I don't care what they say about Greta. She will always be the Queen of Fox News.
Posted on 08/27/2003 8:56:08 AM PDT by mhking
Nearly two years after Greta Van Susteren defected from CNN to archrival Fox News, she has plenty to say about her former employer -- and not much good.
"What happened to CNN is a disgrace," Van Susteren said in an interview to promote her new book, "My Turn at the Bully Pulpit."
The problems at CNN, she said, started when parent company Time Warner merged with AOL and laid off employees. But she also criticized recent moves by Jim Walton, named president of Atlanta-based CNN early this year.
Van Susteren thinks Walton made a mistake by downsizing boisterous debate show "Crossfire" from an hour at 7 p.m. to a half-hour in the afternoon.
The show, she said, is one of CNN's "brands" and would play particularly well during the upcoming presidential election season.
"I don't know what Jim Walton is thinking," Van Susteren said.
CNN's prime-time moves also include bringing former Fox-er Paula Zahn to the evening anchor desk, but it still trails Fox by a wide margin.
CNN spokesman Matt Furman declined to comment.
It's not just Van Susteren's words that sting her old employer.
With an average of 1.8 million viewers so far this year, her 10 p.m. show leads the cable ratings race at that hour. CNN's Aaron Brown gets 1.2 million viewers, and MSNBC claims 499,000.
Van Susteren, a trial attorney, started her television career as a legal analyst for CNN in 1991. Her breakthrough moment came with the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial.
Van Susteren gave up her nightly news show on CNN for a gig at Fox in December 2001 -- just as upstart Fox drew ahead of CNN in ratings.
Van Sustern's book tackles a range of issues, from the death penalty to coverage of the Simpson case. And, yes, she writes about having plastic surgery when she moved to Fox, insisting that she just wanted to look younger and didn't expect all the publicity her makeover got.
Van Susteren said she left CNN even after being offered more money.
"I told CNN, 'Don't you get it? This is not about money. Don't you understand? I am not having fun here anymore. I can't stand what AOL is doing to CNN and its people, and I can't stand the atmosphere there.' "
Unlike Bill O'Reilly or other commentators on Fox, Van Susteren doesn't espouse strong conservative views on air. In her book, she says she got grief from people on both sides of the political fence when she switched networks.
"Everybody went nuts," she writes. "The conservatives hated me before they even knew me, and the liberals felt betrayed."
She added that her opinions don't match up with either network.
"I didn't agree with everything said at CNN," she writes. "I don't agree with everything said at Fox. I don't agree with everything my husband thinks, either, but I still love him."
Van Susteren admits to poring over ratings information daily, and she derides CNN executives' claims that they don't focus on the numbers.
"It's as transparent as a kid who can't dribble a basketball and pouts, 'Basketball is dumb!' " Van Susteren writes. "The folks at CNN may deny they're concerned about ratings, that they're above competition and focused solely on great journalism, but that's hard to believe when they spend $15 million to build Paula Zahn a new set!"
CNN has good journalists, she said, but Fox has better morale and it shows in the product. She gives credit to Roger Ailes, the well-known chairman of Fox News, for clear direction. "I know who the boss is," she said.
Asked if Fox has any vulnerabilities in the ratings battle with CNN, she added, "If Roger Ailes left, that would be disturbing to the company."
I don't care what they say about Greta. She will always be the Queen of Fox News.
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my FoxFan list. *Warning: This can be a high-volume ping list at times.
Does that mean that men should not shave, that women should let their hair grow on their legs, their hair? Are you saying that we should not wear makeup, nor dress nicely? Should we all go around naked? Where does God draw the line? Show me in the Bible?
Personally, I think you're just an old, unhappy grouch. Baa Humbug
ROFLMBO! Stop killing me! :-)
Hmmm. "If you were to hit us right here, that would do the most damage . . .".
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