End of an Error

Now that Jon Klein's finally been beamed out of CNN via hologram, let's take a quick look back at just a couple of his greatest hits. Jon, we'll miss you. Journalistic integrity, on the other hand, won't.

"Miles To Go" (Originally Published, 12.4.08)

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who's been screwed as thoroughly and with as much sheer audacity by CNN over the past few years as Miles O'Brien.

Yesterday it was announced that after 16 years with the network, Miles is being given the chance to "pursue other opportunities" along with six producers in a move that effectively dissolves CNN's Science and Technology unit.

For Miles, it marks a somewhat anemic end to an impressive tenure at CNN -- sort of like putting down a former champion horse that you yourself are responsible for running into the ground. Miles was once the proud owner of a very nice, largely secure gig as the co-anchor of a daytime show based out of Atlanta alongside Kyra Phillips. But that was before mercurial CNN President Jon Klein decided to inexplicably pull the affable Bill Hemmer off the anchor desk on American Morning and "experiment" with the team of O'Brien (Miles) and O'Brien (Soledad).

The experiment, apparently, wasn't a success. Less than two years later, Klein had another one of his arbitrary "Eureka!" moments, spun the Wheel-of-Anchors and replaced both Miles and Soledad with the current team of John Roberts and Kiran Chetry.

Miles returned not to the anchor desk in Atlanta, but to reporting duties and the occasional fill-in host slot. (He anchored The Situation Room as recently as last Wednesday, during the Mumbai terrorist attacks.)

In other words, Jon Klein offered Miles O'Brien a major promotion -- the chance to helm a flagship show in New York -- if he'd leave behind his stable situation in Atlanta; he uprooted Miles and disrupted the lives of his family only to then turn around 22 months later and say that it just wasn't working out.

That's not "strictly business" -- the nature of the beast.

That's fucking sociopathic.

It's an unwillingness to accept or a complete disregard for the fact that you're capriciously toying with people's lives.

What makes these lay-offs particularly conspicuous, though -- maybe even reprehensible -- is that they come less than two weeks after an article in the New York Observer detailing CNN's lavish spending during its election coverage: the celeb-studded parties, the new show launches, the pricey A-list pundits and, of course, that stupid pretend "hologram." In the piece, Jon Klein boasted to writer Felix Gillette:

"We can afford more people on our air and off our air. So, goddamn it, we’re going to have more people."

Except that, obviously, they can't -- and they're not.

Which makes him entirely full of crap.

Although it's almost superhumanly ironic that Klein is willing to pay for the silly technology but not for the technology unit, it shouldn't really surprise anyone at this point. He's proven time and time again where his priorities lie -- and they're nowhere near the maintenance of true journalistic excellence. It would be amusing if it weren't so sad that Klein's pride in the ability to create a phony, "holographic" image of a human being now serves as a kind of metaphor for his entire way of thinking. He's become the George Lucas of the TV news universe: tinkering like a mad scientist to create a soulless, graphically enhanced feast for the eyes -- minus the actual people required to breathe life into it -- just because he can.

I'm not worried about Miles O'Brien; he's smart and talented and he'll likely find new work quickly -- even in this economy. After all he's been through over the past few years, he may even see this as a godsend.

What concerns me is the future of the rest of the excellent and now unemployed tech staff -- people like Peter Dykstra, who's been with CNN pretty much since the dawn of time. Or Alex Walker, who typically does most of the work while receiving none of the glory.

These are the ones who will really suffer.

Well, they, and you -- the audience.

But hey, at least you'll still have the pretty holograms.

"First Class All the Way" (Originally Published, 11.19.08)

"We can afford more people on our air and off our air. So, goddamn it, we’re going to have more people."

-- CNN US President Jon Klein

There's an article in the latest edition of the New York Observer that's really worth taking a look at.

It deals with CNN -- specifically the "Nothing Succeeds Like Excess" mentality the network adopted with respect to its election coverage and the amount of money it had to spend to make it a reality.

