CNN’s long-struggling AM lineup gets another reboot as network fails to maintain signature morning show

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CNN anchors were momentarily silent after learning that some migrant gangs run criminal operations in New York City with little threat of jail time.

CNN announced yet another shakeup to its long-struggling morning show on Monday, as the network still hasn’t been able to find an answer to its AM conundrum, no matter who is in charge, or who is behind the anchor desk. 

In recent years, CNN has undergone an identity crisis with its programming regularly in flux and its audience rapidly dwindling. Perhaps one of CNN's biggest challenges over the past decade has been to establish a signature morning show, as its offerings have trailed behind FOX News Channel's "FOX & Friends" and MSNBC's "Morning Joe" in viewership.

The revolving door began in 2013 with the launch of "New Day" under then-CNN president Jeff Zucker. Once considered a morning show guru for his time running NBC’s "Today," Zucker's brainchild was supposed to emerge as CNN’s prize program.

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Over a decade ago, "New Day" was supposed to save morning programming at CNN when it was run by Jeff Zucker.  (CNN YouTube)

To replace the short-lived morning show hosted by left-wing journalist Soledad O’Brien, Zucker hand-picked anchors Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira, and "New Day" debuted with much fanfare. Broadcast production trade publications praised the show’s elaborate set design and CNN even enlisted pop music superstar Alicia Keys to perform a promo jingle ahead of its widely publicized debut. 

"New Day" was relaunched with new anchors multiple times and struggled to gain relevance regardless of who sat at the anchor desk. Cuomo, Bolduan and Pereira were all eventually moved off the show, as were Alisyn Camerota, Brianna Keilar and John Berman, who all had turns at the helm. "New Day" never averaged 700,000 viewers for a year. 

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Zucker was ousted and replaced in 2022 by another morning show wunderkind, Chris Licht, who was the founding executive producer of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and was credited for revitalizing "CBS This Morning." 

Licht quickly announced that "New Day" would be "reimagined," and Don Lemon was plunked from primetime to be the face of the rebranded "CNN This Morning" alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. 

Kaitlan Collins, Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow were the original co-hosts of Chris Licht's ill-fated morning program "CNN This Morning." (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN)

The launch of "CNN This Morning" attracted only 387,000 total viewers and things only went downhill from there, as the show was known more for its on- and off-air melodrama than its actual coverage, including reports of a growing riff between Lemon and Collins. 

Lemon found himself in hot water last February for saying that Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley was past her "prime" at age 51, citing Google as his source while stunning his female co-anchors in the process. 

His "prime" comments were universally panned and not just by conservatives, as they received mockery from Biden spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre and were even invoked during the Oscars ceremony when Best Actress winner Michelle Yeoh told the women of Hollywood, "Don't let anybody tell you, you are ever past your prime." 

Despite the mea culpas and "formal training," Lemon was ultimately canned by the network in April 2023. Collins was eventually moved into primetime and Licht was shown the door in June amid internal strife. 

CNN sidelined co-anchors Phil Mattingly and Poppy Harlow as the network revamps its struggling morning lineup.  (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN)

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Much like "New Day," "CNN This Morning" was also relaunched by interim CNN leadership handpicking correspondent Phil Mattingly to co-anchor the program with Harlow. But through it all, "CNN This Morning" never drew much of an audience. 

In 2024, CNN’s morning show has averaged only 322,000 total viewers – a 10% drop compared to last year. It’s CNN’s least-watched year among the advertiser-coveted demo of adults aged 25-54 during the morning show’s time period since at least 2013 when "New Day" began. 

Now, recently appointed CNN boss Mark Thompson, who replaced Licht, is getting his turn. He disbanded the New York-based team that currently produces "CNN This Morning" altogether and is pushing Harlow and Mattingly aside. 

Newly-implemented CNN boss Mark Thompson is hoping to revive the long-struggling news network. (Sanjit Das/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Under Thompson's reshuffling of CNN's talent, Kasie Hunt's "Early Start" will be rebranded as "CNN This Morning" and will expand an hour, airing  5-7 a.m. ET while the co-anchors of "CNN News Central," featuring "New Day" alums Berman and Bolduan as well as Sara Sidner, will take over from 7-10 a.m. ET. That will be followed by Jim Acosta in the 10 a.m. ET timeslot and Pamela Brown in the 11 a.m. ET timeslot.

CNN insists Harlow and Mattingly are being considered for other roles at the network that "showcase their talents and work well for them."