CNN is cutting back on its morning news production. The network is overhauling its entire A.M. schedule as the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable news outlet struggles with low ratings.
Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly, co-anchors of “CNN This Morning,” will leave the show, while Kasie Hunt’s early-morning show will be extended by an hour.
Her show, “Early Start,” will air from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and will take the title “CNN This Morning.” CNN will then reschedule “CNN News Central,” hosted by John Berman, Kate Bolduan, and Sara Sidner, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., with Jim Acosta and Pamela Brown taking over new hours at 10 and 11 a.m.
According to CNN CEO Mark Thompson’s note to employees, the changes mean that “we will no longer produce morning programming in New York and will disband the team that currently produces CNN This Morning in that city.” “Our primetime and weekend programming from New York will continue,” Thompson added.
CNN would find new roles for Harlow and Mattingly. Mattingly has been told that he will be based in New York, but sources say Harlow and CNN are still in talks. The current morning plans were put into action.
Mattingly recently moved his large family to New York for the assignment, and Harlow has served as a steady presence in the mornings despite an era of behind-the-scenes chaos at the network under its owner, Warner Bros. Discovery.
The decision appears to mark the end of CNN’s years-long effort to run a New York-based morning program that attempted to compete directly with A.M. behemoths like “Today” and “Good Morning America,” as well as more direct counterparts like Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
CNN has had several failed morning shows, including “American Morning” and “Starting Point.” Former CNN President Jeff Zucker attempted to revive the effort in 2013 by launching “New Day” alongside Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.
At the time, he compared the show to “when we put together the ‘Today’ show team in 1996, with Katie and Matt,” referring to the powerhouse morning show duo of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, who propelled the NBC program to ratings heights.
The show gained traction under Cuomo and a different co-anchor, Alisyn Camerota, especially during Donald Trump’s presidency. Later, Berman and Brianna Keilar took the reins of the show.
When Warner Bros. Discovery took over, it attempted to inject a more relaxed tone into the programming, and a new CNN president, Chris Licht, attempted to launch a new trio in the form of A.M.
Harlow, Don Lemon, and Katilan Collins. The group did not work together well. Lemon was eventually fired from CNN after a lengthy career, and Collins was assigned to primetime, leaving Harlow to soldier on.
The current season of “CNN This Morning” will end in the coming weeks.
Brown will begin in her new hour after returning from maternity leave, and Wolf Blitzer will take over until she is prepared.
It was not clear how CNN’s plans would impact other areas of distribution. “CNN This Morning” was now also available on CNN Max, the company’s new streaming service, and HLN, its former sister cable channel.
Read Also – Is Community Leaving Netflix? But it’s not All Bad News