Observer columnist Felix Gillette (who, in the interest of full disclosure, wrote a profile on me back in February of this year) chronicles the inordinate number of sponsored debates, the celeb-graced parties, the mobile control rooms, the expensive A-list pundits, the SkyCams, the real-time focus group meters, the risky new show launches and, of course, the pretend holograms -- all of which cost CNN a small fortune.

Gillette talked to network president Jon Klein, who I have no doubt was doing his best used-car-salesman-on-crank routine at the time. Gillette writes:

"'When you have the wind at your back in the form of a very profitable streak, then you’ve got the wherewithal to try things, to embrace innovation, to not cringe,' Mr. Klein told The Observer on Monday morning.

If it had taken place, say, 20 years ago, the spectacle of CNN’s 2008 shopping spree might have blended into the cacophonous jangle of a city awash in media companies awash in cash. But these days, everywhere you turn, the once reliable bon vivant institutions of New York journalism look tired, anxious and ready for bed. ABC News recently relegated its executives to 'B-level' hotels. This year, for the first time since the dawn of the printed word, Condé Nast is forgoing its holiday party at the Four Seasons. Cash bars are in.

All of which makes CNN’s current swagger, from its battery of technology to its cornucopia of talking heads, seem that much more freakish—the aberrance of opulence in the leanest of times."

What's interesting about all this though -- about Klein's bravado in the face of harsh economic times -- is what's not in article.

Last week I got an e-mail from a close friend of mine, one of my former co-workers at CNN, informing me that he was among a group of CNN employees who'd just been laid off -- reportedly, eight people on the American Morning staff. The official word is that the layoffs are the result of restructuring and not a product of budget cuts -- but that's tough not to question when standard operating procedure at CNN is to find new positions within the company for employees to move to should their old ones become obsolete.

A new baby boy, a treacherous job market, the holiday season looming, and now this: out of a job. It's not as if my former co-worker fell into the bottom performance percentile among his peers at CNN, either. On the contrary, he was quite good at what he did. Still, he now joins the growing list of people cut loose from jobs in the media over the past couple of months. Almost a dozen personal friends of mine have been let go from one media position or another and are now looking for work.

Meanwhile Jon Klein's throwing parties and tossing around money like he's Diddy.

In this unsettling economic climate, somebody will have to either pay outright for CNN's magical regenerating checkbook or simply hedge the network's bet. Either way, it obviously won't be Klein.

As we all know by now, it's rarely the people at the top who suffer.

The New York Observer: "The Corpulent News Network" by Felix Gillette/11.18.08

(Incidentally, when you click the link to read the article, make sure to check the address bar at the top of the screen. No idea whether that was an accident, the working title of the piece, or just a really subversive little joke -- regardless it's hilarious.)

It's worth mentioning that even though Klein is out, his replacement, at least temporarily, is Ken Jautz. He's the current chief of HLN, the network which, while entertaining overall, has given us such blights on the landscape of cable television as Showbiz Tonight and -- wait for it -- Nancy Grace. In other words, who knows -- the worst may be yet to come.

Funny Boned

You've definitely gotta give ex-CNN Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre credit: If he's trying to start a new career as an insult comic, he's showing some chops.

McIntyre's taking part in the annual Commedia del Media charity event at the National Press Club, which aims to find "DC's Funniest Journalist" -- and in his bio, he describes his departure from CNN in 2008 as part of a "network-wide quality reduction initiative."

For those who don't remember, McIntyre was laid off during a mass purge of talent at CNN that also included longtime workhorses Kathleen Koch, Kelli Arena and Miles O'Brien.

Lost in Space

So for the first time ever, a NASA shuttle is sitting on the pad in Cape Canaveral on standby for a possible rescue mission in space. This, as astronauts on the shuttle Atlantis -- which is orbiting above the Earth -- admit that they've uncovered a 21-inch swath of nicks on the thermal tiles that protect their ship from burning up on re-entry.

