In the Arena

[3] In an interview published by The Hollywood Reporter, newly appointed CNN President Ken Jautz said the network was relying heavily on Parker Spitzer and on Piers Morgan replacing Larry King Live to raise ratings with "livelier and more engaging" programming.

"[4] On the show's main news blog, it states that it has the goal of facilitating a "dynamic exchange of opinions, ideas and analyses ... on the most important, compelling and amusing stories of the day".

[1] The show premiered to poor ratings, finishing fourth place among cable news programs in its time slot.

[6]Parker Spitzer arguably has not helped CNN's prime time since, leaving the network with its worst prime-time ratings in 10 years.

After the show's debut episode, The Huffington Post summarized that "[b]y and large, television critics from around the country were scathing in their assessment".

[1] Critics such as James Poniewozik writing for Time have panned the sometimes flirty nature of the back-and-forth between Parker and Spitzer.

The Page Six gossip column in The New York Post stated in early November that Parker had stormed off the set.

[12] The reason for the change in the evening lineup was to showcase anchors who were "experienced reporters in covering stories that span the globe," as stated by CNN's executive vice president.