Another pass through the internet on the story…

Matea Gold in the LA Times…

Brown, who worked at ABC before being tapped by CNN, garnered a following for his folksy contemplations and unruffled demeanor, especially during his coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — his first day on the air at the network. So far this year, the ratings of “NewsNight” were 13% higher than last year, with an average audience of 839,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

However, some viewed him as “almost too pensive for television news,” said former CNN correspondent Charles Bierbauer, now dean of the University of South Carolina’s College of Mass Communications and Information Studies.

“CNN is and has been for a long time looking for someone who could deliver the holy grail in the evening hours,” Bierbauer added. “Cooper is younger, more energetic. He cuts a different figure than Aaron Brown.”

Klein said today that “Anderson acts like a regular human being, not like an anchorman. He’s comfortable in his own skin.… He lets his passion for the stories show. It’s refreshing and it’s authentic.

“You don’t want an anchor who’s just so over it,” he added. “Too many on TV, like overpriced NBA stars, are just phoning it in. Anderson gets in the game. It’s infectious.”

Paul J. Gough in the Hollywood Reporter…

“When you look at that landscape, there was little opportunity for Aaron,” Klein said, adding that it was a “mutual decision.” Efforts to reach Brown weren’t successful Wednesday, but he was on vacation this week. Brown, who signed a new contract in the fall, reportedly was signed through 2007. Klein declined comment on contractual matters.

“There’s no reason to delay making this move. We’ve got the pieces in place,” Klein said. “We’ve got a two-hour show up and running that Anderson has been co-anchoring, and we’ve got ‘The Situation Room.’ “

“Situation Room,” anchored by Wolf Blitzer, takes over the 7 p.m. hour once occupied by “360.” It will remain a three-hour program but begin at 4 p.m. instead of the 3 p.m. slot that it debuted in against Fox News’ “Studio B” in early August. After two hours, Blitzer will throw to “Lou Dobbs Tonight” and then return for the last hour at 7 p.m.

“It gives us a four-hour block of real news and information, and you cannot find four hours that will make for a more satisfying meal than that on television,” Klein said.

Klein sees a real opportunity for CNN between 10 p.m. and midnight; he said that the extension of “NewsNight” to two hours showed there’s an appetite for news in the time period, particularly after 11 p.m.

FTVLive, which I normally don’t quote because it’s a pay site, weighs in with a somewhat bewildered thumbs down on the move….

CNN acted like Fire and Ice was going to be a hit and now they’re re-arranging the deck chairs yet again and saying they just couldn’t keep the two of them together.

It reminds us of when MSNBC hired Tucker Carlson and acted like he was going to be the ratings savior. FTVLive said at the time we thought it was a bad hire by MSNBC and so far, Tucker has tanked in the ratings.

If CNN is putting all their eggs in the Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Copper basket, the next person leaving CNN will be Jon Klein.

The move makes no sense…no matter what the so called TV critics say.