SOTU, Sundays for 4 Hours

SOTU: "State Of The Union": 4 hours hosted by John King on Sundays on CNN.

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January 18, 2009
Categories: CNN

CNN’s Klein: King is ‘best of his generation’

CNN President Jon Klein didn’t go light on the praise for John King this afternoon, shortly after the premiere of his new show, “State of the Union." King, he said, is "the best political reporter of his generation.”

“Somebody said to me just before, 'How on Earth do you put on a four-hour-long show,” Klein told guests assembled on the Newseum’s seventh floor.

“I think that was me,” King said from within the crowd.

“And that’s because John was lobbying for eight hours,” Klein responded.

Wolf Blitzer, who’s “Late Edition” was replaced by King’s new show, was busy broadcasting from the Newseum’s roof. That’s a good thing, since much of CNN’s staff was busy enjoying a warm brunch a few floors below.

Within the BPTOT family, there was Anderson Cooper, Ed Henry, Gloria Borger, Dana Bash (aka Mrs. John King), Jamal Simmons, Howard Kurtz and Alex Castellanos.

Some other brunch attendees: Obama's soon-to-be chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, Tammy Haddad, Kevin Madden, Weekly Standard’s Stephen Hayes, Boehner press aide Mike Steele, New York Times Jeff Zeleny, New Republic’s Mike Crowley, and PBS’s Judy Woodruff (formerly at CNN).

With the Capitol building as a backdrop, and crowds already building on Pennsylvania Avenue below, the Inauguration was obviously the hot topic of conversation. But still, the ostensible reason for the spread — from bloody marys to made-to-order omelets — was to toast King’s show, now the first and last word in Sunday talk.

“Four hours goes much more quickly than you would think,” said Sam Feist, CNN’s political director, who now oversees SOTU. “That’s something to keep in mind. We want to have enough time to have longer conversations than you might see on a newscast during the week.”

“I’m the worst person to review myself,” said King, when asked about this morning’s broadcast.

King said that with four hours—including “Reliable Sources—he’s able to conduct lengthy interviews, discuss issues with the network’s political analysts, do segments outside the Beltway, and have a little fun.

“With the time comes an opportunity to have variety and diversity,” King said.

Henry, the new chief White House correspondent, was also on this morning, and talked about looking forward to January 21.

“We always say, ‘from day one he’s got a full plate,’” Henry said. “For the first time the pundits are right. He does have a full plate from day one. A lot of times, it’s a semi-full plate. Day one, it’s going to be intense.”

Henry said he won’t make it to many parties over these next few days, but said that he’s been most excited so far to meet actress Bo Derek, during a soiree at Cafe Milano. “I remember seeing the movie “10” when I was like ten, or probably younger,” Henry said. “I was not supposed to watch it, I think.”

Cooper also said he’s not going to spend much time on the black tie circuit.

“I’m in basic cable,” Cooper said. “It’s like Costco; we work in bulk hours. I was on for nine hours yesterday.”

How does he deal with the frigid temperatures up on the roof?

“Blitzer steals all the heaters, so I was left out in the cold,” he said. “It was fine for about seven hours. By hour eight, my core body temperature had fallen.” (As for sustenance, CNN’s food selection on the roof included mostly cold tuna sandwiches and Clif bars).

Even so, Cooper’s not complaining to be here.

“It’s hard just not to be moved, just by the pageantry of it, and the ritual of it,” Cooper said. “We’re this incredibly young country that was born of rejecting traditions. And yet the few rituals and traditions we have, you really see them play out this week. It’s something that shows the strength of our country, and it’s something that’s nice to take part in.”

Emanuel, Henry, and Cooper, with Obama looming in the background.

By Michael Calderone 05:25 PM

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Congratulations to John King!
Side NOTE: I didn't know that John King and Dana Bash are a couple and I say "¡Salúd! to the two of them. Best wishes!"