CNN's drastic cut in programming after ratings drop

CNN decided to eliminate one of its programs as part of a series of adjustments to address the persistent decline in ratings. "CNN This Morning," the morning show hosted by Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly that aired from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., will be retired later this month, with both hosts taking on new roles at the network.

"CNN said that it is in talks with Harlow and Mattingly concerning new roles at the network," the network reported.

The changes will also imply the dissolution of the team producing the New York program. Although it is uncertain how many roles will be affected by these changes, the company acknowledged that there could be dozens.

Kasie Hunt, who also hosts the morning show, will move to lead a shorter version of "CNN This Morning," airing from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., with "CNN News Central" moving up two hours to fill the gap.

Jim Acosta, who worked weekends, will take over as "CNN Newsroom" anchor beginning at 10:00 a.m., while Wolf Blitzer will temporarily fill the anchor role on the 11:00 a.m. show "The Bulletin with Pamela Brown."

Former employees may apply for new vacancies

Mark Thompson, CNN's new CEO, encouraged employees to apply for the "new job openings" that will be available in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., along with other opportunities in New York across programming blocks.

"What we are announcing today is a change in strategic direction and not a reflection on the talent, expertise and dedication of the New York based editorial production and operations teams (...) We will be strongly encouraging them to apply for the many new open roles that we are making available this week," Thompson said in his memo to employees.

The fall of CNN

CNN has been experiencing a significant drop in ratings since Donald Trump left the White House and Jeff Zucker resigned as president of the news network in 2022. However, this problem became even more evident when 2023 ended, and CNN recorded the lowest level of total audience since 2014.

CNN blames Chris Licht for its failure

According to the network, its former CEO, Chris Licht, was responsible for "much of CNN's audience loss."

"Time slots altered under Licht in prime time, mornings and weekends saw larger audience losses than those that were left unchanged," a network report indicates.

It should be remembered that Licht ran the channel for only 18 months and was fired after organizing a town hall with Donald Trump.