[illiniastibly]

CNN is desperate to boost it's horrendous ratings. This isn't the way to do it.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gla...er-parker-show

'Crossfire' Creator Slams New CNN Spitzer-Parker Show

By P.J. Gladnick
Sat, 06/26/2010 - 09:34 ET

The former CEO of CNN and the creator of its Crossfire show, Reese Schonfeld, has slammed the new CNN show that will be hosted by Kathleen Parker and Client Number Nine aka Eliot Spitzer. In his Huffington Post blog, Schonfeld not only blasts the proposed new show but provides some interesting background on the original Crossfire in its early years:

As the former CEO of CNN, and the creator of Crossfire (the show, not the name -- Paul Bissonette, CNN's PR man, came up with that), I think I'm qualified to comment on the new, not to be called Crossfire, television program created for Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker.

To be blunt, I can't think of a worse idea. The original Crossfire featured Pat Buchanan and Tom Braden, whose name you rarely hear these days. The program was not intended as a shouting match -- our goal was to put the number one news maker of the day on CNN air at 10pm every night and to have him reply to questions from the right, Buchanan, and from the moderate left, Braden. The guest would be caught in the crossfire.

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gla...#ixzz0sCC2gtTh