CNN could be eying a variety of schedule changes: Sources

By Michael P. Hill January 17, 2025

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Unconfirmed reports indicate that CNN is looking to shake up its programming schedule.

According to a report first published by Status citing unnamed sources, the network has been in discussions to move longtime anchor Wolf Blitzer to a morning timeslot to co-anchor with Pamela Brown. Blitzer currently anchors “The Situation Room” at 6 p.m. eastern. Status is authored by former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy.

CNN declined to comment to the Status or NewscastStudio about the report, saying it does not comment on speculation.   

The new schedule could potentially see Blitzer and Brown anchoring for two hours, possibly under “The Situation Room” banner, though no official announcements about any of these reported changes have been made.

No specific timeslot was named for the potential Blitzer-Brown show, or if the network might attempt to market it as its new morning show, though potentially committing such high-profile talent to the effort could be indicative of its status. 

The Status also reports that CNN may move “CNN This Morning” anchor Kasie Hunt to evenings. Meanwhile, a separate report indicated that “CNN Newsroom” anchor Jim Acosta has been approached to anchor a two-hour block starting at midnight eastern time. Other sources note that moving Acosta, who frequently sparred with the first Trump administration’s press team, could garner backlash if viewers feel he’s being shifted off the daytime schedule.

CNN is reportedly looking to target more west coast and international viewers with the potential new show, which would start at 9 p.m. in the Pacific time zone. The show, if launched, would replace repeats of CNN primetime programming and represent an expansion in production of original news programming by the network. Another aspect of the scenario would have Acosta relocating to Los Angeles, though this is unconfirmed. 

Back in the morning, if Hunt were to move, her early morning block could be turned over to Rahel Solomon at 5 a.m. and Audie Cornish at 6 a.m., possibly moving “CNN NewsCentral” back an hour. Under this scenario, Blitzer and Brown would presumably anchor from 7 to 9 a.m., the traditional time for network morning news. 

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If this were to take shape, the network would need to either shorten “NewsCentral” or drop another program, which could be Acosta’s hour, according to Status sources. 

The afternoon and evening schedule could also shift to move “The Lead” an hour later, according to Variety reporting. It was not immediately clear where Hunt’s show might be placed, assuming she is moved off mornings, or if that could affect the runtime of “The Lead,” which is currently two hours. 

CNN’s current schedule is the result of a February 2024 shakeup that saw the network cancel its morning newscast “CNN This Morning” (and recycle the name for Hunt’s block, which was previously known as “Early Start“). At the same time, Hunt began anchoring two hours leading directly into the morning installment of “CNN NewsCentral.” Acosta’s block of “Newsroom” also debuted at this time.

It’s worth noting that CNN also had Blitzer filling in at 11 a.m. for Brown during part of 2024, who was on family leave at the time the new schedule rolled out, so he’s already had a taste of a wider presence on the network outside his evening timeslot.

Blitzer, who is turning 77, has been with CNN since 1990 and executives are said to like his approach to handling breaking news, which could be a key factor in any new program he anchors. “The Situation Room” was originally a longer program but was cut down to an hour in 2021 to make room for another hour of “The Lead.” 

Blitzer briefly anchored “The Newscast” for CNN+.

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