Greta Van Susteren - "Before Going, Van Susteren Told CNN of Hurt Feelings"
SueD...@earthlink.net
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/28/business/media/28GRET.html
January 28, 2002
Before Going, Van Susteren Told CNN of Hurt Feelings
By JIM RUTENBERG
ust why did Greta Van Susteren leave CNN for the Fox News Channel when
CNN had offered her more money to stay?
The answers might be found in an angry letter sent by Ms. Van Susteren's
husband and lawyer, John Coale, to CNN's chairman, Walter Isaacson,
before she announced her move earlier this month.
The contents were shared with The New York Times (news/quote) by several
people who have seen it. It shows how feelings — so easily bruised in
television — can turn one network's disaffected anchor into another's
star personality. It also demonstrates how changes at CNN are rattling
some troops.
CNN executives were surprised when Ms. Van Susteren decided to leave the
network and did not want her to go. But they had paved the way, in part,
by showering attention on the network's new star anchors, Paula Zahn and
Aaron Brown, while depriving Ms. Van Susteren of the care and feeding
top anchors expect, people close to the situation said.
Ms. Van Susteren's feelings of neglect were highlighted in the letter.
But the letter also accused new network executives of putting corporate
interests above journalistic ones and slighting women and minorities
while revamping the network — accusations they denied.
In the end, Mr. Coale wrote, Ms. Van Susteren decided to leave CNN as a
"wake-up call" to its managers, "so that CNN will re-evaluate its new
environment before it's too late."
Ms. Van Susteren had no comment on the letter. Through Mr. Coale she
said: "We're disturbed that it got out because it's a private thing. I
had committed to CNN and others that this is private."
CNN said in a statement, "While we have always had great respect for
Greta, we clearly disagree with her views on the subjects contained in
the letter."
The letter begins with complaints that CNN had done little to promote
Ms. Van Susteren's 8 p.m. program, "The Point," though it was the
network's second-highest-rated program behind "Larry King Live."
It also expressed her distress that general network promotions featured
Ms. Zahn, Mr. Brown and Mr. King, but not her. CNN executives said they
gave Ms. Van Susteren ample promotion.
The letter said Ms. Van Susteren was treated as a "second-class
citizen." As an example, it points to the the network's failure to
secure an invitation for her to the White House Christmas party, which,
Mr. Coale wrote, is an important gathering for forging relationships
with administration officials. (A CNN executive said the network had
concentrated on securing invitations for those who exclusively cover the
White House.)
Mr. Coale wrote that the network had slighted female journalists,
including Ms. Van Susteren, Judy Woodruff and Christiane Amanpour when
it all but ignored their complaints about the departure of CNN's
respected First Amendment lawyer and chief counsel, Eve Burton, last
summer.
Ms. Burton's departure was depicted as a further erosion in the number
of ranking female executives at CNN.
CNN executives pointed out that the general counsel of Turner
Broadcasting, Louise Sams, is a woman, as are the heads of CNN
International and CNNfn, Rena Golden and Teya Ryan, and the new Turner
chief financial officer, Vicky Miller. Turner is the AOL Time Warner
(news/quote) unit that oversees CNN.
But, Mr. Coale wrote, Ms. Van Susteren "has also been troubled about the
lack of diversity on the air in terms of anchors and correspondents" and
that she was upset that CNN let Bernard Shaw, who is African-American,
and Joie Chen, who is Asian-American, leave the network.
The letter was written before CNN hired Connie Chung, an Asian-American,
for a new prime-time program, and announced the hiring of Fredricka
Whitfield, who is African- American.
The question now is how comfortable Ms. Van Susteren will be at Fox
News, whose commentators often rail against "affirmative action police"
and "hiring quotas." But Ms. Van Susteren was said to have been wooed by
Fox News's promise to give her program the attention and promotion it
needs. Besides, the letter said, she just could not bear to stay at CNN.
"She finds this new CNN environment inconsistent with the quality
journalism to which she is both accustomed and dedicated," Mr. Coale
wrote. "Greta just can't watch anymore."
J. Stone
Looks like she left because they wouldn't stroke her ego like she wanted
them to, oh boo hoo. Complaining about the lack of diversity at CNN while
going to the
angry white male network is a real laugh.
rande...@aol.com
>< free reg req >
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/28/business/media/28GRET.html
>
>January 28, 2002
>
>
>Before Going, Van Susteren Told CNN of Hurt Feelings
>
>By JIM RUTENBERG
>
>ust why did Greta Van Susteren leave CNN for the Fox News Channel when
>CNN had offered her more money to stay?
>
Who cares where that F------- scientologist goes.
-Rich
Aqueouschief
"On the Record with Greta Van Susteren" on Monday (2/4/02).
That alone should do better than Alan Keyes or Aaron Brown at 10 pm,
pretty ballsy I would say! At least Fox News seems to be backing up
its "Fair and Balanced" motto, perhaps meaning fair and blanced
amongst the wacky 10 pm hour...
rande...@aol.com wrote in message news:<3c55becd.941640487@news>...
Rawleigh Mardis
of MS. Greta Van Susteren to CNN, following the departure of Ms. Van
Susteren from CNN:
I agree totally with the complaints that MS. Van Susteren expressed in
the letter to CNN. I believe that CNN has changed immensely in its
priorities, from what they had been in previous years. It how appears
that the anchors and other people commenting on issues of the day have
to be noticeably leaning to the political right in order to be able to
keep their jobs. The quality of the news on CNN has deteriorated a
great deal since Ted Turner has stepped away from the controls of CNN.
CNN has allowed many high quality people get away. I don't know if
Bobbie Batista is still with CNN in any capacity or not. I believe
that CNN in now serving the interests of corporate America in lieu of
being the objective, highly professional news network that it was at
one time. Wolf Blitzer is a joke. It is always evident as to which
side of the political isle he is stroking. I hope that Christiane
Amanpour will not be the next to leave CNN. Christiane is one of the
very few true professional journalists left on the CNN staff. Even
Ted Turner had expressed his disappointment in the diminishing quality
of CNN News not too many months ago. He said something to the effect
that CNN has become more of a discussion group than a news network. I
agree with him.
compr...@yahoo.com
journalism to which she is both accustomed and dedicated," Mr. Coale
wrote. "Greta just can't watch anymore.""