Dobbs may get prime time slot
NY DAILY NEWS
Veteran financial news anchor Lou Dobbs could be getting a more high profile perch at CNN as the Time Warner-owned cable network looks to boost its ratings, network insiders said.
CNN's top brass is considering moving the fast-rising "Lou Dobbs Tonight," from 6 p.m. to prime time.
"It's being discussed," a CNN exec told the Daily News.
Any move would be made after the November elections. A new slot for Dobbs has yet to be determined, CNN sources said.
"With the presidential election less than a month away, it's silly to speculate on programing changes," said CNN spokesman Matthew Furman. Dobbs declined comment.
Elevating the longtime CNN anchor would mark CNN's latest effort to shore-up in the face of a continuing assault from Fox News, which boasts nearly double CNN's audience.
Dobbs has struck a chord with his vocal crusade against U.S. companies moving jobs overseas. Since the beginning of the summer, ratings for "Lou Dobbs Tonight" have surged 25% to 472,000 households. Dobbs is outpacing CNN overall, which is up 13%.
Ad rates for Dobbs' show are among the net's highest.
"He's the most familiar financial news personality on television," said Horizon Media director of research Brad Adgate.
But shifting Dobbs from his current place at the end of the business day presents risks. "The prime-time audience has a different mind-set," said Tom Rosentiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
And it's unclear whether Dobbs would be interested in a new gig, CNN insiders said.
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