Depending on who you ask, CNN anchor Jim Acosta is getting a chance to speak to a much broader audience with an assignment at a new and non-traditional time slot, or he’s being removed entirely from the usual daily discussion around the news.
Executives at CNN have asked Acosta to take a new role, anchoring a show that would air from midnight to 2 a.m. on the eastern coast of the U.S., according to two people familiar with the matter. Even so, the show has been pitched a chance to deliver live breaking news to audiences on the West coast and overseas at times when viewers in those regions are still active and craving information.
The offer was issued this week, according to these people, and Acosta, who gained a broader profile at CNN with his coverage of the White House during the first administration of President Donald Trump, may not have other options. The understanding is that Wolf Blitzer will soon pick up two hours in late morning alongside Pamela Brown, according to a person familiar with the matter, while Kasie Hunt, who leads an early morning program, is in discussions about taking a role in the evening slot where Blitzer once held sway.
Acosta has anchored the 10 a.m. hour on CNN for the past 11 months after working a weekend shift. He had been said to have entertained potential offers from rivals at around that time.
CNN declined to comment on potential personnel moves. The Status newsletter previously reported on Acosta’s potential new assignment.
CNN, which is grappling with significant downturns in viewership, has long been mulling a set of maneuvers that will put more of a spotlight on digital content, and staffers have grown more anxious over what those ideas will portend. Layoffs have long been expected, according to two people familiar with the situation, along with new tweaks to the schedule of the company’s flagship cable network. There is also a belief among employees that CNN could move more of its production staff to its facilities in Atlanta, which would help it cut down on salaries and real estate in New York and Washington, D.C.
There are some staffers at CNN who are likely to view a move of Acosta from mid-mornings to overnights as a demotion. After all, CNN typically runs repeats of its primetime shows in the wee hours of the morning to get those programs in front of viewers in California and elsewhere. Indeed, as part of CNN’s proposal, Acosta would potentially move to Los Angeles to take up his new duties, according to the people familiar with the discussions. Staffers have viewed such offers with increasing wariness in recent months after anchors Victor Blackwell and Phil Mattingly each moved to New York to take up new assignments, only to lose them within a short time as the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet continues to grapple with notable declines in its linear audience.
The timing of the offer has also sparked early backlash within CNN’s hallways, according to one of the people familiar with the talks. Acosta jousted regularly with the Trump administration during his time as a White House correspondent. He found himself temporarily blocked from the White House press room during the Trump administration in November of 2019 because the Commander-in-Chief often didn’t like the questions Acosta asked him at various events. Acosta later became a symbol of America’s belief in the First Amendment when CNN prevailed and got its employee reinstated.
At a time when more corporations and media organizations seem eager to court Trump’s favor, moving Acosta to a previously unfilled shift might be viewed as a sort of kowtow. CNN has made moves in recent months to court conservative viewers, giving increasing amounts of time to former George W. Bush adviser Scott Jennings and enlisting former Fox News personalities such as Gretchen Carlson and Geraldo Rivera — as well as current contributor Juan Williams, currently promoting a book — to appear on “News Night,” a 10 p.m. roundtable program that features hot talk between people with clashing political beliefs.
Acosta’s name has come up in the past as a potential candidate for the chopping block. Under previous CEO Chris Licht, CNN parted ways with a handful of employees who were viewed as emblematic of the crusading demeanor backed by Jeff Zucker, who ran the network for about 10 years starting in 2013. Don Lemon, John Harwood and Brian Stelter all exited CNN during Licht’s tenure, though Stelter returned in 2024.
There may be more in store for the network’s employees. CNN CEO Mark Thompson recently told staffers that corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery planned to invest $70 million in his strategic vision to augment digital content. There are expectations that CNN will examine launching new properties tied to health, wellness and other topics in which executives hope consumers will have interest. “We will develop new digital products with a special focus on digital experiences worth paying for,” the executive told staffers in a memo in July.
CNN Could Face Backlash Over Potential Move of Jim Acosta
CNN is facing potential backlash over reports that they may move Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta to a different role within the network. Acosta has been a prominent figure in the network’s coverage of the Trump administration and has often clashed with President Trump during press conferences.
Many viewers have come to know Acosta for his tough questioning of the administration and his willingness to stand up to the President. Moving him to a different role could be seen as a way to silence his voice and limit his impact on the network’s coverage.
Some critics argue that CNN should support Acosta and allow him to continue his important work as a journalist, while others believe that his confrontational style may not be the best approach for the network’s overall credibility.
Regardless of the outcome, CNN will have to carefully navigate this potential move and consider the implications it may have on their viewership and reputation. Only time will tell how this decision will impact the network and its relationship with its audience.
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