On Friday we learned that Jeff Zucker will soon be leaving NBC Universal and that Jon Klein is departing from CNN. This follows on the not-too-distant announcement that David Westin was leaving ABC News. It has been a long time since this many big network jobs have had vacancies.
Zucker's departure is probably not as surprising with Comcast about to take over the company once the merger is approved in Washington. The NBCU cable nets have done great, but NBC as a network has performed poorly the last several years. NBC News has done well, but most of that is attributed to Brian Williams.
Klein's departure at CNN is really interesting. CNN's ratings have been awful for some time, and their prime-time lineup is about to change this fall as the new Elliot Spitzer-Kathleen Parker is set to replace Rick Sanchez who replaced Campbell Brown. And then at year's end Piers Morgan will take over for Larry King. Klein was responsible for both of those changes, but now he is gone.
ABC News has done well under Westin, but the network has suffered so many cutbacks and closings of bureaus that it is now a shell of the powerhouse news organization Peter Jennings led just a few years ago.
What does all of this mean? A few thoughts. These are traditional media jobs, and they must change like the traditional media content to remain viable in the 21st century. They come at a time when audiences are more fragmented than ever, technology and digital platforms are booming, and the economics are even tighter.
This also is a chance to rethink and move in new directions. Perhaps now is the time for CNN and CBS to finally form a partnership that they have danced around ever since Dan Rather was managing editor at CBS. I've said for years it makes no sense to have three networks doing a nightly news show, as well as 4-6 cable news channels. People don't need or want that much information. The economics don't make sense in the 21st century.
Who knows what direction ABC will move in, but a partnership with another network or cable player would make economic sense for their operation as well. Bloomberg might be an interesting option for ABC, despite its heavy business orientation.
All of these moves are further indicative of change and evolution in the media economy. Stay tuned.
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