In the Arena
In the Arena | |
---|---|
Also known as | Parker Spitzer (October 4, 2010 — February 25, 2011) |
Created by | E.D. Hill (February 28, 2011 — August 5, 2011) Will Cain (February 28, 2011 — August 5, 2011) |
Country of origin | United States |
Production | |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | CNN |
Release | October 4, 2010 August 5, 2011 | –
In the Arena is an American one-hour show on
Program details
Format and topics
In an interview published by The Hollywood Reporter, newly appointed CNN President Ken Jautz said the network was relying heavily on Parker Spitzer and on Piers Morgan replacing Larry King Live to raise ratings with "livelier and more engaging" programming. When asked what kind of ratings improvement he would consider a success, Jautz simply replied, "Higher."[4] On the show's main news blog, it states that it has the goal of facilitating a "dynamic exchange of opinions, ideas and analyses ... on the most important, compelling and amusing stories of the day".[5]
Spitzer has remarked, "We'll talk about movies sometimes, sports, we'll have everything under the sun, but we are clearly a political show." A recurring segment in the program is a challenge to legislators called "Name Your Cuts", about the
Ratings and reviews
The show premiered to poor ratings, finishing fourth place among
It takes time for most successful shows to build an audience. There will be interest from the beginning, and we hope to entice some of those people to stick around. We also know these things do not happen overnight.[6]
Parker Spitzer arguably has not helped CNN's prime time since, leaving the network with its worst prime-time ratings in 10 years.[7] On December 7, The New York Times stated that "at the two-month mark, the ratings for CNN's latest experiment are stagnant." Parker has described the show's relationship to viewers as "absolutely a work in progress".[1]
Critical reaction has largely been negative. After the show's debut episode,
When Washington Examiner columnist Richard Viguerie appeared on the show, he accused it of having a left-of-center bias, saying to Parker:
Kathleen, all due respect, in the last 10 days or so, I have been watching this show, I would change vanilla to more distilled water. I've not heard you say, an ideological thought that disagrees with Eliot ... Kathleen, how many times do you see conservatives on CNN who are articulate and will challenge an Eliot Spitzer?[9]
In response, Parker has said, "No matter how great we are or how good a job we do, critics are going to be critics".[8]
During a stretch in which Spitzer hosted the show solo and Parker took a leave of absence because of a lung infection, ratings doubled without Parker compared to episodes with her.[10]
Backstage tensions
The show has been dogged by reports of backstage tensions between Spitzer and Parker.
Parker's departure
On Friday, February 25, 2011, CNN announced that Parker would depart from Parker Spitzer, with Spitzer continuing to host the program, under the new name In the Arena, effective Monday, February 28, 2011. Parker's last words, "On a personal note, today is my last day on the show, and I just want to thank you, the viewers, for tuning in. I look forward to seeing you down the road."[11]
Cancellation of the show
On July 6, 2011, CNN announced the cancellation of In the Arena. The same time slot would be filled by Anderson Cooper's show "Anderson Cooper 360°", which will also continue in a rerun in its current slot; no new show will replace it.[12] The reason for the change in the evening lineup was to showcase anchors who were "experienced reporters in covering stories that span the globe," as stated by CNN's executive vice president.
Spitzer would later emerge as the host of
References
- ^ a b c d e Stelter, Brian (December 7, 2010). "At CNN, Talk Show Tensions". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
- ^ CNN Cancels 'In the Arena' With Eliot Spitzer The New York Times July 6, 2011
- ^ CNN Announces New Evening Lineup. CNN Press Room, 6 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- UPI.com. September 25, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- CNN.com - parkerspitzer.blogs. December 3, 2010. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2010.)
{{cite news}}
: External link in
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- mediaite.com. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- mediaite.com. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ^ "Bringing out the Big Guns in Political Ads; Judge Orders Military to Stop Enforcement of DADT". CNN. October 14, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
- ^ "Shorts". The Wall Street Journal. February 7, 2011.
- ^ "How Eliot Spitzer said goodbye to Kathleen Parker at CNN". The Daily Beast. February 28, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
- ^ Eliot Spitzer Show CANCELED on CNN. Huffington Post Online, 6 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.