Brianna Keilar joins ‘New Day,’ three anchors move to afternoons in CNN schedule revamp
CNN is making a series of programming changes in April, starting with a move to the mornings by Brianna Keilar.
The new schedule was announced on Wednesday morning.
Keilar, who currently anchors from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern, will join John Berman on the network’s flagship morning show, “New Day.”
Weekend anchor Ana Cabrera will take over the 1 p.m. hour on weekdays. And two morning hosts will move to weekday afternoons: Berman’s current co-anchor Alisyn Camerota and “New Day Weekend” co-anchor Victor Blackwell will pair up from 2 to 4 p.m.
Camerota is a morning TV veteran, and she has long told colleagues of her interest in shifting to a later time slot.
The schedule refresh comes at a time of high ratings and intense scrutiny for CNN. The network has been beating Fox News in the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic ever since the November election.
Transitions in Washington also tend to be a period of transition at major news organizations, and this year is no different.
On Tuesday Brooke Baldwin, the current anchor of CNN’s 3 p.m. hour, announced that she will be leaving the network in April.
“No, I don’t have a job I am jumping right into, and yes, yes I am feeling very vulnerable,” Baldwin told viewers. “But what is it Brené Brown says? Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change, and I am so excited about what is to come.”
Baldwin’s departure, Keilar’s move to mornings and the new weekday afternoon lineup will also spur some changes on the weekends.
Boris Sanchez, most recently one of CNN’s White House correspondents, will become the co-anchor of “New Day Weekend” alongside Christi Paul.
Jim Acosta, who was CNN’s chief White House correspondent during the Trump administration, will anchor from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Other weekend changes recently went into effect: Abby Phillip became the anchor of “Inside Politics Sunday,” Dana Bash joined Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” and Pamela Brown began anchoring on weekend evenings.
In April, Tapper’s “The Lead” will expand to two hours, from 4 to 6 p.m., in a move that was announced back in January.
No other anchors are leaving in this revamp, and most hours are staying the same, beginning with “Early Start” at 5 a.m. and continuing through “CNN Tonight.”
