• Crain’s New York, Monday, November 23, 2009 10:07 PM

CNN's executives say that the low ratings for "Anderson Cooper 360" and Campbell Brown are not as important as industry observers might think. Advertising on prime-time shows accounts for only 10% of the company's total revenue, they say.

A widely distributed international network and a top news Web site now help drive profits at CNN. "The U.S. network is a very high-profile part of what we do, but we have experienced growth around the world and digitally," says Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. The company's global strategy depends on maintaining an impartial news voice, which is why controversial anchor Lou Dobbs was recently pushed out the door.

Walton says CNN's profits have grown by more than 10% every year since 2003, and the organization is "very close" to achieving double-digit profit growth in 2009. Profit growth this year can be partly attributed to not having to cover a presidential election. Worldwide revenue for 2009 will be flat or slightly down, Walton says. CNN recently opened a production facility in Abu Dhabi and has continued to add employees.

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