What in the world is happening to CNN? How can you cancel a show after just five months of airing? How many shows on cable can boast of hosts as intelligent and as well rounded as Spitzer? What kind of reasoning went into this decision-making? CNN is not the most credible news organization but it’s neither FOX nor MSNBC. With FOX and MSNBC towing ideological lines the best CNN could do was to 1) present objective or balanced coverage and 2) first-rate news analysis.
In Spitzer they provided the latter.
I’m so sad to see Eliot Spitzer leave CNN. He and Fareed Zakaria were two of the sharpest brains on cable. CNN has received lots of criticism for different things. I’ve always defended them believing the big-men up there were genuinely committed to serving quality content. Even when they sacked Ms No bias No Bull Campbell Brown and let Dobbs go I was ready to give them a chance. But now I realize the only thing they care about is ratings.
Can someone tell CNN you don’t build a formidable network by poking the charts? Didn’t these folks date in high school? When you try too hard to impress a girl, she will tune off.
Sometimes you need to quit trying too hard. Some things are just not worth the effort. People are not stupid. They will recognize good and quality things when they see it. You don’t need to force. You don’t need to embellish. CNN needs to just focus on delivering good content and the ratings will follow. There’s no need to manipulate the process.
People tune to FOX and MSNBC for right wing and leaf leaning talking points. There’s a middle out there yearning for in-depth, prescient and cutting edge analysis on important issues. Spitzer and his guests filled that void. Attack him all you want, call him anything you’d like but every day at 8 p.m, Eliot Spitzer delivered. He was a solid host and a consummate discussant. Wherever life takes him, I wish Mr. Spitzer all the best. He will be missed.
Spitzer was a gem in the CNN crown because he was the ONLY commentator who would not allow rhetoric-spouting politicians to dance around his questions. His keen intelligence and thorough analysis allowed him to zero in on the real crux of any issue. He would be my number one choice to interview anyone in the political arena. He made sparks fly and would not skate the issues. The problem with all politicians is that they refuse to tell the truth and avoid direct questioning at all costs. Spitzer was uniquely qualified to either get straight answers or show his opponent to be a total fool, which sadly was often the case with our politicians. Who ever replaces Spitzer will no doubt be politically correct, weak as water, and offer nothing but noise.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you anonymous. I especially like your "gem in the crown" comparison. My biggest problem with television is that it skews so much towards style than substance. When Spitzer was hired, I said to myself "wow...what a deft move." Many opined that having a Harvard trained defense attorney and a politician of his caliber as a TV host was a waste of talent. I disagreed. I thought TV was finally living up to its role in democratic politics. CNN proved me wrong. Eliot Spitzer will thrive in whatever arena he finds himself. That's my consolation. My regret though is that CNN ( a station I clearly have sympathies for) has missed a bright chance to bolster it's credibility among the silent majority.
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