CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton said Friday that Klein is being replaced by Ken Jautz, who currently runs HLN. The former Headline News Network has been a success in recent years with a switch to an opinionated prime-time lineup.
Klein, a former CBS executive, has never been able to solve the puzzle of building a prime-time lineup competitive in the ratings. CNN badly trails top-ranked Fox News Channel, and MSNBC's switch to a left-focused talk lineup at night has also left CNN behind.
The timing, however, is odd. Klein just remade CNN's prime-time lineup with an 8 p.m. show starring former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, which debuts next week, and announced Piers Morgan as the replacement to Larry King.
