Fox News Channel pundit Glenn Beck has decided to take some potshots at CNN, making fun of the trouble they’ve had getting any traction in prime time when opinion programming dominates the cable news universe.
According to reports, Beck mocked CNN in general as “the king of risk,” implying that the earlier replacement of Paula Zahn with Campbell Brown amounted to no change at all, other than going from blond to brunette.
Keeping the train of thought going, Beck said, “Then they go to Elliot Spitzer. There’s a change, if you just have a guy who frequented hookers on by himself. But you can’t do that. That’s too risky. ‘Let’s not have the hooker guy on by himself, let’s have some chick on with him. Now America will watch!’”
CNN appears to be seeking middle ground between the right-leaning FNC, who have Bill O’Reilly on at 8PM eastern, and left-leaning MSNBC, who have Keith Olbermann, by pairing leftie Spitzer with rightie Kathleen Parker in a program called Parker Spitzer. It has suffered from both low viewership and poor reviews in the early going.
RBR-TVBR observation: Do you know who this is good news for? Elliot Spitzer. Feuding with FNC’s Bill O’Reilly was a profile booster for MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann when he was getting started. A rip-snorting feud with Glenn Beck could be a dream come true for Spitzer.
According to reports, CNN is committed to giving the program a chance to find its legs. If we were over there, we’d be stoking a battle with Beck for all we’re worth, and/or begging Beck for some more free publicity.
And there’s every reason for Parker to join in with her partner, even if they are polar opposites politically. Note the quote: There’s the obvious slam on Spitzer. But Parker is drawn in too – the Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist probably is not used to being referred to as a “chick.”
We don’t know if Parker Spitzer has staying power, but the attempt to gain it could be amusing. Stay tuned.
