US TV
Aaron Brown is leaving CNN, it was confirmed today.
The decision, described as "mutual" by CNN/US chief Jon Klein in an interview with the AP, was taken after a revamp of the network's primetime schedule left the anchor without a timeslot.
Brown's future at the network had been in question for some time; in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Brown's signature show NewsNight was revamped with a two-anchor format. That co-anchor was Anderson Cooper, who will be moved permanently into the 10pm-12am ET slot.
"Anderson is one of the most distinctive voices anywhere on television," said Klein. "He has broken through the clutter with his candor, his humanity and his emotional connection to the most pressing stories of our time. As a result, he has gained a strong following among viewers that we hope to build on."
Cooper, long a rising star at the network - he started out as an Atlanta-based weekend anchor and was quickly moved up into the 7pm weekday slot - has seen his popularity soar in recent weeks due to his widely-praised reporting of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The idea of strong reporting during a major news event leading to a reporter having a prominent place on CNN's primetime schedule is not without precedent: indeed, Brown's NewsNight was launched shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. At one of his first days on air at CNN, Brown led the network's coverage from the rooftop of CNN's old New York studios, the appalling events of that day visible behind him in the distance.
CNN's new early prime and primetime schedules are being rebuilt around two of the network's strongest propositions: Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room. An hour-long edition of The Situation Room, which frequently nips at the heels of programming on CNN's arch-rival Fox News in the 25-54 demographic, will air in Cooper's old 7pm slot. Live From will take over the first hour of Situation Room's current 3pm-6pm slot, so Blitzer will maintain the same number of on-air hours he currently has.
The decision, described as "mutual" by CNN/US chief Jon Klein in an interview with the AP, was taken after a revamp of the network's primetime schedule left the anchor without a timeslot.
Brown's future at the network had been in question for some time; in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Brown's signature show NewsNight was revamped with a two-anchor format. That co-anchor was Anderson Cooper, who will be moved permanently into the 10pm-12am ET slot.
"Anderson is one of the most distinctive voices anywhere on television," said Klein. "He has broken through the clutter with his candor, his humanity and his emotional connection to the most pressing stories of our time. As a result, he has gained a strong following among viewers that we hope to build on."
Cooper, long a rising star at the network - he started out as an Atlanta-based weekend anchor and was quickly moved up into the 7pm weekday slot - has seen his popularity soar in recent weeks due to his widely-praised reporting of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The idea of strong reporting during a major news event leading to a reporter having a prominent place on CNN's primetime schedule is not without precedent: indeed, Brown's NewsNight was launched shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. At one of his first days on air at CNN, Brown led the network's coverage from the rooftop of CNN's old New York studios, the appalling events of that day visible behind him in the distance.
CNN's new early prime and primetime schedules are being rebuilt around two of the network's strongest propositions: Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room. An hour-long edition of The Situation Room, which frequently nips at the heels of programming on CNN's arch-rival Fox News in the 25-54 demographic, will air in Cooper's old 7pm slot. Live From will take over the first hour of Situation Room's current 3pm-6pm slot, so Blitzer will maintain the same number of on-air hours he currently has.
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