Did the AOL-Time Warner merger hurt CNN?
Collins: Yes, I think so. It certainly distracted the attention of senior management from some of the more mundane problems affecting the network. And it necessitated job cuts that alienated some of the remaining staffers at CNN, as the book makes clear. When I interviewed Greta Van Susteren, she directly linked the AOL merger to her exit from CNN months later. IWM: What do you think CNN could do to surpass Fox? Collins: If I knew that … Seriously, I’m not sure. The problem is that CNN was approaching the news in a certain way for years and years, and then a competitor came in and made noise with a radically different take. Imitating Fox would be a disaster; it would kill what made CNN distinctive. I think [former CNN president] Walter Isaacson and his team were right to reach that conclusion. On the other hand, Fox News is only going to become an even stronger competitor if current trends continue. CNN has a genius gap. They need a programming genius who comes up with the “lightning
