Paula Zahn

Paula Zahri . to be hi 'y MICIlAEL GlLTZ iii, i:, l'lIl1\' :II Fox N.'wI-I ('hulI­ IH·1. "II'~ "n'lly I'nl'l,Y, sHlul­ wirhcd here bl'twcCll cunvcn­ tions," admits Pllliln :1 illll~~I\\(':':'I~~ ~h~a~'~~~~(:l;;:t~~:)'t~ 1,:I •• ncl's ('oln'entilll1 cuv('ragc nnd ,.,:-:1 III' I,hc dail'y hard IIcw:.Jinlcr· i,,\\' :-:hllw "The Edge with PauJa ,a 1111," :-hc's becume thc farc or Fox ;('ws Channcl.</p><p> And lhnt race is smiling anc!" lIt'ir strullg showing at last week's "nl.wtioll ill Phil:ull·lphia, W.· ('ollld .. '! ht· happic· ..... t':I.\'~ IIII' t I-ycar-old Zahn, "The Hepuhlicall IIm'ellUulI is the first convention '.'I'\'C' hac..l a crack at. covering, The It'! t.hat wc I'csoundingly heat .ISNUC :1nd come duse to tying 'NN in ~erl,~in tinll' :-;1t)1~ is vcry IH'.'llraglllg, "J" f . " ' ?1~')""1' I 'I NEW YORK POST, SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2000 Thnf'c triumph s arc mure rUII til dil'\('u:-\:-\ tlmll tht, (It'l'l'llnially thi!"fl­ .. llIn·d "CUR ThiH Mun,inJ{,M !--Ilorc when Fox New!'! Channel dan­ J.:Il'rl i!s ofTI'!" ofvrinlt'lillll' TV :Illd:1 1'1'1111'11 hI ~'U\'I'rill l! hn'lIkillJ! IIt'\\,I-I, wllid.</p><p> ZIIIII. cu­ hOHh·d 101" ~ix yean" with Hany Smith, "My daughter had a very distorted . notion of what mommy's life was like.</p><p> She told her nursery school teacher that her mother lived in a box." Zuhu I .. plt IIII' plulI~l' inlu cuhlc alltl expreSSl''I UIl(Ji ~- ~'\liscd fif goud. l1utul't'd) gll'C tl1:1t ens's inrusinn (Ir cnsh :lIId mll:-~i\'( ' "rnUlI,t i'lIlal supPfJI1 ha!'n't helped the show si m'c IlI'r dep:1rlul'c, Born in Omaha and rnisC'd -in n Chi('ago subul'h, Zahn worked her way !oltcndily thmllgh thc local ncws ranks to snag a spot wit h ABC, She then jUIllI>cd at the nne chnllrc or a ~Itlt 1111 n lIt'1work lllurninJ; ncws show, only to wurk under n pCI"petu:t1 doud orilld c(:isi\'CIl(,~~ at CIIS, She and Smith ullilll:ltl'ly ('<",,'cd out a thinking -per!'lIn's nit-hc, nut it was dear mOl"e th:mgcs w('rc in "I am so pnHHI ur Ill\' r('conlllll'r t',~ sill' s;i\'~, "11: .. ..-" nllt! I IHid I h., IUTl'I~c:--:t "" 11 of nil)' {('am in CBS morning hi:-:to.-v nnd tlur ratings "'l're significantl,\'-high­ ('r th:111 (,BS' art' tud:ly,M SlIl"s e\'en proudC'r or her IIl'W hUllll"S l'O\'t'l'agt' of tht.' l'Wl\'l'nl illllo.:, dl'''pilc n:1y~n.ve rs who iJ1si~l these ('\'I'lIls h:l\'t, !wen l'f'Cilll'f'4'i til glori­ Ii.·d illi'"l1 'lt'inh~, "TIH' ",\'lIin~ willlllwuyt-lllll:tli' t'(lV­ t,.-ing II conn'ntion is n wllsle III' time, that it'~ wh('11 the party is !-lcl!­ ing its wores, I find thnt urgull1t'nt very hnrd tujll~tify, "\Ve had nu idea what Condclcez:1 Hil'C' or ('ulln Powl'II Wt·l'C' going to S:1l', 'ju!'t think you tcJuld can)' that :1rgumcnt tu ridil'ulous extremes, "What. you dOll" cm't'I' thc inau· guratillll bc('nu:o:t' yuu knuw whal's going til hapPl'1l minutc-hy·minute? II's .. hslII'd,- Znhll puilllt.'dly rt,rt'r!