CNN has tapped Caitlan Collins to host its new weekday 9 p.m. boosted into one of the most coveted time slots.
Collins’ new role was announced Wednesday by CNN chairman Chris Licht just before a presentation to advertisers in Midtown Manhattan hosted by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.
Her show is yet to be titled, but is set to begin in June. “She is a smart and talented journalist, and we have all seen her hold lawmakers and the press to account,” Licht wrote in a newsroom note. She said, “Catelan exposes undisclosed angles and challenges her conventional wisdom, allowing viewers to see the story from all sides.”
The promotion of Collins, 31, co-host of the network’s morning show, has impressed colleagues with her interviewing and reporting prowess, but CNN is against an under-tested rising star as a solo anchor. It corresponds to a big bet by the top management. .
It’s also Licht’s latest attempt to revive the network’s declining ratings.
CNN’s once-highest-rated 9:00 p.m. slot has been virtually empty since Chris Cuomo was fired in December 2021. Licht’s recent attempt to fill this time with various interviews and news features has been a hit with viewers. On weeknights, CNN lagged behind Fox News and MSNBC, and on Friday, two days after Trump City Hall, even lost out to newsmax, an upstart conservative network with fewer households watching.
Collins, who joined CNN in 2017 as a reporter covering Trump’s White House, is bringing a youthful jolt to a slot that has long been hosted by middle-aged male anchors.
Collins, an Alabama native who worked for the conservative news site The Daily Caller, was praised by Licht for his ability to connect with audiences outside the liberal coastal enclave. She became the network’s youngest White House correspondent at age 28 in 2021, and she covered President Biden last year before moving to New York as co-host of “CNN This Morning.”
She’s also well-respected in the political media and was set to become president of the White House Correspondents’ Association starting in 2024 (a post she had to give up after moving from Washington).
In April, Collins was the interim host of CNN’s 9:00 p.m. show for a week.She garnered positive ratings, and her executives noted that she was able to keep much of her audience on board with Anderson Cooper from 8 p.m.
Last week, she grabbed national attention when she hosted with Trump at New Hampshire City Hall. Ms Collins kept her cool during Trump’s false barrage and repeatedly interrupted her to correct her baseless allegations. Trump mostly talked about her, and she was applauded by some in the audience when she mocked Collins as her “asshole.”
“Mr President, the election was not rigged,” Collins said in an exchange with representatives. “You can’t keep saying that all night.” (Trump kept saying it.)
The exact format for Collins’ 9 p.m. Focus on one or two. Licht said he would like CNN to feature more coverage and interviews rather than vocal pundits.
Collins got the promotion after overcoming a tense situation on “CNN This Morning.” Co-host Don Lemon upset the crew last year when he confronted Collins backstage, accusing him of being a frequent nuisance. The tension prompted Mr. Collins to quit the talent agent working with Mr. Lemmon and find a new representative. LeMond was later banished by CNN after being heavily criticized for making sexist remarks on air.
The remaining co-host of CNN This Morning, Poppy Harlow, will remain on the show, Licht wrote Wednesday. Harlow will appear with a series of guest hosts until a permanent line-up is determined.
