Paula Zahn's prime-time show struggles (Awwwww...Such a Shame...NOT! Alert)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | August 16, 2003 | Caroline Wilbert

[buzzyboop]

Five months after CNN canceled Connie Chung's 8 p.m. show, the network still is fiddling with the replacement -- and losing viewership.

Chung's show often was criticized for its tabloid feel, and last winter newly named CNN President Jim Walton shelved it in favor of a hard-news show featuring one of the network's best-known anchors, Paula Zahn.

Zahn has anchored the 8 p.m. hour most of the time since, although CNN officially will launch and rebadge the program Sept. 8, spokeswoman Christa Robinson said.

Initial ratings suggest more than a catchy name may be needed. Viewers seem to have preferred Chung's interviews with the likes of supermodel Niki Taylor to Zahn's more serious approach.

Viewership was down 21 percent in July and the first week of August, compared with the same period last year. Zahn drew an average of 599,000 viewers during that time, compared with Chung's 758,000.

CNN's ratings also are down at 7 p.m., when CNN replaced boisterous debate show "Crossfire" with a news hour hosted by Anderson Cooper, another attempt to sharpen the network's hard-news image.

In July and the first week of August, Cooper drew 467,000 viewers, vs. Crossfire's 586,000 during the same period last year.

Andrew Tyndall, who compiles The Tyndall Report about television news, said Chung had the advantage last summer of launching with much fanfare, while Zahn's show has not been heavily promoted yet.

"They pulled out all the promotional stops for Chung," Tyndall said.

Robinson said the network is satisfied with the ratings and expects them to grow over time.

CNN has been searching for the right prime-time formula for some time. It's a tough slot because many viewers have already seen straight news coverage, and CNN Headline News provides quick updates for those who haven't. The other strategy would be to veer toward a talk-show format, but rival Fox News appears to own that turf.

Fox powerhouse Bill O'Reilly is easily winning the 8 p.m. cable news contest, pulling in more than 2 million viewers with his talk-show format. That was up 10 percent in July and early August vs. the same period in 2002.

Zahn has been on vacation most of this week, though she returned Thursday night to help anchor the news during the blackout in the Northeast. On her regular show, she has focused in recent weeks on news of the day, as well as interviews and news packages.

Zahn, hired away from Fox News a couple of years ago, used to be CNN's morning anchor.

When the prime-time show was first announced, CNN said it would be called "American Evening With Paula Zahn" and would last two hours, from 7-9 p.m. Zahn took a hiatus from the air after the war in Iraq.

When she returned in June, the network shaved the show to one hour. In July, producer Jim Miller said the show would not be called "American Evening" after all. Miller also promised an ensemble cast, though the contributors have not been named yet.

Tyndall said viewers will forgive CNN for changing the show around this summer, as long as the format is set early next month.

[buzzyboop]

...Zahn's show has not been heavily promoted yet. Excuses excuses!

...the network is satisfied with the ratings and expects them to grow over time. Translation = it'll be gone in a month.

[NativeNewYorker]

This is the same Paula Cohen (yes) who is being sued for payment by the contractors/landscapers who worked on her CT home.

[SandRat]

You got that right!

Hey Paula Bill O' is looking for a new flunkie!

[aynrandfreak]

Maybe they needed to focus their promos more on how "sexy" she is.

[SkyPilot]

Maybe they needed to focus their promos more on how "sexy" she is.

I think her only hope is to appear on the air wearing a black teddy with red fishnets.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Here's an old one;

"David Blaine jumped off a building onto a huge pile of cardboard boxes yesterday. However tragedy struck the event. Blaine was OK after the stunt but living in one of the boxes below, was Paula Zhan. She was killed"

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

That last one was a "Mancow" routine from "Fox and Friends" done a few weeks after Zhan left FNC.

[cubreporter]

Zahn, hired away from Fox News a couple of years ago, used to be CNN's morning anchor.


