Thursday, 30 March 2023

Deadline: CNN Sets April Premiere Dates For Daytime ‘News Central’

Story from Deadline:

CNN News Central, the network’s new daytime programming blocks, will begin its roll out next week.

The New York-based morning block, airing from 9 AM ET to noon ET, will debut on Monday, April 3, with anchors John Berman, Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner.

The Washington, D.C.-based block, airing from 1 PM ET to 4 PM ET, will debut on April 17, with anchors Brianna Keilar, Boris Sanchez and Jim Sciutto.

The revamped daytime lineup is intended to replicate the feel of election night, with heavy use of graphics and visuals, highlighting correspondents in the midst of newsgathering. Some of the elements were featured in CNN’s weeklong coverage in January of Capitol Hill as the House cast 15 ballots to eventually elect Kevin McCarthy as the next speaker. CNN News Central also will feature new sets for both blocks.

In the first quarter of this year, CNN averaged 478,000 viewers, down 27% from a year earlier. In the 25-54 demo, the network averaged 94,000, down 40%.

CNN also is in the midst of retooling parts of its primetime lineup, with the scheduling of town halls and special sitdown interviews in the 9 PM ET hour and under the title CNN Primetime. Just announced was a Wolf Blitzer sit down with former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday.

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