CNN's Brown battles Bill O'Reilly, Olbermann and mold

[Guest guest]

CNN's Brown battles Bill O'Reilly, Olbermann and mold

By _ Huff_ (http://www.nydailynews.com/authors/%20Huff)

DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

Thursday, February 26th 2009, 4:00 AM

Eccles

Brown

_CNN_ (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Cable+News+Network+LP+LLLP) anchor

_ Brown_ (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/+Brown) has

become an expert in mold.

She's had no choice.

Just before the inauguration, and after months of struggling with her baby's

unexplained illness, , her child and her husband, _Dan Senor_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Dan+Senor) , were forced to flee their

mold-ridden apartment without their belongings.

" When something like this happens, " Brown told the Daily News, " you become an

expert in toxic mold. But I certainly realized how fortunate that I am, in

this economic climate, that we had the ability to get out. When they said,

'You need to get your baby and get out now,' we were able to get out. "

She's been dealing with the housing issue - she and her family have been in a

hotel since January - while anchoring a nightly show during what has been a

huge news cycle. And never once did she let her problems at home infiltrate

her work.

" I do think, in many ways, [work] was a diversion, " she said.

Last September, her son, _Eli _

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Eli+) (now 14 months old), developed a

cold that wouldn't end.

" It was crazy to me, " Brown said. " The doctors couldn't figure it out. I

would get home at 9:30 or 10, and he would wake himself up with these horrible

coughing attacks. "

But Brown noticed two days into a trip to _Florida_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Florida) , the symptoms stopped.

Later, she spotted something on the wall of their apartment that looked odd.

After some research, she was convinced it was mold - and her son was showing

the symptoms of exposure.

Mold specialists confirmed her findings and had them leave. Once they were

out, her son immediately got better.

" It was the not knowing - and as a mother, to know something's wrong with

your child, you instinctly feel, this wasn't right, " she said. " Finding out,

there was a great sense of relief. "

Brown joined CNN in fall 2007 after an 11-year-run with _NBC_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/NBC+Universal+Inc.) . She began anchoring the

nightly

" Election Center. " She went on maternity leave in December, and returned in

March

2008 to anchor " Brown: No Bias, No Bull, " a nightly, hourlong show.

Like most, it became focused on the election, and now the new administration

and the economy.

Airing at 8 p.m., the show faces _Fox News_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/FOX+News+Network+LLC) ' dominant " _The

O'Reilly Factor_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/The+O'Reilly+Factor) " and " Countdown " on

_MSNBC_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/MSNBC+Interactive+News+LLC) .

Brown said she's had to show more of herself to be competitive in the cable

news field.

" You have to be willing to open yourself up a little more to find an

audience, " she said, " and you have to be willing to push the envelope a little

bit. "

And she's done that on-air, while dealing with turmoil off-camera.

The couple still don't have all of their belongings back, but they expect to

move into a new apartment as soon as this weekend. Brown is due with their

second child in early April. _Roland _

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Roland+) will sub for her while she's

away.

" That's the beauty of our jobs. ... you have a deadline every day, " she said

of balancing work and her home crisis. " Was it a challenge? On certain days,

certainly. But we have a great team of people and they've been really

supportive. "

rhuff@...

Sharon Noonan Kramer

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