CNN sets premiere for new L.A.-based show

CNN has announced the title and premiere date for its new evening and overnight news program.

CNN hires L.A.-based anchor Elex Michaelson

“The Story Is with Elex Michaelson” will debut Oct. 27, 2025, at midnight eastern from the network’s Los Angeles bureau. It runs two hours until 2 a.m. eastern.

Back in September, CNN announced it had hired Elex Michaelson, a L.A. news personality, to helm the new show, which had not yet received a title.

While “The Story Is” is essentially an overnight news program for many viewers in the east and central time zones, it corresponds to 9 p.m. Pacific time and 10 p.m. mountain time, giving the network a way to deliver fresh content in a time period when most cable news is repeating prime time programming from earlier.

The show will also simulcast on CNN International. The timeslot lines up with mornings in much of Europe and midday to early afternoon for Asia.

Along with the premiere announcement, CNN also released key art for the show, which appears to hint at the show’s logo and general look.

The logo features the show title set in what appears to be italic Proxima using faux small caps. 

Under this, the host’s name appears in CNN Sans all caps. 

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Playing homage to its L.A. broadcast location, “The Story Is” appears to focus its look on a dramatic nighttime scene of the L.A. skyline, with the iconic U.S. Bank tower roughly in the middle.

A similar image is visible on the video wall behind the anchor desk in sneak peaks Michaelson has posted to social media.

Accenting the skyline is a colorful blocky pattern that appears to mimic stacked stone or similar masonry. This background is colorized in blue, violet, red, orange and golds, borrowing from the skyline’s palette. 

Overall, the show’s look is echoes many of CNN’s other primetime programming, many of which use nighttime views of cities both identifiable and more generic.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will be Michaelson’s first guest, joining him on set for a robust and timely conversation ahead of the state’s pivotal redistricting vote on Nov. 4, 2025. Other guests confirmed for the launch week of “The Story Is” include former US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff.

In addition, “The Story Is” will feature live nightly panels and debates on set featuring a range of voices including attorneys Gloria Allred and Areva Martin, conservative talk radio hosts Larry Elder and Jennifer Horn, progressive podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, former California GOP chair Jessica Millan Patterson and journalists Peter Hamby from Puck and Politco’s Melanie Mason.

“The Story Is will waste no time in bringing together key figures from across the political spectrum to have fair, respectful and inclusive conversations on the issues that are important to our viewers all over the world,” said Michaelson in a statement. “By going beyond the predictable talking points, The Story Is will become a surefire source for news that breaks through, often with hope, joy and humor. I’m thrilled to bring this show to the world from L.A.!”

Beyond politics, “The Story Is” will cover the “biggest moving stories that audiences care about across sport, health, technology, entertainment and more,” according to CNN.

During its debut week, it will provide live coverage of Donald Trump’s multi-stop visit to Asia as well as the World Series in Los Angeles. Michaelson will also sit down with singer Josh Groban about the importance of funding arts education programs and travel with former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as he supports a program that trains ex-convicts to build custom cars, giving them a new lease on life.