It was an ominous email sent out to staffers by CNN News group chairman Tom Johnson and president Phil Kent: expect aggressive changes in the news operations next year as the network plans the merger of Time Warner with AOL. One of the major changes involves putting each employee's performance under a microscope. 

"Expect a detailed and wide-ranging announcement early in the new year," read the e-mail. "In the coming weeks, we will consider the talents, skills and potential of each employee." 

The two senior executives first praised the CNN news team's election coverage, which sent its viewership soaring. "As you know, this is a time of change here at CNN," the email went on to say. "Aggressive programming changes. Aggressive changes in the way we gather the news and bring it to our viewers." 

Apparently, the email has sent butterflies flitting about in CNN executives and journos stomachs. Who said restructuring was ever easy!!