CNN's Eliot Spitzer Show Aims for the Middle, Where No Viewers Are

(MoneyWatch)  CNN president Jon Klein seemed out of touch with cable news trends yesterday when he made a statement to Mediaweek about his lagging news network's new 8 p.m. show, which will feature disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer and conservative columnist Kathleen Parker. Half MSNBC and half Fox News, the show takes one from the left and one from the right to create something viewers won't likely embrace.

So what did Klein say?

Other cable news channels force-feed viewers one narrow, predictable point of view; in contrast, CNN will be offering a lively roundup of all the best ideas?€"?€"presented by two of the most intelligent and outspoken figures in the country. Eliot and Kathleen are beholden to no vested interest ?€"?€" in fact, quite the opposite: they are renowned for taking on the most powerful targets and most important causes.

The problem with Klein's logic should be obvious. Cable news viewers (and I use the word "news" loosely) want "one narrow, predictable point of view." That's why CNN's competition -- The O'Reilly Factor, and to a far lesser extent, Countdown with Keith Olbermann -- have been so successful. CNN has lost lots of viewers by playing it down the middle, and while this new show will do so with a bit more personality than Campbell Brown exhibited, nothing really separates it from Crossfire, the show that Jon Stewart effectively killed in 2004 when he called its co-hosts Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson "partisan hacks."

CNN has hit a new low by striving to build a show with two pundits from opposite sides of the political spectrum. Cable news viewers have made their decision, which is to tune into their favorite, well, partisan hack. Klein's "beholden to no vested interest" statement points to the problem. Cable news viewers don't seem particularly troubled by commentators who hue unconditionally to the party line -- if they did, they might already be watching CNN.

And neither Parker nor Spitzer will likely pass muster with his or her intended audience. Parker is probably best-known for saying she didn't think Sarah Palin could lead the GOP, which is a big no-no among the right. And while there may be some initial interest in seeing the infamous client no. 9 in "action", there won't ultimately be much worth watching.

Previous coverage of cable news at BNET Media:

• CNN: "We're No. 1!" ... Kinda
• Why CNN Is, Or At Least Has Been, Happy To Be Non-Partisan
• CNN, Why Are You Telling Viewers to Go Watch the World Series on Fox?
• CNN Still First in Cable News, Depending on What You Mean By "Cable News"