Hemmer Hemorrhage
Say it ain't so! Bill Hemmer's leaving CNN! From an email to CNN staff:
Bill Hemmer has decided to pursue opportunities elsewhere, and we wish him the best. Bill is a highly respected colleague and I know that everyone who worked with Bill over the years will miss him. Jack Cafferty has been reassigned to the upcoming 3 p.m.-to-6 p.m. newsblock where he will continue to provide his unique and incisive commentary.
"Pursue opportunities elsewhere" instead of covering the White House for CNN . Because reading the news off of a teleprompter is one thing, banging your head against the soft brick wall of Scott McClellan? That's beneath him. Also, we're not sure what the morning's going to be like with out the faux-Rooney quakery of Jack Cafferty and his merry band of international correspondents. How will we know what "Don in Tokyo" thinks about steroids testing?
There's also an announcement about a new afternoon block featuring a little-known rising star at the network, one cunningly named "Wolf Blitzer."
And, by the way: "Crossfire" has been cancelled. Our long national nightmare is over.
Full email after the jump.
June 6, 2005 To: CNN Staff From: Jon Klein Today, we have some exciting programming announcements that are designed to sharpen the focus on what CNN does best: deliver the latest and most important news and information with the greatest intelligence.
Starting June 20, Miles O'Brien will join Soledad O'Brien as host of American Morning. Miles is a superb anchor and correspondent and he will be a terrific addition to the show. Kim Bondy and I are committed to American Morning being the clear news alternative to the other morning shows, and we believe that with Miles and Soledad at the helm we will fulfill the promise of making AM the smartest morning show.
Bill Hemmer has decided to pursue opportunities elsewhere, and we wish him the best. Bill is a highly respected colleague and I know that everyone who worked with Bill over the years will miss him. Jack Cafferty has been reassigned to the upcoming 3 p.m.-to-6 p.m. newsblock where he will continue to provide his unique and incisive commentary.
As for that new afternoon block, we are very excited about our new program The Situation Room, which will be modeled in spirit after the White House Situation Room. Wolf Blitzer will convene teams of our top correspondents and experts to offer a range of up-to-the-second reporting on issues from homeland security, politics and national and world affairs. The Situation Room studio itself will facilitate a blend of traditional newsgathering with the latest information from online sources.
The first hour will focus on political news. For the influential people of Washington, D.C., Inside Politics had long become appointment viewing, so we want to preserve that habit. Our second hour will be devoted more to security issues and our Security Watch reports, taking advantage of our unparalleled team of experts of military, security, national and international experts. The third hour will encompass world and national news.
David Bohrman, Sam Feist and I expect that this unique showcasing of CNN's reportorial talent and expert insight should make The Situation Room a one-stop-shop for viewers interested in monitoring the most significant events of any given day.