CNN Hopes To Save Ratings With New Lineup Shakeup
As per tradition, cable news networks are rolling out new lineup changes to coincide with the incoming presidential administration. The first set of changes for CNN are reportedly set.
According to former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy's Status newsletter, the network plans to move longtime evening anchor Wolf Blitzer to the mornings.
The plan is to pair Blitzer with Pamela Brown to debut a new morning television program. CNN has long struggled to compete in the early hours of the day, as competitors "Fox & Friends" and "Morning Joe" (until a recent trip to Mar-a-Lago) have thrived. The number of anchors who have had stints in the mornings on CNN is staggering, including Don Lemon, Chris Cuomo, John Berman, and Kaitlan Collins.
The latest move is one of CNN's most aggressive, relocating the soon-to-be-77-year-old Blitzer out of 6 pm, where he has solo hosted the once-flagship The "Situation Room" since 2005.
We are skeptical. To be frank, Wolf Blitzer doesn't exude sunshine morning vibes.
In addition, current morning host Kasie Hunt is expected to move to afternoons in the shakeup. While CNN could put her in Blitzer's current 6 p.m. time slot or Jake Tapper's 4 p.m. hour, Darcy reports.
In the latter scenario, CNN would shift Tapper’s "The Lead" back an hour, running from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This move would pit Kasie Hunt directly up against Will Cain, who will debut "The Will Cain Show" on Fox News on the weekdays at 4 p.m., starting next Tuesday.
With all due respect, we don't like Hunt's chances against Cain.
Jim Acosta and Wolf Blitzer, via Getty Images.
The bombastic Jim Acosta could be a casualty in the reshuffle, the report adds. CNN previously rewarded Acosta with his only daily show at 10 a.m. after serving as chief antagonist in the press room during the first Trump administration. The network is now considering canceling his show entirely.
Just as well. Acosta's fake news program didn't rate well.
In fact, not much does rate well for CNN these days. Not a single show on CNN cracked the top 20 highest-rated in cable news last year. The channel's highest-rated program, "Anderson Cooper 360," averaged just 748,000 viewers, good for only 27th in cable news.
In 2024, the network averaged only 92,000 viewers in the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic. The channel has lost around 50 percent of its viewership since the November election.
Put simply, the rumored changes aren't enough to turn CNN around. The network's ills run too deep. The three-letter brand is diminished and its reputation has sullied.
Further, the channel doesn't employ the level of stars needed to compete in 2025.
Fox News has Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, Greg Gutfeld, Will Cain, Dana Perino, and Bret Baier. Propaganda aside, MSNBC employs recognizable faces like Rachel Maddow, Joe Scarborough, Joy Reid, and Jen Psaki.
It's not just that viewers don't care for CNN hosts like Laura Coates, Abby Phillip, and Erin Burnett – it's that they don't care about them. The latter result is far more damning.
Barring another Russia hoax, don't expect CNN to find the answers it needs in 2025.