-t 10 thl'ir work as "Iilir nnd very hulan ccd,~ citing the net· w(lrk's marketing pitdl hut also an indicntio n she's mnm.' t h:1t some helievt' Fox News (,'1I;III1H'1 It'ans 10 the right. (Fox News Chanllel i~ ownf'd hv N('ws CnrpnrntiuTl, 1!1f' owners -of Ihi..; lU'WI-II':tIWI" A~k,·d dill'~"I\' IIlId ~III' '~n\'l'I :lilll' ply, ''1'111 HIIlIl:-:(:d ('vt'ry tim.: I 111'U!' that, I osk pL'fJple who say that. to give mc an examplt., or wherc tll('Y see something hirised on my show_ "No one who hmi c\'('r nwde thal charge can ever ('OlnC lip wilh :1 real cx~mple orwhm thcy think i~ a bias to the l'ighl." It was nn is~uc Zohn t.reatt'd "('IT seriously before making h('" dl'l"· sion to join Fux News Chanllel. "Clearly when you hear stories likl' thnt \'(I\! W:lllt to KIHI\\' whet ht'l' t h~'rl' is any ha~is f~'r thcm," says Zahn, who dl:s(,'l"i "e~ the editorioJ pI'OCc~ ,C\ n~ virtually the same as it was at I\IJC and CllS. "UC'forc I came to inlt'r\'iew with Sl't.' ZAHN 0/1 l'agt' 10(; 106 NEW YORK POST, SUNDAY, AUGUST I ~sr.r ';~~·-~· ~ .. ,.. ~ ! ··t1· ... :.t,· ... ~·.,W:lt<i'" iIf'!· .......... . .. '-. -." .... ;~ '.~ , Paula Zahn (lop, interviewing 'Oklahoma -Gov.</p><p> Frank Keating'during last month's " . "GOP convention) Is relieved she no . longer has to call some network suit to get permission to break in with 8 news <' bulletin: How'she 'Iooked (at right) when:~ -c she broke jn with ABC News In early . ..... 980s::Bryant Gumbel (above) who , -replaced her, still hasn't been able to .' • I" 1 .. ·.. • -:' ,. ~ \ ;' , .I :'\ .:'\ 'J ,-.:1 ~ I -? ~tch ·:UP. to her ratings. ,: . , .... -, -! On Ll I)Creonnl lovel, the lronsi-"My duug-hler hod u vory diKwrl-ZAHN {rom Page 1U6 • 1 Roger Ailes, I spent a lot of time tion has been even sweeter. cd notion of what mommY'8 life watching Fox News Channel to "'That alarm clock was like when I was t make sure I had 8 comfort level no longer goes ofT . doing the morning 1 with what was being put on the at 4:30 in the "Harry [Smith] and news.</p><p> She told her air.</p><p> I really think '. some of those morning; ; laughs I h d th I t nursery," school charges COll)e out of marketing Zohn, who is mar-a e onges run teacher .thot. her jealousy." _ ried and has three· .o.t,any team in CBS mbo°x·t,~er hved 1D a I Now, Zahn says, some of her co-children."' have to workers bock at the networks are confess, it 'took a morning history and Best of all. that jealous of her opportunity to cover good year for my • personal . satisfac· breaking news without having to body not to natu-our ratmgs were tion comes from a' "phone a vice president of enter-rally woke up at significantly higher . career decision ~hot tainment and g~~ permission to that time. seems more nght . break into regu l~pTOgramm ing, "AIl.er 10 yeors on than CBS' are today." every day. ~hi8 transition J108 bean unbc-that shift, there's ~wenty years lievably good for me," says Zahn. no way out of it. ago," says Zahn, "When I came to Fox I walked into But six o'clock is a lot more rcason- "those of us' in network news were some major -stories.</p><p> My, first four· able thon 4:30. highly cynical about cable.</p><p> We months' here, W81!' broke out in "I have n life for the first time in weren't convinced cable would Rosavo; we had the Columbin e' many:many years," she say~ . ever have an impact. on the news massacre; the Atlanta shootings "Clearly I travel and wo,'k some business. ~. .. and that horrible series of tornados very long hours, But my kids actu-"And guess what folks. that's we saw throughout the Midwest." aUy know who I am now," she jokes. where the action is today." . ,