CNN's Rick Sanchez Fired; Radio Talk Show Host Tony Katz Campaigns for Job

When news broke on October 1, 2010 that CNN's Rick Sanchez was fired over anti-Semetic remarks, the internet caught fire. On Twitter, some even began a #ricksanchezjobs trend, making mostly sarcastic suggestions for new jobs for the displaced Sanchez.

One man, however, saw beyond the jokes and digs to something more. Radio talk show host Tony Katz of "The Tony Katz Radio Spectacular" saw opportunity. His response to Rick Sanchez's firing was to launch a campaign to fill Sanchez's spot on CNN.

The campaign to become Rick Sanchez's replacement on CNN began while Tony was on the air and first got the news from a listener in the chat room that Rick Sanchez had been fired. After verifying the story, he offered commentary and then began his campaign, with 'campaign promises' to move to Atlanta, Georgia and to become a fan of local teams, including the Atlanta Braves.

Tony loaded a letter to CNN on his Facebook page and asked his listeners and Facebook fans alike to help spread the word about his campaign to replace Rick Sanchez. The letter reads simply, "Dear CNN, Now that Rick Sanchez is gone you have the perfect opportunity to make a new hire, and bring ratings to your network. Hire Tony Katz of All Patriots Media for Rick's time slot, and watch the ratings soar! Thank you"

The question in the minds of some may be whether this is a joke, a publicity stunt or if the outspoken host is serious about wanting the CNN job. His qualifications include his radio talk show; being interviewed by such outlets as FOX News, TIME Magazine, KABC7-Los Angeles, NPR and CNN, among others; his experience as a public speaker and his entrepreneurial background.

Would Tony Katz do well on CNN? If controversy is one key to ratings, there are plenty of people who would tune in just for that factor. Aside from being outspoken, Tony is the creator of the Buy Arizona! Initiative, as well as an organizer for the Los Angeles Tea Party. He is a frequent Tea Party speaker. If it is true that the Tea Party and conservatism represent a vast majority in America, then his presence on CNN could garner ratings from those factors, as well.

Hiring Tony Katz or someone like him to become Rick Sanchez's replacement could be a sound strategic move on the part of CNN, to help 'steal' viewers from the highly rated FOX News and increase their own ratings. Only time will tell what they will do and how seriously they will take Tony Katz's campaign to replace Rick Sanchez.

The Tony Katz Radio Spectacular is broadcast live five days a week on All Patriots Media. Tony also posts "Tony is Talking" clips on the AllPatriotsMedia channel on YouTube. His All Patriots Media bio describes him as "a proud American and capitalist."

*Tony Katz announced on his October 1, 2010 show that he would be renaming the "Tony is Talking" segment and would announce the new name on October 4, 2010.

UPDATE (October 5, 2010): Read the interview with Tony Katz regarding this article, his campaign, CNN and his proposed CNN show format here: "Rick Sanchez Replacement Hopeful Tony Katz Speaks Out."

Sources:

The Tony Katz Radio Spectacular, All Patriots Media. http://allpatriotsmedia.com/chatroom/

Tony Katz. Facebook. October 1, 2010. http://www.facebook.com/tonykatz

Tony is Talking. AllPatriotsMedia Channel. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/AllPatriotsMedia

#RickSanchezJobs. Twitter. http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23RickSanchezJobs Rick Sanchez Fired from CNN. Huffington Post. October 1, 2010. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/01/rick-sanchez-fired-from-c_n_747607.html