Aaron Brown resurfaces, again

[Catshrink]

He's been teaching at ASU's Uncle Walter School of Journalism. Now he's done a pilot radio show with our local NPR affiliate KJZZ. The show will be on Saturday at 3pm PDT. The previous show is online and you can listen to KJZZ online.

Here is the link:

http://kjzz.org/

Here is the blurb:

Saturday at 3pm - The Aaron Brown Show
If you would like to listen to this previous weekend's broadcast of the The Aaron Brown Show, click on the link for "More info" below. (Please know that Wiretap will resume broadcasting in its regular time slot on Saturday May 17th). Aaron Brown, former CNN anchor says, "at its heart it's a program about the events that are shaping our lives." Listen to the second of two special installments of the Aaron Brown this Saturday, May 10 at 3pm on KJZZ.

http://aaronbrown.kjzz.org/

[Frustratedlady]

1. Whatever happened to him?

I always liked him, but then he was gone. Poof!

[Catshrink]

2. CNN released him from his contract

they paid him, but gave his time slot to Anderson Cooper.

I liked him too.

[KharmaTrain]

3. He Probably Had/Has A Non-Compete

It looked like he got the hose at Chicken Noodle News and was released from his deal before it expired...many of these deals also include a non-compete so Brown couldn't jump to another network while the contract was still in place. Olbermann faced a similar situation after he quit/was fired (depending on who tells the story) from Faux Sports...he spent the next year and a half "on the beach"...doing some free-lance work for CNN.

I suspect this show is a trial balloon for a national NPR show. The network has been beefing up their talk programming and IMHO Brown would fit in nicely with both the network and genre. I wish him the best...I've followed his career since his Twin City and ABC World News Now days.

[AP]

5. That would be a sign of how little bargaining power he had when he signed up, which is very possible

since he went to CNN straight from a local job. I'd be surprised if any established reporters had non-compete clauses, since so many jump around between the networks (with Couric being the most recent example).

[KharmaTrain]

7. They All Do...

It's like an athlete...networks offer contracts that include all sorts of "signing bonuses", incentives and other perks in exchange for a non-compete...and in most cases the contract usually plays out, it's not often a network will bite the bullet on a big salary and will "play 'em" until their contracts run out and let them go. This is how Paula Zahn exited and now it's happening to Bowtie Boy Carlson.

Couric waited until her contract with NBC played out and went "free agent"...many other network people have done the same thing...Chicken Noodle News is loaded with 'em.

IRC, Brown went to CNN direct from ABC...he was doing the weekend news and at one time was considered a possible replacement for Jennings. CNN was looking for the next "Bernie Shaw" and offered Brown good money to come over (starting on 9/11 of all days), along with Zahn...and both now are gone. Brown "failed" because he was too intelligent for the network...he wasn't into the cult of personality that surrounds the corporate media, or to use the old report card remark: He didn't play well with others. In essence few of the faces you see on the tube have any real bargaining power...they either produce ratings or they're out.

[Catshrink]

8. He was at ABC before CNN

He often subbed for Koppel on Nightline and was one of their regular reporters.

[shrdlu]

4. He was a just-the-facts, mam...

...type of guy...Not enough flash I suppose. I hope he gets a regular slot.

[UTUSN]

6. COOPER saw what he wanted and took it and never looked back

His Katrina coverage was hailed at the time as breaking journalistic boundaries, when what it was was narcissistic putting himself into the story. CNN was desperate to reach the Young. Superficial.


Otoh, BROWN was seen as stodgy. Plus, there was at least one time, early on, that he either refused to leave the golf course or was late coming back for a breaking story. It might have happened more than once, but if not, the general attitude set the tone. He worked under Peter JENNINGS, but might have caught more of his style than the core.