CNN commentator Lou Dobbs abruptly signed-off his CNN show last night, telling viewers the program would be his last for the network where he’s worked for 30 years.  “I’ll see you next on the radio,” he told viewers.  Dobbs says over the past six months he’s been weighing an exit. “Some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving,” he said.  CNN president Jonathan Klein agreed to release Dobbs from his contract, which wasn’t …

CNN reporter Carol Costello’s recent segment examining the psychology behind the talk radio phenomenon…who’s listening, where and why. Talkers magazine and publisher Mike Harrison are prominent throughout the piece as are syndicated radio talkers Rush Limbaugh, Randi Rhodes, Glenn Beck and Montel Williams.
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The New York Post is reporting in Page Six that Clear Channel and Premiere Radio Network syndicated radio personality Ryan Seacrest is in CNN’s sights to replace Larry King when King’s contract expires in 18 months. The network is preparing for the eventual retirement of King from the nightly show and Seacrest is their preferred choice. The big stumbling block would be how much it would cost to get Seacrest because of his huge deal to host Fox’s “American Idol” on top of his deal to host mornings on …

The website TVNewser is reporting that CNN U.S. president Jon Klein has asked his show producers to avoid booking talk radio hosts in an effort to tone down the rhetoric. “Complex issues require world class reporting,” Klein is quoted as saying, adding that talk radio hosts too often add to the noise, and that what they say is “all too predictable.” One of CNN’s longtime show hosts, Lou Dobbs, hosts a daily radio show. A few political contributors also host radio shows including Bill Bennett and Roland Martin. However they …

Syndicated talker Michael Smerconish was a guest of Howard Kurtz on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” Sunday touting his new book. he also noted how there’s a need for talk radio hosts who don’t follow the party position on all issues and how those inside the media see him as a “man without a constituency” because of his contrarian viewpoint.

Fareed Zakaria’s CNN interview this past weekend with former Secretary of State Colin Powell has stirred some folks up because of his wide open pot shot at Rush Limbaugh. Powell essentially chastised conservative Republicans for listening to Limbaugh and urged them “to stop shouting at the world and the country,” as well as accusing Rush of appealing to “societies lesser instincts”. General Powell speaks with wisdom and moderation, and any right thinking individual would find it hard to argue with his basic premise. But, (and this is difficult for …

You can forget the Clark Howard for mayor of Atlanta talk for now, but the consumer advocate and financial advice maven has struck a deal with CNN for a weekend television segment on Headline News. According to Tom Taylor at Radio-Info.com, the 30 minutes show will feature segments like “Clark’s Consumer Tips of the Day”, ” Clark’s Travel Tips” and “Money Coach” as well as listener calls mined from his daily Dial-Global syndicated radio show. Everybody’s looking for a way to save a dollar now and financial shows are spilling …