Wow. I sure wish I could turn on CNN right about now and hear from somebody who really knows about these kinds of things inside and out -- someone who could provide genuine insight into every aspect of this story, the kind of thing I couldn't find anywhere else.

Yup. Sure would be nice.

Related: DXM: Miles to Go/12.4.08

Unemployment Punchline

From Mediabistro:

"A not-so-ungruntled note in our tips box:

Joke of the Week: Mandatory 'Diversity Workshops' at CNN's DC bureau this week! Jon Klein, David Bohrman there. Just what we need; to be lectured about diversity from people who are firing everyone over 40!"

Merry Christmas from CNN

I may as well just start listing the people who haven't been laid-off. It'd be faster.

TVNewser: Two More Veterans Gone: Linda Stouffer and Rusty Dornin Out at CNN/12.15.08

Arena Rocks

I never worked closely with Kelli Arena -- CNN's justice correspondent who, it was announced yesterday, will be the latest valuable veteran to leave the network. But her work -- her professionalism, experience, contacts and ability to break important stories -- speaks for itself. More than that, my friends in the CNN DC bureau rave about what a joy Kelli is to work alongside.

Case in point: what Jacki Schechner has to say about her, and what her leaving means for CNN -- and you.

Where Was I?: In a League of Her Own/12.13.08

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

Mediabistro: CNN's Kelli Arena and Kathleen Koch Leaving Network/12.12.08

Pentagone

This is getting to be too easy.

TVNewser: CNN "Redeploying" DC Bureau Correspondents, Veteran Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre Leaving Network/12.12.08

Another Two Bite the Dust: Postscript

I get quite a bit of feedback via e-mail but it's rare that I'll get a response from someone I've actually written about. However in the last week, I've personally heard from two subjects of separate posts -- one who had positive things to say, the other very negative.

Last week, after my piece about CNN's decision to let go of Miles O'Brien and its entire Science and Technology Unit, I received e-mails from Miles O'Brien's wife, Sandy, and Miles himself. As I mentioned, I worked with Miles and like him quite a bit; although I won't repeat them word-for-word, his comments to me were what I would've expected: courteous, classy, very kind. I felt like I said something which needed to be said, so that in itself was its own reward -- but admittedly, hearing from Miles and knowing that he and his family were grateful for what I'd written was very much appreciated.

Last night, I received a separate e-mail -- this one from CNN's Veronica De La Cruz. Needless to say, she was -- and is -- less than pleased with the comments I made about her in regard to her being laid off from her job at the network along with international correspondent Jennifer Eccleston. For the record, and once again I won't post her e-mail nor repeat its contents word-for-word, she was very cordial in spite of the criticism I leveled at her -- criticism which was, despite my typical acid tongue, aimed more at Jon Klein than at the person whom he, I believe, mistakenly hired.

To be clear, I based my opinion of Veronica on what I witnessed personally while working on American Morning coupled with the opinions of friends, insiders, and those who've worked closely with her whom I trust implicitly. I in no way think that Veronica De La Cruz is a bad person. I told her as much in a response to her e-mail. I also don't think she's the worst thing I've ever seen or worked with in television news -- far from it. I felt like she was seriously miscast, and that her hiring and short-lived ascendency within the network stood in sharp contrast to the image that CNN attempts to convey. She's not "dumb"; she just wasn't right for the job of internet correspondent on CNN, and putting her there was a ridiculously bad idea.

In her e-mail to me, Veronica vigorously defended herself; she also made it clear that she felt personally hurt by the things I said and I can certainly understand that. I don't mince words and the entire aesthetic of this site is made clear in the tagline below the masthead: "Making a Mockery of Mockery." There are plenty of times that I reconsider something I've written and, in hindsight, wish I hadn't written it at all. There are plenty of times I think I've crossed the line. This wasn't one of them. I stand by my opinions (and I never say this because I always assume I don't have to, but a lot of what's written on this site is, in fact, opinion).

With that, I'll likely let this thing go simply because there's not much more to it than what's already been said.

