CNN apparently want a comedian to save the network’s prime time ratings from ridicule.
Semafor reports that executives desire a host with both comedy and news skills, such as Bill Maher, Arsenio Hall, Trevor Noah, or Jon Stewart, to fill the 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. slot.
The two-hour “news entertainment” show would appeal to viewers who often choose programming from Netflix, ESPN, and HGTV over traditional cable news junkies who switch between CNN and MSNBC, according to the site.
A insider told Semafor, “They’re looking for their John Oliver,” alluding to the British comedian who has his own HBO show.
The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable news station has slipped significantly behind competitors Fox News and MSNBC in the prime time ratings race, despite CNN’s new leader Chris Licht’s springtime implementation of sweeping changes.
According to a source, Bill Maher, the anchor of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” has been mentioned as a potential candidate.
He has moved Don Lemon from 10 p.m. to mornings and has not yet found a permanent replacement for Chris Cuomo at 9 p.m. after the network sacked him. Recent ratings indicate that during the two-hour block, CNN’s anchors receive a fraction of the viewership that MSNBC and Fox’s do.
According to Semafor, adding Maher would make the most sense given that his show, “Real Time With Bill Maher,” is already produced in-house by HBO, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Licht is apparently infatuated with Stewart, the comedian and actor credited with inventing the “news entertainment” concept as the host of Comedy Central’s “Daily Show.”
However, Stewart has an agreement with Apple, which publishes his podcast, “The Problem with Jon Stewart.”
Noah, Stewart’s successor as host of “The Daily Show,” left after seven seasons.
According to Semafor, Hall, who aired a late night show from 1989 to 1994 and again from 2013 to 2014, is not a genuine candidate.
CNN’s debut into humor could be modeled after Fox News Channel’s.
Fox News, the main cable news network, broadcasts the nightly comedy program “Gutfeld!” at 11 p.m., hosted by Greg Gutfield, whose ratings have surpassed those of big-budget competitors on traditional broadcast networks such as Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon.
Before becoming CEO of CNN, Licht served as executive producer of Colbert’s “Late Show.”
Reportedly, CNN management have also considered former late-night host Arsenio Hall as a possibility.
FilmMagic
Reportedly, executives at Comcast-owned NBCUniversal are considering transferring Seth Meyers’ 12:30 a.m. nightly show to MSNBC.
In an effort to reorient CNN away from commentary-driven and politicized opinion programming in favor of straight news, Licht has eliminated hundreds of jobs and reshuffled the network’s schedule in less than a year.
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