CNN is redesigning its programming with new programs
After a year of boardroom unrest and declining ratings, CNN is rethinking its programming.
The cable news network, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Monday that it will be tapping several veterans — including Chris Wallace, Christiane Amanpour and Kasie Hunt — into the presenter roles.
Senior Political Correspondent Abby Phillip will host an evening show from New York at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. Phillip was the anchor of the Sunday show Inside Politics, which is being taken on by Congress chief correspondent Manu Raju.
The changes come after a year in which CNN saw a significant viewership decline under former CEO Chris Licht. His priority was to position the station more in the middle politically in order to attract conservative viewers. At the same time, Licht has had to cut costs at the network as parent company WBD is under pressure to reduce its debt.
Prime-time ratings were already declining when light arrived in 2022, shortly after CNN announced the departure of its top-rated prime-time host, Chris Cuomo, who was fired for advising his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on dealings with sexual harassment complaints against him.
Licht also moved host Don Lemon from prime time to host “CNN This Morning,” further disrupting viewing habits. Lemon was then fired in April.
Licht was ousted from CNN in June after a series of blunders. A team of experienced CNN executives runs the network, with David Leavy, a close associate of WBD executive David Zaslav, serving as chief operating officer.
Phillip will be joined by Legal Analyst Laura Coates at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
Hunt — who was poached by NBC News to work at CNN+, the streaming channel that shut down a few weeks after it launched — is the new host of the daily morning show Early Start. The show’s former hosts, Laura Jarrett and Christine Romans, recently left the network to join NBC News.
Wallace also joined as a host on a CNN+ show that eventually moved to cable channel and streaming platform Max. He will take on additional duties on Saturday and will moderate a roundtable program with reporters and commentators at 10am. Wallace will continue to conduct his weekly interview program, Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?
Wallace is followed by a new show starring Amanpour, a channel fixture known for its international coverage.
The network also named Chief White House Correspondent Phil Mattingly Poppy Harlow to co-host CNN This Morning, taking over from Kaitlan Collins, who remains the 9 p.m. Eastern host.
Pamela Brown, chief investigative correspondent, gets a broadcast daily at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Victor Blackwell, co-host of the weekend edition of “CNN This Morning,” is getting a Saturday program that focuses on issues affecting people of color.
