CNN Anchor Aaron Brown rather play Golf than report on Columbia disaster:
OUT OF TOWN BROWN
By DON KAPLAN and MICHAEL STARR
February 5, 2003 -- CNN anchorman Aaron Brown's future seemed very much in doubt yesterday after skipping out on covering the space shuttle disaster last Saturday to play in a celebrity golf tournament.
"It's one thing to be lazy," a CNN source told The Post. "But this makes [Brown] look like an idiot."
Even before the event of last Saturday, there had already been friction between Brown and the cable network's management - who have nicknamed him "Arrogant Brown."
"There's a sense of disgust," the source said, "since he wants to be the main anchor, the main news guy, yet he's certainly not showing any desire to do the work that needs to be done."
Brown was on the air from Houston by Sunday night, but the incident left his CNN colleagues questioning his resolve.
"I think they're trying to give him some rope," said the CNN source. "They're not going to fire him or take his show away. We're just going to have to wait for the next big event."
Other vacationing anchors, such as NBC's Tom Brokaw and ABC's Peter Jennings, raced to the nearest anchor desk to cover the tragedy.
Publicly, executives at CNN say they're not upset with Brown's decision on Saturday to continue playing in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, a celebrity golf tournament, rather than return immediately to the network.
Brown, an avid golfer who carries a seven handicap, told a newspaper that he decided not to try to fly from the tournament in Palm Springs to CNN's L.A. offices "because I didn't have any clothes."
In the tournament, Brown was teamed with film star Don Cheatle and Bob Hope Classic regular, Mac McFadden. The trio placed 68th out of 128 teams in the tournament.
Yesterday, in what appeared to be a network snub, Brown was listed third in CNN's on-air promotions - behind Miles O'Brien and Judy Woodruff - during the memorial service for the seven astronauts.
Brown's defenders say he was out on the golf course and unaware of what happened until nearly four hours after the space shuttle disaster.
But a participant in the tournamant told The Post yesterday that the golf course was buzzing with news of the shuttle disaster as early as 7 a.m. West Coast time - about an hour after the space craft was destroyed.
c NY Post |
