NEW YORK (AP) - Struggling CNN has fired Jon Klein, the head of its U.S. network.
CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton said Friday that Klein is being replaced by Ken Jautz, who currently runs HLN. The former Headline News Network has been a success in recent years with a switch to an opinionated prime-time lineup.
Klein, a former CBS executive, has never been able to solve the puzzle of building a prime-time lineup competitive in the ratings. CNN badly trails top-ranked Fox News Channel, and MSNBC’s switch to a left-focused talk lineup at night has also left CNN behind.
The timing, however, is odd. Klein just remade CNN’s prime-time lineup with an 8 p.m. show starring former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, which debuts next week, and announced Piers Morgan as the replacement to Larry King.
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