Wasn't Zahn fired because she was "looking"? That's what I thought. Maybe she should have stayed where she was. Sometimes these people are so full of themselves they get too big for their boots and think they are just wonderful. Her show will be gone, yes. And soon.

[cubreporter]

Also, while I didn't care much for her, I liked her simple, pretty, haircut. Very natural looking and nice. Now she has a new cut that does nothing for her. The cut she had was her and it was very, very becoming and youthful. This cut makes her look matronly and it is just not her. I hope she changes it back. I bet she will and she SHOULD.

[SouthCarolinaKit]

They certainly are correct on the lack of media buildup about her show. . . I had no idea she was even on. Now I'll have to check out the hairdo. I don't dislike her, but CNN doesn't seem to have anyone but boring nerds. I'm either watching Fox News, or on the Web. The Networks lost me years ago, and beyond 9PM, Cable is just too loud.
I could watch Brit Hume's show 24/7. O'Reilly at least lets his viewers know what's on so they can tune out if they're not interested. I'm outta there whenever the
murder stories come on. AM NOT INTERESTED!

[mrtysmm]

Remeber the "zipper sound" when CNN was promoting her initially? Makes you wonder if Klinoooon was behind that!

[Cookie123]

Is it just me or does anyone else hold the view that this woman been the most over-hyped woman to ever hit the airwaves? Her morning show with Harry Smith didn't do too well at CBS, then FOXNEWS were she bombed, then CNN's morning show, and now CNN's evening show, neither of which are ratings winners either. Nonetheless, CNN continues to promote this babe as being some sort of journalistic heavyweight. Reinforces my view that this woman has some "connections" somewhere out there in liberal medialand.

[Dutchgirl]

I "remeber": it was a source of much hilarity at FNC. Can you imagine a promo for Brit Hume featuring a zipper...although I think FOX started it all with pictures of Wendall Goler on his Hawg and a shirtless Juan Williams...(neither of whom are my type...but that Bill Sammon...RRRROOOWW)

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times CNN Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

[Tamzee]

Zahn has been on vacation most of this week, though she returned Thursday night to help anchor the news during the blackout in the Northeast

Yes, saw that... funny as he**. I turned over to CNN to see how quickly they would blame Bush for the blackout. No make-up, hair looked hideous; she looked like she just got done cleaning out her garage ;-) I used to think she was a pretty, opportunistic, brainless liberal... now I just think she is an opportunistic brainless liberal.

[Timesink]

No make-up, hair looked hideous; she looked like she just got done cleaning out her garage ;-)

I noticed that too. She looked absolutely like a frumpy middle-aged housewife. It was hilarious.

I didn't actually bother to listen to anything she said.

[Timesink]

This is very sweet. Sweet cosmic justice. Bet Paula wishes she was still on at 10pm on Fox.

But you can be damn sure Fox is glad she's gone. The moment they dumped her, ratings in that slot went up, even before they signed on Greta.

[Loyal Buckeye]

Is this the same Paula who said, immediately after the planes flew into the Towers, there will be serious political implications regarding this.

Paula: Hoping is one thing; missing the biggest story in years is another.

[Catspaw]

No make-up, hair looked hideous; she looked like she just got done cleaning out her garage ;-)

I e-mailed my kid in NJ (who wasn't part of the blackout) and said Paula's hair had TUFTS. My daughter was kind enough to point out that Paula couldn't take a shower--and could only bathe if she took a dunk in the East River--and my kid figured the hair & make-up people were hoofing it over the Brooklyn Bridge or waiting for hours at the ferry terminal or were curling up for a night of sleep in front of the post office (or someplace). And yes, my kid noticed the TUFTS and chuckled.

Ashleigh Banfield did a better job on 9/11, even with a few pounds of ash in her hair. Of course, what happened after that to Ashleigh is all too evident--some sort of degenerative brain softening, I presume.