CNN will launch its new dayside lineup in April as CNN News Central, an effort to highlight its newsgathering and coverage of breaking stories and events.The network announced in January that the lineup would feature anchor trios in the 9 a.m. ET-noon and 1-4 p.m. ET blocks. They will appear in newly designed studios featuring heavy use of graphics and emphasizing updates from correspondents in the field.John Berman, Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner will anchor the morning program, based in New York. Brianna Keilar, Boris Sanchez and Jim Sciutto will anchor in the afternoon from Washington. The blocks will be produced in Atlanta. Inside Politics will remain at noon-1 p.m. ET, anchored by John King.Chris Licht, CNN Worldwide chairman and CEO, has been embarking on an overhaul of the network’s lineup. In February, CNN’s average total day audience was 474,000, down 24% from the same period a year earlier.The network also has been working on plans for its 9 p.m. ET hour, a key primetime slot that has been without a permanent host since Chris Cuomo’s exit in December 2021. The network has recently been slotting special programming in the slot, including a town hall scheduled for March 9 with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a potential candidate for the GOP nomination in 2024. Sources say that CNN’s ultimate plans are to fill the slot with a mixture of shows featuring well-known personalities, including those outside the news business, and special events and interviews.When the dayside overhaul was announced, Licht said, “We are leaning into our greatest strengths, showcasing our unparalleled newsgathering operation and giving our anchors the room to be more authentic. We’ve seen how our audience responds to this format, and we believe it will put us in a position of strength going into the evening and primetime hours.”
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