CNN has replaced Bill Hemmer with Miles O’Brien as anchor of its morning show, changed its afternoon schedule and hired two new executives to oversee Anderson Cooper’s and Paula Zahn’s evening shows.
O’Brien will team with Soledad O’Brien on “American Morning,” which airs 7 to 10 a.m. EDT.
“I wanted to improve the chemistry in the morning,” said Jonathan Klein, president of CNN, adding Miles O’Brien would be better at “sharing the spotlight” with his co-anchor.
Hemmer had been with CNN since 1995 and with “American Morning” since 2002.
In a statement, Hemmer said he’s enjoyed working at CNN but “at this point in my career, it is time for me to move forward with a new set of challenges.”
The Washington Post reported that Hemmer had been offered the White House beat for CNN. However, he’s apparently settled in New York and wants to stay.
Two CNN afternoon staples, “Crossfire” and “Inside Politics,” finished their run on Friday. The network will now air “The Situation Room,” a news show anchored by Wolf Blitzer, from 3 to 6 p.m.
Former “Crossfire” hosts Paul Begala, James Carville and Robert Novak will stay on as analysts, Klein said. Judy Woodruff, former host of “Inside Politics,” already announced she was leaving the network.
Jack Cafferty, the curmudgeonly commentator on “American Morning,” will move to the afternoon show.
Finally, Klein replaced the executive producers behind Cooper’s and Zahn’s shows, which have struggled in the ratings behind Fox News Channel’s impressive 7 to 9 p.m. hours.
He’s turned to two veteran broadcast network hands: Victor Neufeld, formerly chief of ABC’s newsmagazines, will run Zahn’s show. David Doss, former chief executive at NBC’s “Nightly News” and ABC’s “Primetime Thursday,” will look after Cooper’s show.
“We brought in two of the all-time great prime-time producers in Victor and David,” Klein said. “It’s a show of our support for Paula and Anderson. We believe the best years of these shows are ahead of them.”
Credit: Yahoo/AP
