Brown's exit just sign of the times
After he was hired by CNN in 2001, anchorman Aaron Brown was widely viewed as the man likely to become the primary face of the network.
But it seems that Brown's face isn't young enough or fashionable enough for CNN's latest president, Jonathan Klein.
Brown, 56, has been booted from the network and replaced by 38-year-old Anderson Cooper, a handsome correspondent and anchor believed more suited to much-coveted younger viewers.
Brown was never much of a looker, but he was known in television news as a thorough reporter and a solid writer, and his coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks shortly after his arrival at CNN was a calming presence for the nation.
Ironically, Cooper, Brown's replacement at CNN, also rose to prominence through his performance in a national disaster. Cooper's hand-wringing monologues from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina drew large numbers of viewers, though it's unclear how many of those viewers tuned in to mock rather than admire Cooper's histrionic reportage. Anderson's all-about-me approach to his stories has made him an object of parody on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," a development that Klein, oddly enough, has noted with approval.
Klein told The New York Times that spoofs of Cooper on "Saturday Night Live" were clear evidence that people were becoming more aware of Cooper. It apparently doesn't matter to Klein whether Cooper is respected, just so long as he's watched. Mark this down as just another blurring of the line between TV news and entertainment.
Klein said Cooper stood out for his "passion and enthusiasm" while covering Katrina, and while this will sound good to many, it makes us nostalgic for the days when reporters were lauded for restraining their emotion while covering a story, rather than flaunting it.
Cooper's running theater of psychological angst seems to resonate with a lot of younger viewers, many of whom have embraced reality shows, Internet blogs and anything else that frames the world as an eternal exercise in personal testimonial.
That trendy sensibility was a decided contrast with Brown, whose no-nonsense, Joe Friday delivery of the news acknowledged facts, not fatuous grandstanding, as the currency of his craft.
Indeed, the chief appeal of Brown's 9 p.m. "Newsnight" program was its lack of pretension. Brown served up the day's headlines, offered thoughtful, politely respectful interviews with newsmakers, and concluded each evening's show with a sneak peak at the next morning's front pages that had been faxed from newspapers across the country. Brown was always careful to compliment his reporters in the field, wisely recognizing journalism as a collaborative enterprise rather than a venue for individual celebrity.
Brown's self-effacing persona staked a departure from the growing ego parade of cable news, so maybe it was inevitable that he should find himself in the bull's-eye of the network honchos.
The writing was on the wall a few weeks ago, when CNN executives added Cooper to "Newsnight" as Brown's co-anchor, then started jazzing up the show with loud lead-ins and over-the-top graphics. Brown was forced to move from behind his desk and deliver the news while awkwardly standing in front of the set --presumably because some focus group full of twentysomethings declared that sitting was too sedentary for these hip, frenetic times.
The changes seemed a humiliating turn for Brown -- one was reminded of a father forced to dance to his son's bad music -- so perhaps it's for the best that Brown and CNN have parted company. Maybe Brown's intelligent approach can find a home in a less ratings-hungry environment; public television comes to mind.
"We cannot thank Aaron enough," Klein said in giving Brown the ax. If this is gratitude, then Brown is better off without CNN, though CNN isn't better off without him.
After he was hired by CNN in 2001, anchorman Aaron Brown was widely viewed as the man likely to become the primary face of the network.
But it seems that Brown's face isn't young enough or fashionable enough for CNN's latest president, Jonathan Klein.
Brown, 56, has been booted from the network and replaced by 38-year-old Anderson Cooper, a handsome correspondent and anchor believed more suited to much-coveted younger viewers.
Brown was never much of a looker, but he was known in television news as a thorough reporter and a solid writer, and his coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks shortly after his arrival at CNN was a calming presence for the nation.
Ironically, Cooper, Brown's replacement at CNN, also rose to prominence through his performance in a national disaster. Cooper's hand-wringing monologues from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina drew large numbers of viewers, though it's unclear how many of those viewers tuned in to mock rather than admire Cooper's histrionic reportage. Anderson's all-about-me approach to his stories has made him an object of parody on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," a development that Klein, oddly enough, has noted with approval.
Klein told The New York Times that spoofs of Cooper on "Saturday Night Live" were clear evidence that people were becoming more aware of Cooper. It apparently doesn't matter to Klein whether Cooper is respected, just so long as he's watched. Mark this down as just another blurring of the line between TV news and entertainment.
Klein said Cooper stood out for his "passion and enthusiasm" while covering Katrina, and while this will sound good to many, it makes us nostalgic for the days when reporters were lauded for restraining their emotion while covering a story, rather than flaunting it.
Cooper's running theater of psychological angst seems to resonate with a lot of younger viewers, many of whom have embraced reality shows, Internet blogs and anything else that frames the world as an eternal exercise in personal testimonial.
That trendy sensibility was a decided contrast with Brown, whose no-nonsense, Joe Friday delivery of the news acknowledged facts, not fatuous grandstanding, as the currency of his craft.
Indeed, the chief appeal of Brown's 9 p.m. "Newsnight" program was its lack of pretension. Brown served up the day's headlines, offered thoughtful, politely respectful interviews with newsmakers, and concluded each evening's show with a sneak peak at the next morning's front pages that had been faxed from newspapers across the country. Brown was always careful to compliment his reporters in the field, wisely recognizing journalism as a collaborative enterprise rather than a venue for individual celebrity.
Brown's self-effacing persona staked a departure from the growing ego parade of cable news, so maybe it was inevitable that he should find himself in the bull's-eye of the network honchos.
The writing was on the wall a few weeks ago, when CNN executives added Cooper to "Newsnight" as Brown's co-anchor, then started jazzing up the show with loud lead-ins and over-the-top graphics. Brown was forced to move from behind his desk and deliver the news while awkwardly standing in front of the set --presumably because some focus group full of twentysomethings declared that sitting was too sedentary for these hip, frenetic times.
The changes seemed a humiliating turn for Brown -- one was reminded of a father forced to dance to his son's bad music -- so perhaps it's for the best that Brown and CNN have parted company. Maybe Brown's intelligent approach can find a home in a less ratings-hungry environment; public television comes to mind.
"We cannot thank Aaron enough," Klein said in giving Brown the ax. If this is gratitude, then Brown is better off without CNN, though CNN isn't better off without him.
