Following Up on News Broken Yesterday

We received word almost at the same time other news organizations got it...but our source was Rick Sanchez on CNN via Twitter.

Lou Dobbs, who has been at CNN through almost its entire existence, announced rather abruptly he was leaving his TV program last night.

Dobbs helped launch CNN in 1980. He hosted "Moneyline" from that time until 1999 - when he abruptly left to found SPACE.com, which he ran until 2001.

Dobbs then returned to CNN, where he became anchor and managing editor of "Moneyline News Hour", which became the program he now leaves, "Lou Dobbs Tonight". He had positioned himself as an independent, "lashing out at what he described as the deficiencies and "partisan nonsense" of both major political parties, and injecting advocacy journalism into his coverage of topics ranging from free trade to immigration," as CNN says in their coverage of the longtime anchor's departure.

There's no replacement named yet, but it must be assumed some programming will air in the 7-8 PM slot on CNN.

Dobbs, meanwhile, continues his radio show, as we noted overnight via Twitter.

That show, "The Lou Dobbs Show", airs to 160 affiliates nationwide via United Stations Radio Networks, including stations in Lexington (96.1 WLXO-FM/Stamping Ground, KY) and Dayton(we're not sure, but his site lists 2, one being 1490 WKBV-AM/Richmond, Indiana as a signal so we're guessing it's that one, on a delayed clearance. The other is not in existence). It lists FOUR stations in Columbus.

But - there's a problem with those Columbus listings...namely, 1 out of those four no longer exists in the talk incarnation under which they carried Dobbs while we're unable to find his presence on one. WVKO-AM 1230/Columbus is a Fox Sports Radio affiliate now and has been for some time. Meanwhile, we can find no evidence of his presence on WATH-AM 970/Athens. That doesn't mean he doesn't air there - we just can't find him on their schedule. WATH mostly airs oldies during the day.

That makes his lone Central Ohio affiliate WCLT-AM 1430/Newark (along with the sister FM 100.3 WCLT-FM's HD3 signal which simulcasts the AM). And considering that 1430 there operates 500 watts daytime and 48 watts at night, they need that 50kW HD3 signal.

Anyway, our point is: Dobbs leaving his TV program suddenly causes a mad scramble for CNN to fill that 7 PM hour. Who do they take?

Our guess (and uneducated at that): Campbell Brown will have her program extended to a 2 hour show, beginning tonight.

We don't see them taking Wolf Blitzer and "The Situation Room" to a 4 hour slot.

The other possibility would have Blitzer's program moved to 5-8 PM, with Sanchez's "CNN Newsroom" taking a second hour at 4PM.

We'll let you know this evening...