CNN announces major programming, anchor changes

By Michael P. Hill Article may include affiliate links

CNN has announced another major programming and talent shakeup that extends across its entire schedule.

“The new lineup showcases the breadth and depth of CNN’s journalism, with shows anchored by some of the network’s most celebrated journalists alongside new opportunities for some of CNN’s most enterprising next generation talent,” the network said in a statement.

Specific dates for the changes were not announced.

The changes represent a second round of significant programming changes since Warner Bros. Discovery took over the network in 2022, having previously announced dayside changes with the launch of “CNN This Morning” and two blocks of “CNN News Central.”

Those changes were spearheaded by then-CEO Chris Licht, who departed the network earlier this summer. Many of the changes Licht made have failed to gain traction and the network continues to underperform in the ratings.

Beyond a Gayle King and Charles Barkley-helmed limited series, it’s not clear how many of these changes might have been in the works under Licht.

In primetime, changes include:

• Abby Phillip will begin anchoring a new show titled “CNN NewsNight” at 10 p.m. from New York, “taking a smart and sharp approach to the day’s driving stories, drawing on her reporting background to present and contextualize the news across a wide range of subject matters.” Phillip will move off “Inside Politics Sunday.”
• Laura Coates will also launch a new 11 p.m. show called “Laura Coates Live.” Anchoring from Washington, D.C., her show will showcase “legal, social, political and cultural stories, leveraging her significant experience as a prosecutor and relentless pursuit of the facts to anchor lively conversations with newsmakers, thought leaders and personalities across the spectrum.”
• As previously announced, Gayle King and Charles Barkley will co-host a 9 p.m. limited series called “King Charles” on Wednesdays. “The show will feature freewheeling, authentic and dynamic conversations, centered around the people and events shaping our culture.”
• Alisyn Camerota, who had been anchoring during primetime, is being taken off the anchor desk and will focus on reporting for the network’s long-form unit, including “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.”
• “OutFront with Erin Burnett,” “Anderson Cooper 360” and “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” will remain at 7, 8 and 9 p.m., respectively.

Morning and dayside changes include:

• Kasie Hunt will became anchor of “Early Start,” the network’s early morning newscast that airs from 4 to 6 a.m. Hunt was hired from NBC News where she had been anchoring “Way Too Early” on MSNBC. CNN hired her to anchor a daily show on its short-lived streamer CNN+ and since then she has been making limited appearances across the network. She replaces Christine Romans, who left the network in July 2023, reportedly headed to NBC.
• Phil Mattingly will join Poppy Harlow as the co-anchor of “CNN This Morning.” Mattingly has been a regular fill-in since the network fired Harlow’s original co-anchor Don Lemon and moved Kaitlan Collins to primetime.
• Pamela Brown will anchor “The Bulletin”  for the network out of Washington, taking an hour from “CNN NewsCentral.”

Weekends are also seeing some changes:

• Victor Blackwell will anchor a Saturday morning show at 8 a.m. called “First of All with Victor Blackwell.”
• The network will also launch “The Chris Wallace Show” at 10 a.m. Saturdays in addition to continuing to host “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”
• Christiane Amanpour will also anchor for an hour at 11 a.m. Saturdays.
• Manu Raju will take over “Inside Politics Sunday” at 11 a.m. Sundays.
• The network will continue to repeat “Fareed Zakaria GPS” and “State of the Union” later in the day Sundays.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the show “The Bulletin” would replace. It is an hour of “CNN NewsCentral.”