CNN is gearing up for some major changes this year. The network’s chairman and CEO has announced that viewers can expect new things from CNN, from where anchors report from to adding more content to late-afternoon programming.
CNN CEO Says Goal Is To ‘Reflect [Their] Energy On Air’
It looks like CNN wants to shake things up at the outlet and get reporters out of their comfort zones. This would mean taking anchors out from behind the desk in the studio and instead show them reporting in real time.
“The goal we have is to take an incredible newsgathering operation that has so much information coming in at all hours from all over the world, and, in an authentic way, reflect that energy on air,” Chris Licht, the chairman and CEO of CNN, explained.
Network Will Experiment With Visuals, Field Reporting
The reason for this change? During this month’s coverage of the election of the U.S. Speaker of the House, CNN experimented with new formats. One of them was increasing interactions between anchors in the studio and reporters in the field, which viewers really responded to—according to Variety, CNN drew larger audiences of viewers ages 25–54 than their rivals.
“Our anchors are journalists, and some of the excitement and energy you saw was from people sitting on the set and reporting as they were anchoring,” Licht said of the format change. He didn’t divulge much about what CNN is planning for the coming year, but there are some theories.
Sources have reported that CNN is thinking about implementing a “newsroom headquarters” concept, where viewers would see multiple on-air personalities on the screen at once. Some of those people would be behind the traditional desk, while others would be out in the field reporting live.
Other Changes Licht Has Implemented
This plan would affect the timing of some of CNN’s programming. This new format would most likely not show up in morning content; instead, viewers would see it in late-afternoon programs.
It makes sense that Licht would want to shake things up at the network. He recently joined CNN and has already made some changes to revamp the channel, including cutting back on documentary programming to telling anchors they couldn’t drink on the air during the New Year’s Eve broadcast. CNN has made no announcements about any concrete plans for their 2023 programming, but it seems like viewers can expect a lot of changes at the network.