Spitzer, who resigned in March 2008, 14 months into his term as New York governor amid a prostitution scandal, began his nightly show on CNN in October. CNN reshuffled its schedule moving Anderson Cooper’s flagship newscast into the tough 8 p.m. time slot and eliminating Spitzer’s “In the Arena” program.
Spitzer signed off his show Wednesday, saying it would be his last. He ended with a quotation from President Theodore Roosevelt praising people who get “in the arena” to try to improve society, a passage he said inspired the name for his show. CNN talked to Spitzer about staying with the network as a commentator, but he decided not to. “We engaged serious people in conversations about national and global issues in a way that was informative and challenging,” Spitzer said.