CNN 'Starting' Over

By Christopher Peleo-Lazar  //  May 2, 2012 | 12:45 p.m.

How do you build a television news audience in the hyper-competitive morning market? It sure helps to make some actual news, as CNN's new show Starting Point is aiming to prove this year.

The show isn't delivering the big ratings Fox News or MSNBC attract in the morning, but it's aiming to make itself a necessary stopover on the morning circuit -- one that's already made news during the 2012 presidential primaries.

Mitt Romney chose CNN's show to declare he was "not concerned about the very poor," back in February, a flub that put Romney on defense and earned Starting Point host Soledad O'Brien credit.

Co-host John Fugelsang made news the next month when his question led Romney advisor Eric Fehrnstrom to compare the general election to shaking an Etch A Sketch. The interview went viral, and Fehrnstrom's comments instantly became a rallying cry for both Romney's Republican rivals and President Obama's campaign.

And O'Brien doesn't have a problem picking a fight. Last month, she took on Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., over his assertion that members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus were Communists. O'Brien demanded names, and West stumbled. Washington Post media blogger Erik Wemple called the interview "Edward R. Murrovian."

Making news on a regular basis is part of the show's strategy to boost ratings: If you break it, they will come. "To build a morning show following you need to be consistent in terms of quality journalism and making news and we are extremely pleased that Starting Point is accomplishing both," CNN Senior Vice President of U.S. programming Bart Feder said. "The show's interviews and discussions are distinct among morning shows- both broadcast and cable -- and the program is continuing to build its audience." There are kinks to work out: The format isn't completely set, O'Brien said, and they're close to changing studios at their headquarters in New York. But once they're established, CNN may have found its morning answer. "I've been in morning television a long time, I think morning television viewers are creatures of habit," O'Brien said. "I follow our ratings very closely and I think our agenda should be to do a good show."

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