state judge in Texas history. From 1982 to 1984, Ms. Crier was a civil litigation attorney in Dallas and before that, an Assistant District Attorney and Felony Chief Prosecutor for the Dallas County District Attorney's office from 1978 to 1981.
Ms. Crier has received numerous awards and honors throughout her prestigious career. In 1996, she received the Les Femmes du Monde Award which is sponsored by the Dallas Council on World Affairs. The Ex-Students' Association of the University of Texas at Austin awarded her the 1990 Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award. She was recognized as one of TV Guide's "Dynamic Dozen" in 1990. Also in that year, the American Bar Association's Barrister magazine honored her among their "Twenty Young Lawyers Who Make a Difference."
Ms. Crier, who is a native of Dallas, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and international affairs from the University of Texas. She received a juris doctor in two and a half years from Southern Methodist University School of Law. Ms. Crier is married and lives in upstate New York. In her free time, she raises and trains Arabian Horses. Ms. Crier also enjoys playing golf and scuba diving.
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