CNN Makes Primetime Changes (For Now)

CNN TV NEWS Cable TV News 

         Last week, CNN announced a new morning show is coming soon.  Part of that shift was that Don Lemon will be leaving his show Don Lemon Tonight  which leaves a 2-hour gap in CNN's line up. The cable news network has announced that, for now, they will have CNN Newsroom anchor Alisyn Camerota 

 and  CNN Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates to share hosting duties for  CNN Tonight, going back to that name from October 10 to November 11th, the midterms. 

        The Lead anchor Jake Tapper, will be doing hosting duties for CNN Tonight during the same period,   each weeknight at 9PM ET.   Tapper's program will be shortened an hour, current New Day hosts John Berman and Brianna Keilar will host The Lead, rotating.  The 5pm ET hour will be Wolf Blitzer's The Situation Room .   The rest of the line up between 4pm-12amet are un changed, meaning "Outfront" and "AC360" still air their normal slots with their normal hosts. 

    CNN says this is for the midterms, but alot could be read into the ideas going on here, CNN said that Berman and Keilar were going to gave new roles at the network and Jake Tapper being tried, again, in primetime could also noted as maybe a test try. CNN could still hold off on finding new primetime hosts for while, the 9PMET hour has been still mostly CNN Tonight  since Cuomo's firing last year in December.  

    The new morning show's launch date , name, and other details haven't been announced. 

Full press release

September 22nd, 2022

CNN Announces New Programming Lineup Through Midterm Elections

Jake Tapper to Host CNN Tonight at 9:00pm; Alisyn Camerota and Laura Coates to Host 10:00pm-12:00am ET Hours of CNN Tonight from October 10^th to November 11th

NEW YORK, NY – September 22, 2022 – CNN today announced a fall programming lineup to best serve its audiences for the 2022 Midterm Elections. Filled with smart and informative news and analysis, the new schedule will go into effect October 10th and continue through the week of the November 8th elections.

Jake Tapper, chief Washington correspondent and anchor of The Lead and State of the Union, will host the network’s 9pm ET hour from Washington. CNN Newsroom anchor Alisyn Camerota and CNN Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates will share anchor responsibilities from 10pm-12am ET.

“The world has come to rely on Jake’s no-nonsense approach to covering the news, especially during high-stakes election cycles,” said Chris Licht, Chairman and CEO, CNN. “This move will showcase his tough reporting, smart analysis and consequential interviews as our audiences navigate the myriad of issues at stake in the midterms. By adding the insights, experience and strong voices of Alisyn and Laura, we will advance and expand on that coverage, creating something complimentary and compelling in primetime.”

Throughout the special programming schedule, anchors John Berman and Brianna Keilar will each fill in for Tapper on The Lead from 4pm-5pm ET. The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer will pick up an hour, expanding its footprint to 5pm-7pm ET nightly. Erin Burnett OutFront and Anderson Cooper 360 will remain in their respective timeslots of 7-8pm ET and 8-9pm ET.

CNN Special Midterm Election Programming Schedule:

4pm-5pm ET: The Lead, anchored by John Berman/Brianna Keilar

5pm-7pm ET: The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

7pm-8pm ET: Erin Burnett OutFront

8pm-9pm ET: Anderson Cooper 360

9pm ET: CNN Tonight, Jake Tapper

10pm-12am ET: CNN Tonight, Alisyn Camerota and Laura Coates

Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow will sign off their respective programs on Friday, October 7th to begin work on the network’s new morning news show launching later this year. Both will continue to appear across the network until then. Fill-in hosts for other programs will be announced in the coming days.

###

About CNN Worldwide
CNN Worldwide is the most honored brand in news, reaching more individuals on television and online than any other news organization in the United States. Globally, CNN International is the most widely distributed news channel. CNN Digital is the #1 online news destination, with more unique visitors and video viewers than any other news source. CNN’s award-winning portfolio also includes CNN Original Series, which develops non-scripted programming for television via commissioned projects, acquisitions and in-house production. CNN Films produces, commissions and acquires documentary feature and short films for theatrical and festival exhibition, as well as for broadcast and other distribution across CNN’s multiple platforms. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world’s most extensively utilized news service partnering with over 1,000 local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Press Contact
Matt.Dornic@CNN.com