Lou Dobbs is apparently out at CNN. Dobbs routinely offended leftist notions of political correctness especially on the illegal immigration issue. As a result, his days at CNN had to be numbered. Now CNN will probably just shift further to the left than they already are. Good luck with that strategy, CNN.
Fox already has such a rock-solid lineup, I am not sure they could fit him in. Here are the latest ratings for the cable news channels, provided for analytical purposes: http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/
no doubt btw is anyone following Sandra Guzman's lawsuit against Murdock and the Post? She's an editor that was fired for filing a complaint in federal court alleging systematic racism in the Post's hiring, firing, and editorial practices. She had the nerve to question the cartoon depicting President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee being gunned down by white police officers. should be fun!
In addition to his xenophobia, Dobbs was one of the prime movers on the "Obama = not a citizen" claptrap. He became an embarrassment to any news network. Fox Business' first big hire? Good riddance.
I cant see anyone else picking this guy up besides Fox News, someone will certainly want him though because his show had very good ratings and he is sort of an O'Reilly light, maybe even someone like MSNBC might entertain having him on so they can use it as a PR move.
Via TPM, NY Times: "Lou Dobbs’s Next Home: Fox Business?": [rquoter]October 12, 2009, 9:43 am Lou Dobbs’s Next Home: Fox Business? By BRIAN STELTER The anchor Lou Dobbs appears to be exploring an exit from CNN, his longtime employer. Certainly, Fox continues to aggressively bolster its on-air talent, most recently with the hiring of John Stossel, the libertarian investigative journalist from ABC News, for its spin-off channel, Fox Business. Mr. Dobbs, an administration critic who calls himself an independent, met for dinner with Roger E. Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, last month, according to two people with direct knowledge of the meeting. One of the people said Mr. Dobbs is a potential hire for the Fox Business Network, the ratings starved, two-year-old spin-off of Fox News. Mr. Ailes has shown willingness to raid other networks for Fox Business talent, adding the controversial radio host Don Imus this month and bringing aboard Mr. Stossel in a few weeks. It is unclear whether Mr. Dobbs is seeking to leave CNN, and a network spokeswoman had no comment on Sunday. Mr. Dobbs has been with CNN since its founding (save for a two-year stint at an upstart Web site Space.com) and anchors the 7 p.m. hour “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” He has evolved over the years from a straight-laced business anchor to an outspoken commentator who rails against illegal immigration and taxpayer bailouts, among other subjects. Mr. Dobbs clashed with others at CNN over the summer when he asked questions about President Obama’s citizenship. But in an interview this year, Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN/U.S., said “Lou’s show is less about Lou’s opinion than ever.” [/rquoter]
That is an interesting suggestion. However, Sheppard Smith's is a news broadcast, where Lou Dobbs is an opinion show. If Lou Dobbs were to be perceived to have the strength to draw ratings at least equal to Sheppard Smith's, there would still be the critical question for Fox regarding whether they want to add another opinion show in their prime-time lineup, or whether they want to continue to have news in that hour. It could come down to a "product mix" question. In fact, Lou Dobbs drawing power at CNN was not very impressive at all compared to the hosts of all of the Fox News prime time hosts, as indicated in the ratings numbers below: http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/ So, Lou Dobbs might not be able to cut it at Fox.
I think Mr Dobbs' future is politics. He toyed with a run for gov of NJ at one time. I think he would fit right in with the fat/rich/white elite of the republican party. Could there be a congressional run in the future?
A rock-solid lineup of fake news people. Here's the latest: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/11/jon-stewart-catches-sean_n_353447.html Why does Fox have to fake imagery to create news?
To be fair, most of the viewers are loyal to their particular network. King and Cooper are the only two who stand out that actually bring in the other network viewers. Lou Dobbs might not be conservative enough, but I'd rather "fair and balance" over some of the other guys. Smith is probably my least liked across all networks. Fox loves their egotistical guys.
I posted this somewhere else, but every time I see Shepherd Smith now, I think of this: <object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/uqYw1lZfsUO1HlpjHiAMeg"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/uqYw1lZfsUO1HlpjHiAMeg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="512" height="296"></embed></object> I don't think Dobbs is bombastic enough to line up next to Hannity, O'reilly, and Beck. They all seem to be some variety of populist showman (each in their own way). Dobbs has more of a Wall St. Journal/William F. Buckley type reserved personality.
