Time's up for CNN
Struggling news net taps mag topper CEO
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Isaacson, 49, worked for the last 23 years at Time Inc., starting as a writer for Time in New York in 1978, rising to manager editor of Time magazine and ending up seven months ago as editorial director of Time Inc.
Isaacson takes charge of CNN at a time when the network is losing ground in the Nielsen ratings to the Fox News Channel, particularly in primetime, where shows like "The O'Reilly Factor," hosted by Bill O'Reilly, have begun to eclipse CNN's bellwether "Larry King Live."
"The Fox News Channel has attitude, which CNN lacks," said Reese Schonfeld, a former head of CNN who has written "Me & Ted Against the World," a recent book on his experiences at the network founded by Ted Turner.
Tough choices
Schonfeld said Isaacson will have to walk a tightrope between dumbing down CNN and taking the high road of sober journalism. Dumbing it down by, for example, devoting hours a day to Rep. Gary Condit's prior affair with missing intern Chandra Levy could increase the network's household ratings and make it more competitive with Fox.
But a continuation of serious coverage of important stories would keep at least a portion of the upscale, urban, highly educated viewership watching the network, allowing it to charge premium rates to advertisers; in an affluence study by Mendelsohn Media Research for 2000, CNN finished fourth among all ad-supported cable networks, behind CNBC, Golf and MSNBC.
One of Isaacson's tasks will be to get more people to watch CNN during the frequent periods when there's no galvanizing event drawing the nation's attention.
As editorial director at Time, he worked on the company's various blueprints for involvement in TV and cable production, allowing him to keep in frequent contact with CNN and its various spinoff networks, and AOL, which merged with Time Warner last year. He succeeds Tom Johnson, who retired last month.
High grades
"Hiring Isaacson is a good move because he's a content guy, and broadcast journalism needs content people," said George Back, dean of the school of communications at Long Island's Hofstra U.
Referring to the well-received books Isaacson has written -- "Kissinger: A Biography" (1992) and "The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World they Made" (1986) -- Back said, "He's an in-depth kind of writer."
The news heads of CNN's four biggest rivals all come out of broadcast and cable TV: Roger Ailes (Fox), Andrew Heyward (NBC), Andrew Lack (CBS) and David Westin (ABC).
Isaacson will report to Jamie Kellner, chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting System.
