CNN ends CNN This Morning with a shake-up, Welcoming New Faces

Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly exit stage left, making way for newcomers and restructured schedules. With changes afoot, viewers prepare to alter their morning routine as CNN navigates the turbulent waters of morning news.

From failed attempts to find a winning formula to a search for stability, the network’s history mirrors the ever-changing landscape of broadcast journalism. As one era comes to an end, CNN prepares to usher in a new era of morning television.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson stated in a memo to employees on Monday that “we will no longer produce morning programming in New York and will disband the team that currently produces CNN This Morning in that city.” “Our New York-based primetime and weekend programming will continue.”

According to Thompson, CNN plans to find new roles for Harlow and Mattingly. Mattingly has been told he will be based in New York, but sources say Harlow and CNN are still in talks.

The current morning plans were put into action quickly. On Sunday, anchors were said to be informed of the revamp.

‘CNN This Morning’ is the network’s lowest-rated morning show in a decade. Launched on Nov 1, 2022, the show is hosted by Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. What can they do to reverse that trend? Is it the show or the brand? It's shocking @CNN losing viewership so fast pic.twitter.com/8OiqMZyAwO

Mattingly recently relocated his large family to New York for the assignment, and Harlow has remained a steady presence in the mornings despite the network’s owner, Warner Bros. Discovery, experiencing behind-the-scenes chaos.

CNN appears to have ended its years-long effort to run a New York-based morning program that attempted to compete directly with A.M. behemoths like “Today” and “Good Morning America,” as well as more direct competitors like Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

CNN has slogged through years of failed morning shows, ranging from “American Morning” to “Starting Point.”

Former CNN President Jeff Zucker attempted to revive the effort in 2013 by launching “New Day,” a program starring Chris Cuomo, The show, he said at the time, “reminds me of when we put together the ‘Today’ show team in 1996, with Katie and Matt,” referring to the powerhouse morning show duo of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, who propelled the NBC program to ratings heights.

The show’s popularity grew under Cuomo and a new co-anchor, Alisyn Camerota, particularly during Donald Trump’s presidency. Berman and Brianna Keilar eventually took over the show. 

When Warner Bros. Discovery took over, it attempted to inject a calmer tone into the programming, and a new CNN president, Chris Licht, attempted to launch a new trio in the morning: Harlow, Don Lemon, and Kaitlan Collins. The group did not work together well.

Lemon was eventually fired from CNN after a long career, and Collins was assigned to primetime, leaving Harlow to carry on.

Brown will begin her new hour upon her return from maternity leave, with Wolf Blitzer taking over until she is ready.

There was no immediate word on how CNN’s plans would affect alternative modes of distribution. “CNN This Morning” was also available on the company’s new CNN Max service, as well as its former sister cable channel, HLN.

Warner Bros. Discovery was airing “CNN This Morning” on HLN, which was now primarily dedicated to repeats of the series “Forensic Files,” to replace the network’s long-running A.M. program, “Morning Express,” which had been led by anchor Robin Meade in one form or another for more than two decades.

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