CNN Revamps Weekday Programming Schedule Amidst Layoffs

It’s been a busy day for CNN. On Thursday morning, the network announced a 6% reduction in staff as part of a larger pivot away from its linear business to digital platforms. CNN followed that news with a revised weekday schedule for its domestic linear product that sees prominent anchors taking on new assignments—and time slots—beginning in March.

The biggest name to relocate is Wolf Blitzer, who moves along with The Situation Room from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. ET. (All times Eastern.) He will anchor the long-running two-hour program alongside Pamela Brown, who previously occupied the 11 a.m. time slot. She’s now joining The Situation Room as co-host.

Going in the opposite direction, CNN This Morning host Kasie Hunt will move from the early morning daypart to 4 p.m. as anchor of the new show The Arena. Audie Cornish will replace Hunt at 6 a.m. on CNN This Morning. One hour earlier, Rahel Solomon will host a weekday version of the 5 Things franchise at 5 a.m., produced by CNN International.

For the record, CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson is a big fan of 5 Things, citing it as a model for how the network can expand franchises across platforms. “We are increasingly going to think of all of our platforms as expressions of the CNN brand and CNN values,” he told ADWEEK last year. “When we have a proposition like 5 Things, you’ll see us trying to express that across all of those platforms in different ways.”

Meanwhile, in the later hours, The Lead with Jake Tapper shifts closer to primetime, airing from 5 to 7 p.m. The rest of the primetime lineup otherwise remains unaffected.

In a note to staff obtained by TVNewser, Thompson wrote that the revamped schedule will “bring energy and competitive edge to our delivery.”

One name missing from the current programming shuffle is Jim Acosta, who currently anchors CNN Newsroom at 10 a.m. It has been reported that CNN is looking to move him to late nights, possibly anchoring the 12 a.m. to 2 a.m. slot.

Reached for comment about Acosta’s status, a CNN spokesperson told TVNewser: “We are in active discussions with Jim about a new time slot and will have more information to share soon.”

This is the second time Thompson has tinkered with CNN’s weekday lineup since assuming the top role. In early 2024, Thompson introduced a schedule that saw CNN News Central move to 7 a.m., with Hunt, Acosta, and Brown landing at 5 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m., respectively. 

Thompson also mentioned that a new weekday schedule for CNN International will be released soon.

See CNN’s new weekday lineup debuting in March below:

5 a.m.: 5 Things with Rahel Solomon
6 a.m.: CNN This Morning with Audie Cornish
7 a.m.: CNN News Central
10 a.m.: The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown 
12 p.m.: Inside Politics with Dana Bash
1 p.m.: CNN News Central
4 p.m.: CNN’s The Arena with Kasie Hunt
5 p.m.: The Lead with Jake Tapper
7 p.m.: Erin Burnett OutFront
8 p.m.: Anderson Cooper 360
9 p.m.: The Source with Kaitlan Collins
10 p.m.: NewsNight with Abby Phillip 
11 p.m.: Laura Coates Live