If you're interested in reading more about the layoffs of Jennifer Eccleston and Veronica De La Cruz, you can head over to Jacki Schechner's site as I know she'll continue to have understandably strong opinions on the subject.

Another Two Bite the Dust

TVNewser is reporting that two more high-profile members of the CNN staff have been handed their walking papers -- and to be honest, I have mixed emotions about this one.

On the one hand, it would seem to once again prove what I've been saying for the past few weeks -- what came to a head last Wednesday with the layoffs that sent Miles O'Brien and the entire CNN Science and Technology Unit packing: Contrary to the horseshit being shoveled by Jon "Diddy" Klein, the economy is having a serious effect on CNN. Add to that the fact that one of the two staffers who's been let go is the talented and gorgeous Jennifer Eccleston -- CNN's international correspondent based in Rome -- and you'd think it would be tough to find a silver lining in all of this.

Except that there sort of is one -- in the form of an object lesson.

That's because the second CNN staffer being laid-off is American Morning's living-doll internet correspondent, Veronica De La Cruz. To put a very fine point on it, De La Cruz never should've been hired in the first place; she's little more than a pretty face (unlike Eccleston who has brains to go with her looks) and represents the furthest thing from what CNN purports to be about. Klein probably knew almost right off that bat that he'd made a mistake by hiring her so he bounced her around from place to place and buttressed her with smart producers -- Alex Walker, who was let go last week, being one of them -- likely hoping that she would catch up and become more than just a walking head shot. She never did, apparently -- so Klein finally gave up and pulled the plug.

The thing is, he could've had someone better all along.

Guess who he let go of just a year-and-a-half ago to make room for brand new internet correspondent Veronica De La Cruz?

Jacki Schechner.

(Yes, you can read Jacki's quick, hilarious and self-confessed "immature" take on the whole thing here.)

Miles to Go: Postscript

Yesterday's piece on the laying-off of Miles O'Brien and the dismantling of the entire CNN Sci-Tech Unit -- which also appeared at the Huffington Post -- said essentially what I wanted it to: It reflected how I felt and continue to feel about the network's less-than-exemplary treatment of some of the excellent people on its staff, Jon Klein's utter disregard for the lives he's arbitrarily toying with, the commitment to silly eye-catching production over the actual smart and experienced people behind it and, quite frankly, the abandonment of true journalism in favor of nonsense.

I made all of that clear, and yet I feel like I left a couple of things out -- points that really need to be made.

The first is that Miles O'Brien is a really, really great guy. A true professional. He's smart, funny, personable and a joy to work with. I know this because I was a producer with American Morning during his time on the show and the level of expertise, commitment and class that he brought to the job each day was one of the things that would actually make me feel like we were doing something worthwhile.

He's one of the good ones -- and there are, increasingly, fewer and fewer of those out there. The fact that he can be tossed aside isn't an affront to him as much as it's an affront to you, the audience.

The second is that the people who went with Miles -- and for all I know Jon Klein may not even be aware of this, given the height of his ivory tower -- do much more than just help produce science and technology pieces. Peter Dykstra, for example, programs the weather computers used by the Rob Marcianos and Chad Myerses of the network. He's literally the guy behind the guy. Add to that the fact that Dykstra was on the front lines of selling CNN's over-the-top tech-wizardry -- yes, that ridiculous "hologram" being an example -- to the public at technology conventions and symposiums. He was one of the faces of that cool production -- its champion and the one who was often called upon to proclaim to the masses how it proved CNN's dominance in the world of cable news.

And they canned him.

The third and final point?

Mark my words on this: There will be more lay-offs at CNN.

Over the last month or so, eight people were let go from American Morning, then seven more from Sci-Tech. The official word from CNN is that these dismissals are the result of "restructuring" and have nothing to do with the current economy.

Uh-huh. Move along -- nothing to see here.

It's a lie, plain and simple. And it will continue, even in the face of all evidence to the contrary. CNN will attempt to gloss over the truth simply because it believes, inexplicably, that it can.

