Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, Audie Cornish Get New Timeslots as CNN Shakes Up TV Lineup
CNN is getting a revamped lineup, with a number of familiar faces moving to new roles or time periods. Eric Sherling, CNN’s executive vp of programming, announced the changes in a memo to CNN staff Thursday.
The new lineup was unveiled just hours after CNN CEO Mark Thompson outlined job cuts and a digital-first strategy for the venerable cable news channel.
Among the changes: The Lead anchor Jake Tapper will move to 5-7 p.m., filling a critical early primetime period for news; Kasie Hunt will host The Arena at 4 p.m.; Audie Cornish will join CNN This Morning at 6 a.m.; Rahel Solomon will host 5 Things at 5 a.m.; and Wolf Blitzer and Pamala Brown will move to the 10 a.m. timeslot with a new version of The Situation Room.
There is no word on what will happen to Jim Acosta, the current 10 a.m. anchor who, according to multiple reports, has been asked to anchor a new late night time period.
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As Thompson wrote earlier Thursday, “We’re also streamlining and adjusting some important aspects of how we produce our TV programming going forward.
“The changes we made in morning programming a year ago both improved performance and reduced costs,” he added. “Building on that successful experiment and with similar objectives in mind, we now plan to change the way we deliver programming elsewhere in the schedule.”
That will include shifting some production — particular control room production — from New York and Washington D.C. to CNN’s Atlanta hub.
CNN says that the new lineup will roll out over the next few weeks.
The new lineup is below:
