With the "Paula Zahn Now" show pretty much running on empty, CNN is thinking about shaking things up by replacing her with "Lou Dobbs Tonight" in the 8 p.m. ET slot. Rumors are that they are also thinking of using NBC's (GE) Campbell Brown in that time frame as well, as her contract with NBC end in August.
"The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox (NWS-A) clobbers all other comers, and Keith Olbermann at MSNBC also outperforms the CNN show in that slot.
There's some risk for Dobbs here in that if he drops miserably in the ratings, it could cause some long-term damage to the show. It may be a reason the network is looking at another option in possibly using Brown. Dobbs is the second-best rated show for CNN for weekday hours, behind "Larry King Live."
But who knows, sometimes being the anti-voice to a competitor can bring in some of its own ratings. Still, what's the difference if Dobbs remains second for CNN when battling O'Reilly, or when battling his current competition?
O'Reilly brings in 2 million average viewers a night in May, while Dobbs has been drawing 811,000 in the 6 p.m. position.
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