Just think about that the next time you're watching "The Most Trusted Name In News."

(Update: Miles's wife, Sandy, sent me a very nice e-mail in response to yesterday's piece. She also posted a comment on Jacki Schechner's site which gets into just what went down when they let Miles go. Jacki responds to the comment by discussing, in detail, the manner in which she was laid off from CNN. Honestly, the whole thing is revealing in a way I couldn't ever be; that exchange says everything you need to know about life inside CNN. Read it here.)

Miles to Go

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who's been screwed as thoroughly and with as much sheer audacity by CNN over the past few years as Miles O'Brien.

Yesterday it was announced that after 16 years with the network, Miles is being given the chance to "pursue other opportunities" along with six producers in a move that effectively dissolves CNN's Science and Technology unit.

For Miles, it marks a somewhat anemic end to an impressive tenure at CNN -- sort of like putting down a former champion horse that you yourself are responsible for running into the ground. Miles was once the proud owner of a very nice, largely secure gig as the co-anchor of a daytime show based out of Atlanta alongside Kyra Phillips. But that was before mercurial CNN President Jon Klein decided to inexplicably pull the affable Bill Hemmer off the anchor desk on American Morning and "experiment" with the team of O'Brien (Miles) and O'Brien (Soledad).

The experiment, apparently, wasn't a success. Less than two years later, Klein had another one of his arbitrary "Eureka!" moments, spun the Wheel-of-Anchors and replaced both Miles and Soledad with the current team of John Roberts and Kiran Chetry.

Miles returned not to the anchor desk in Atlanta, but to reporting duties and the occasional fill-in host slot. (He anchored The Situation Room as recently as last Wednesday, during the Mumbai terrorist attacks.)

In other words, Jon Klein offered Miles O'Brien a major promotion -- the chance to helm a flagship show in New York -- if he'd leave behind his stable situation in Atlanta; he uprooted Miles and disrupted the lives of his family only to then turn around 22 months later and say that it just wasn't working out.

That's not "strictly business" -- the nature of the beast.

That's fucking sociopathic.

It's an unwillingness to accept or a complete disregard for the fact that you're capriciously toying with people's lives.

What makes these lay-offs particularly conspicuous, though -- maybe even reprehensible -- is that they come less than two weeks after an article in the New York Observer detailing CNN's lavish spending during its election coverage: the celeb-studded parties, the new show launches, the pricey A-list pundits and, of course, that stupid pretend "hologram." In the piece, Jon Klein boasted to writer Felix Gillette:

"We can afford more people on our air and off our air. So, goddamn it, we’re going to have more people."

Except that, obviously, they can't -- and they're not.

Which makes him entirely full of crap.

Although it's almost superhumanly ironic that Klein is willing to pay for the silly technology but not for the technology unit, it shouldn't really surprise anyone at this point. He's proven time and time again where his priorities lie -- and they're nowhere near the maintenance of true journalistic excellence. It would be amusing if it weren't so sad that Klein's pride in the ability to create a phony, "holographic" image of a human being now serves as a kind of metaphor for his entire way of thinking. He's become the George Lucas of the TV news universe: tinkering like a mad scientist to create a soulless, graphically enhanced feast for the eyes -- minus the actual people required to breathe life into it -- just because he can.

I'm not worried about Miles O'Brien; he's smart and talented and he'll likely find new work quickly -- even in this economy. After all he's been through over the past few years, he may even see this as a godsend.

What concerns me is the future of the rest of the excellent and now unemployed tech staff -- people like Peter Dykstra, who's been with CNN pretty much since the dawn of time. Or Alex Walker, who typically does most of the work while receiving none of the glory.

These are the ones who will really suffer.

Well, they, and you -- the audience.

But hey, at least you'll still have the pretty holograms.

Related:

DXM: First Class All the Way/11.19.08

(Also make sure to check out Jacki Schechner's take on this here.)