Online media entrepreneur and news executive Jonathan Klein has joined the CNN News Group as president of CNN/U.S., it was announced today by Jim Walton, president of CNN News Group. In his new position, Klein will oversee CNN’s domestic news network, creating programming and shaping the editorial tone and direction of CNN/U.S. He will be based at the CNN offices in New York, reporting to Walton.

“Jon is among the next generation of news-industry leaders who are focused on the future of our business and getting there first,” said Walton. “At CBS, he re-energized the newsmagazine genre and explored network reality programming years ahead of the pack. With The FeedRoom, he developed a model for broadband content delivery that has both journalistic integrity and economic viability. He’s both a consummate journalist and proven innovator for whom an organization with the visibility and resources of CNN is the ultimate creative and leadership assignment. I am delighted he has chosen CNN as the place to make his next professional mark and look forward to working with him to make CNN/U.S. an even more vital source of news and information.”

“Six years steeped in the digital information industry have helped me understand today’s news consumers in ways never before available to media executives,” said Klein. “I can’t wait to begin working with CNN’s world-class journalists to apply those insights and create an even more relevant, reliable and trusted news network.”

Princell Hair, who had served as executive vice president and general manager of CNN/U.S., is assuming a new role as senior vice president of program and talent development, working across the entire CNN News Group portfolio of television networks and businesses.

Klein joins CNN from The FeedRoom Inc., where as founder and chief executive officer he oversaw the world’s largest broadband news network and one of the top video streamers. The FeedRoom builds broadband Web sites for Fortune 1000 companies, providing everything from backend technology and content expertise to advertising sales support and data reporting. The FeedRoom’s clients include ESPN, NBC Universal, CBS Sportsline, Tribune Television and Newspapers, Reuters, USA Today and Business Week, as well as General Motors, Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, General Mills and the United States Department of Defense.

From early 1996 through 1998, Klein was executive vice president of CBS News, where his executive oversight included 60 Minutes and other CBS newsmagazine programs, as well as CBS News Productions, the off-net production house that created some 800 hours of programming per year for cable and home video markets. While at CBS, he was instrumental in creating rapid-response breaking-news, guest-booking and cross-platform promotion units for the news division. Klein also brought CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to 60 Minutes as a contributor; redesigned 48 Hours; and launched two innovative newsmagazine shows, Coast to Coast and the award-winning Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel.

Klein began his career at CBS as a news writer and editor on CBS Nightwatch and went on to produce CBS Morning News and CBS Weekend News; 48 Hours; the network’s live coverage of the Gulf War; and Before Your Eyes, an innovative series of films that he also conceived and directed for CBS Entertainment featuring real-life stories as they unfolded.

Klein, who graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a degree in history, counts among his professional honors two Peabody Awards and three Emmy Awards. He wrote the script for the TNT Original film historical drama The Buffalo Soldiers.

CNN, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. Its reach extends to 15 cable and satellite television networks; two private place-based networks; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; six Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; and CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service.