CNN plans a massive lineup change ahead of the presidential transition, moving veteran anchor Wolf Blitzer from his long-held evening slot to a new morning show, according to former CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy’s Status News newsletter.
And to make the move, the network is effectively ousting a longtime rival of President-elect Donald Trump, CNN’s top star and former White House correspondent Jim Acosta, exiling him “to the Siberia of television” timeslots.
Acosta’s move to midnight stunned media experts.
Blitzer, who has hosted “The Situation Room” at 6 p.m. since 2005, will pair with Pamela Brown for the new morning program.
The 77-year-old anchor’s move marks CNN’s latest, desperate attempt to compete in morning television, where the network has cycled through multiple hosts including Don Lemon, Chris Cuomo, John Berman, and Kaitlan Collins.
Current morning host Kasie Hunt will move to afternoons, potentially taking over either Blitzer’s 6 p.m. time slot or Jake Tapper’s 4 p.m. hour. If Hunt moves to 4 p.m., she would compete directly with Fox News’ newest program “The Will Cain Show,” which debuts next Tuesday.
The changes will also throw Jim Acosta out of his highly-rated 10 a.m. timeslot.
Network boss Mark Thompson is reportedly moving “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta” to midnight instead.
A media executive quoted in Darcy’s newsletter stated, “They want to get rid of Acosta to throw a bone to Trump,” and added, “Midnight is not a serious offer when his ratings are among the best on the network.”
Acosta, who served as CNN’s White House correspondent during Trump’s presidency, addressed press freedom during his Thursday broadcast in a passive-aggressive message to the network bosses.
“I want to take a moment to talk about something President Biden said during his farewell address,” Acosta said. “He warned the free press is crumbling in this country. I would add, that’s only if we, the people, let that happen.”
CNN faces massive ratings challenges after viewership has collapse.
The network’s highest-rated show, “Anderson Cooper 360,” ranked 27th in cable news last year with an average of 748,000 viewers. The network averaged just 92,000 viewers in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic in 2024, representing an approximate 50 percent decline in viewership since the November election.
The massive lineup changes come as CNN attempts to reposition itself ahead of the incoming administration.
During the previous Trump presidency, Acosta had multiple confrontations with Trump, including losing his press pass after a 2018 press conference.
Trump told him, “CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them” at the time.
It appears they finally are.