Kavanagh escapes CNN exodus

It was only October 2008 when former Beacon Journal copy desk chief Jim Kavanagh reported in the BJ Alums blog that CNN was on a hiring binge. Copy editors, designers and people with graphics and photo skills (for a position they call associate producer) and one-person bureaus around the country were being sought.

My, how times change in 13 months.

I got this email today from Jim that tells a starkly different story:

“A large number of people were laid off this afternoon from CNN.com Live, including a few whom I consider friends.”

The staff memo from CNN senior vice president K.C. Estenson said:

“We will no longer produce anchor-driven, continuous live video programming on CNN.com; and instead, are shifting resources to create a unit focused on streaming major live events, producing video packages especially for CNN.com and increasing our overall on-demand offering.”

Jim’s email continued:

“For those who may be concerned, I am not a part of Dotcom Live, so my job appears to be secure for now.

“Keep the faith.”

Joining the exodus from CNN is high-profile Lou Dobbs, 64, the last of the 29-year-old CNN's original anchors still with the network. Dobbs attracted controversy over his strong opinions, particularly on America’s immigration policy.

CNN correspondent John King, “State of the Union” anchor for the cable news network, will get Dobbs’ time slot for a show devoted to political coverage. CNN President Jonathan Klein said King's program "will reflect what CNN is all about: straight facts from our anchors and the widest range of opinions from across the political spectrum." No more Dobbs hammering away about illegal aliens and jobs leaving America.

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In a later email from Jim:

The CNN.com layoff dust settled with 10 people sent packing, including all the anchors. It could have been much worse; CNN laid off 400 people a few years ago, 80 of them at Dotcom.

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Kavanagh left the Beacon Oct. 13, 2006 and began at CNN Nov. 6 as a web writer. He had been with the BJ for 15 years after five years at Knight-Ridder's Fort Wayne (Indiana) News-Sentinel. He became BJ deputy copy desk chief in 1992 and was promoted to copy desk chief in October 1999.

Newspapers are in Jim’s blood. His dad was a copy boy and cub reporter at the Detroit News before moving on to other things. His paternal grandfather was a reporter and city editor at the News in the 1920s and '30s. Jim’s dad's maternal grandfather owned a print shop in Bay City, Mich., and founded the Bay City Democrat newspaper.

None of Jim’s 10 siblings went into newspaper work.

Jim Kavanah has a blog, “The Freakin’ Deacon,” about faith. You can find it at

http://www.binker731.blogspot.com

For CNN’s story on the departure of Lou Dobbs, go to

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/12/john.king.show/index.html

To find previous BJ Alums postings involving Jim, go to the white “B” on orange background at the top left of this blog, and type

Jim Kavanagh

into the white rectangle to the right of the white “B” and click on the magnifying glass.

For photos of Kavanagh, click on the headline.