Veteran Cable Gamer Stephen Battaglio scores an interview with CNN's Jon Klein. (Maybe "scores" is the wrong verb, since Klein can't be that busy.)
In any case, fair-minded reporter that he is, Battaglio lets Klein prattle on about how CNN is actually winning, even though to any outside observer, not in bed with Anderson Cooper, CNN is clearly losing. That's the job of a reporter, I guess, to print what the source says. And if that reporter wants to keep the source as a source, the reporter can't burn the source too badly. So Battaglio plays it cool, headlining his story in TV Guide, "Can CNN Survive on News Alone?"
Thus Battaglio lets Klein have his say:
Klein says his network has not been hurt by FNC, which he believes is in a different business with its partisan personalities. “We cover the news,” he says. “They are about fomenting outrage. They do it very well. Their viewers stay longer. That’s about a state of mind.”
That's all spin, of course, from Klein, who doesn't wish to acknowledge that he is leftwing hotheads--or simply loudmouthed oafs--on his air, in the form of Roland Martin and Rick Sanchez. But then Battaglio lets other make some telling points about CNN, as he gets Fox's response to Klein:
A Fox News Channel spokesperson said: “We don’t respond to presidents of fifth-place news networks. The last time we looked, Jon was losing to the Weather Channel, so call us back when he and CNN regain relevancy.”
And Battaglio adds: "Fox News points out that its regular news programs also top CNN by wide margins." Which, of course, is true; Fox is first, and CNN bumps around in third, fourth, or fifth place, depending on the time of the day or week.
So I don't blame Battaglio for posing his headline as a question: "Can CNN Survive on News Alone?" But I like my headline better; “We don't respond to presidents of fifth-place news networks.”
