Paula Zahn, one of my favorite newswomen in the prime time CNN slot, is leaving CNN and is expected to announce her departure today.

I am not a huge fan but I certainly do appreciate her work in the wake of the 9/11 and aftermath. When she moved to her own primetime slot and stood beside stalwarts like Larry King & Anderson Cooper on CNN a few years back, I felt she brought a much needed balance to the typical CNN evening - what with her different political & social perspectives, her personality and her great smile, not to mention those lovely ear rings she wears once in a while ;).

One of my personal favorites in her show, not that she never had her own tongue biters, was when she went to a marine base right before election day in 2004 to have the nation hear from the families of soldiers fighting in Iraq. Not that I wanted Bush to win or something, but it felt like that act brought a balance to an otherwise tilted CNN evening. It helped me hear from people that thought most of this country’s response to an attack on its home soil. Did I mention the ear rings ?

I donot know for now if it is CNN singing Dont leave me and Paula Zahn singing Walk away or vice versa yet. I hope the blogosphere will soon reveal.