CNN is expected to launch “Cuomo Prime Time” this Spring. It will air at 9 p.m. weekdays and marks the first recalibration of the network’s primetime lineup since Don Lemon joined it in 2014. John Berman will Cuomo’s spot at “New Day” opposite Alisyn Camerota, according to Michael Bass, CNN’s executive vice president of programming.
CNN has for some time relied upon Anderson Cooper to extend his 8 p.m. show another hour each weeknight, or sought to fill 9 p.m. with documentary-style programming, but in the current news cycle, it needed something fresh, Bass said. “We need to be live. There’s so much goIng in every single day, and it made sense just to be on the news. That’s what CNN is all about,” he said, in an interview.
The maneuver will take Cuomo out of TV’s highly competitive morning wars and into battle with two new formidable opponents. His program will square off against Fox News Chsnnel’s “Hannity” and MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
“They have huge numbers. I have huge respect for their success, and I take nothing away from them,” said Cuomo in an interview. “But the point is, I don’t know where their partisan fights are getting us.” The anchor said he intends to highlight “debating with decency,” often in segments which will have him interviewing two people he feels aren’t espousing facts. “You put two people on one side of the divide, and let them go at it with me.”
More to come….
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