Update: John King to Replace Lou Dobbs; Focus Will Be on Political News - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com

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By BRIAN STELTER

John King will anchor an ambitious new 7 p.m. hour of political news for CNN beginning early next year, the network said Thursday.

The announcement came a day after Lou Dobbs abruptly announced that he was quitting his CNN anchor job immediately. Until Mr. King begins his new assignment, a rotating cast of anchors will fill in at 7 p.m. on an interim program called “CNN Tonight.”

Mr. King is currently the anchor of “State of the Union,” CNN’s Sunday political news show. Previously the cable news channel’s chief national correspondent, Mr. King became better known during last year’s presidential election when he dissected election results on his touch-screen “Magic Wall.”

In moving Mr. King to a weekday time slot, CNN will seek to improve its dismal evening ratings. According to Nielsen, CNN ranked third among cable news channels in the 7 p.m. hour in October, mirroring its other prime-time declines.

The new political news hour is an affirmation of CNN’s straightforward news strategy at a time when its cable news rivals, the Fox News Channel and MSNBC, are drawing bigger audiences with opinionated programs.

“John doing that show is obviously a statement about the importance of real nonpartisan news to CNN, and also the importance of political coverage to CNN,” Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN/U.S., told employees on a conference call Thursday morning.

Mr. Klein added, according to an employee who transcribed the call, “Having made a statement that we’re all about nonpartisan journalism and outstanding journalism, we have to live up to that. We have got the hardest mission.”

Mr. King will remain the anchor of “State of the Union” until early in 2010. CNN did not identify a replacement for him.

Only 10 months ago, CNN rebuilt its Sunday morning schedule around Mr. King, giving him four hours for interviews and debates. The channel’s media criticism show “Reliable Sources,” hosted by The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz, is now shown within “State of the Union.”

In a clear contrast to the outspoken Mr. Dobbs, Mr. King, a former Associated Press writer, is known for his straightforward style. CNN called the forthcoming 7 p.m. program “a definitive political hour that goes well beyond the surface of the day’s top stories to provide in-depth analysis and context to key political movements in Washington and across the nation.” CNN’s chief competitors at that hour are Fox News Channel’s Shepard Smith, a news anchor, and a political commentator, Chris Matthews, on MSNBC.

“John embodies what we are striving for at CNN -– he is steadfast in his objective and nonpartisan political reporting and has the passion for chasing down stories that really matter to Americans,” Mr. Klein said in an e-mail message to staff members.

In a statement, Mr. King said, “There is a lot of noise and conflict in our political discourse, which is fun to cover, but I’m convinced from my travels that people also thirst for more details as well as insight and context. I’m looking forward to combining those conversations with top newsmakers, smart reporting and expert analysis.”

Update: 1:33 p.m.: Mr. King has spoken to The A.P. about his new job:

He said Thursday that he wants his show to bring more depth to issues, to get beyond a phrase like “public option” to explain what it really means. There will be provocative discussions, and guests with many different opinions will be welcomed.

“I’m going to do what I think needs to be done,” he said. “I think over time that viewers, if they compare and contrast, will be getting more meat” from his show than his competitors.