Could CNN be looking for a hard news newscast to replace ‘Cuomo Prime Time’?

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CNN could be considering a more traditional live newscast at 9 p.m. to replace “Cuomo Prime Time.”

That information was mentioned briefly in an Axios report about the apparently stagnant launch of CNN+, the network’s streaming service.

Cuomo Prime Time” was canceled in late 2021 when CNN fired former anchor Chris Cuomo for multiple alleged violations of company ethics policies involving him allegedly providing advice and assistance to his brother Andrew Cuomo, the now. former New York governor taken down by a sexual misconduct scandal. Andrew Cuomo denies the allegations.

CNN recently become the property of Warner Bros. Discovery who had previously expressed interest in toning down the network’s political programming and moving more toward middle-of-the-road news programs instead of personality-driven opinion programming.

For several years, CNN has attempted to fire back against the threat from Fox’s right-leaning cable network with shows that take on a decidedly different viewpoint. This strategy was partially fueled by a ratings spike the network saw after Donald Trump took office in 2017 that also saw Fox losing viewers.

However, the numbers eventually went mostly back to the way they were and the 9 p.m. hour is especially competitive and lucrative in cable news.

As it stands as of April 2022, Fox’s top-rated “Hannity” dominates the ratings, with MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” coming in second.

However, “Maddow” is scheduled to become a weekly show later in 2022 and the network has yet to announce its plans for the other four days of the week, which CNN could see as an opportunity to introduce viewers to something different besides analysis and opinion.

At one time, MSNBC aired “The News with Brian Williams” at 9 p.m. eastern, billed as an hour-long primetime newscast that was able to provide more depth than a traditional news broadcast. It drew heavily on the resources of NBC News and “NBC Nightly News” but was eventually moved up an hour to 8 p.m.

Since “Cuomo” was canceled, the network has been airing “CNN Tonight” and special programming in the hour, including trying out some new talent.

There’s also been buzz that the network could bring in Chris Wallace or Kasie Hunt, two of the biggest names it poached from competitors to launch CNN+, to host a show on CNN’s main channel, though it’s not clear what time they could be assigned.

At least one report indicated that Wallace is lobbying for a CNN show due to low viewership on CNN+. His “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” which appears to closely share a “Larry King Live” format, has been one of the more popular titles on CNN+ according to various sources.

However, both and Hunt could potentially host programs on both services.