Shot Fired at Dobbs' Home

Anchor of CNN's 'State of the Union' 'thrilled' with primetime slot

(NEWSER) - CNN political reporter and State of the Union host John King will replace the abruptly departed Lou Dobbs in CNN's 7pm weekday slot starting early next year. Aside from hosting the network's Sunday political gabfest, King is known for using a touch-screen “magic map” to illustrate his election analysis. “There is a lot of noise and conflict in our political discourse, which is fun to cover,” a “thrilled” King tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . More»

Network says it's talking to him about an 'alternative role'

(NEWSER) - Eliot Spitzer is being forced out again —this time from his TV show. CNN has canceled In The Arena and will fill its 8pm time slot with Anderson Cooper's AC360, reports the Huffington Post . In The Arena was itself a replacement for Parker Spitzer , which the former New York governor co-hosted with Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker before she quit earlier this year. More»

Taking same White House correspondents gig, but with new boss

(AP) - CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry is jumping to Fox News to take the same job over there, the network announced yesterday. Henry joined CNN in 2004 from Roll Call, and he covered the president, Congress, and politics for the network. A Fox News exec says the network has been "impressed with Henry's reporting for a long time." More»

Every cable news channel sees drop-off for first time in 12 years

(NEWSER) - CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News all lost viewers last year for the first time in at least 12 years, a study finds. A Pew journalism group found a combined 13.7% drop in viewership, the largest decline of any news sector, and all three networks fell for the first time since the group began keeping track. Broadcast news, meanwhile, continued its decline with a 3.4% drop in 2010, the Hollywood Reporter notes. More»

A kinder, gentler Piers takes center stage

(NEWSER) - The obnoxious Piers Morgan familiar to reality show fans was nowhere to be seen as Piers Morgan Tonight made its debut in Larry King's old time slot on CNN, say critics. Morgan was fawning and deferential during his highly publicized interview with Oprah Winfrey. Some early reaction:

• "Morgan's nerves showed in his voice, his eyes and his desperation to have physical contact with his guest," writes Chris Matyszczyk at CBS, who predicts the real test for the host will come later this week, with guests including Ricky Gervais and Howard Stern.