Hollywood Reporter: In Unusual Move, CNN Taps Two Exec Producers to Help Revive Morning

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

In an unusual setup for a cable news program, CNN has hired two executive producers to try and rejuvenate its CNN This Morning program, which is anchored by Don Lemon, Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow.

The two EPs are CNN veteran Lauren Mensch, and Chris Russell, who was in talks for the job, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Mensch will lead the show’s editorial direction and lead the team in the control room during the 6 to 9 a.m. hours. Russell, meanwhile, will lead production during the dayside and evening hours to set the show up for the following morning.

Mensch was most recently EP of CNN Newsroom with Alisyn Camerota and Victor Blackwell, while Russell most recently led the NewsNation program On Balance With Leland Vittert. He also previously worked with CNN CEO Chris Licht at CBS News.

While every morning show has producers (including a senior-level producer, CNN previously had a vp who filled that role) working the evening before to ensure a smooth program the following day, having a dedicated EP suggests a deeper commitment to developing packages and segments for the show, or as CNN described it in a release: “bolstering the show’s 24-hour infrastructure and editorial operations so it’s best positioned for the following morning.”

“In just over four months, CNN This Morning has become a destination for top newsmakers and is well positioned to grow under the leadership of Lauren and Chris, who bring years of experience producing exciting and relevant morning television,” said Ryan Kadro, senior vp content strategy for CNN. “With the recent additions of broadcast producers Carolyn Cremen and Rachid Haoues to our talented senior staff, we’re building a dynamic team to help the show evolve and succeed heading into a major election news cycle.”

The producer shake-up comes after a tumultuous month for the morning show, with reports of off-air disagreements between Lemon, Collins and Harlow. Later in the month, comments from Lemon about GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley (“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” Lemon said. “A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s. If you Google ‘when is a woman in her prime,’ it’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s.”) drew widespread criticism.

Lemon ultimately returned to the program the following week after “a frank and meaningful conversation,” with Licht. “He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” Licht added in a memo to employees.

While Lemon apologized multiple times on his social platforms (“The reference I made to a woman’s ‘prime’ this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it,” he said), he did not do so on the program, choosing to move on from the controversy.

CNN This Morning remains a critical piece of the puzzle Licht is building at CNN. He told media buyers a year ago that he hoped to create a show that was a “disrupter” in the morning hours.

The show has had some success booking newsmaking guests, from high-profile politicians (like Sens. Joe Manchin and Rick Scott) to CEOs who normally would only ever be on CNBC (like Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan and Starbucks’ Howard Schultz).

When factoring in CNN This Morning‘s HLN simulcast (it replaced HLN’s Morning Express late last year) the show has improved its ratings from New Day a year ago; however, the CNN-only audience is mostly down from last year.

With fresh producers at the helm, the channel is clearly betting that as the 2024 elections slowly begin, the morning show will be in a strong position to return to ratings growth.

© 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC.