Is It Time For Changes At CNN’s American Morning?

While CNN’s prime time line-up continues to struggle in the ratings, sometimes finishing in fifth place on cable news behind even CNBC, their day time hours are solidly in 2nd place across the board (way behind Fox News).

But how about the three-hour morning block, American Morning? Multiple stories yesterday brought up the idea of changes at the program, and while CNN wasn’t talking, maybe it’s time for a change.

TheWrap.com’s Dylan Stableford wrote about testing at the network: CNN “is developing a new morning show pilot, with a format closer to MSNBC’s Morning Joe and Fox & Friends than anything it has ever done.”

A CNN insider tells us “talent testing is done all the time,” and this round is “not tied to specific timeslot.” But while there may not be an entirely new CNN show on the horizon, what does a “format” change actually mean. The thing that Morning Joe and Fox & Friends do well are unscripted, prompter-less programming, something American Morning stays away from (in many ways, it most resembles a local news morning show – with some banter but mostly a hard news driven focus).

But when asked if any changes are coming to American Morning, whether related to this round of talent testing or not, a CNN spokesperson had no comment.

The ratings for the show have held steady in 2nd place on cable news in total viewers but 3rd place in the A25-54 demographic, behind sister-network HLN and Morning Express. But the show has lost the most total viewers of any cable news show year-to-year, and Fox & Friends firmly in first place for years, has more demo viewers than American Morning has total viewers.

The best way I’ve learned to keep an eye on cable news as part of my daily job is to watch one channel and have another in picture-to-picture, toggling between the two. At 5pmET, it’s Glenn Beck and Chris Matthews. At 3pmET, it’s Rick Sanchez and Shepard Smith. The reason for this is simple (and professional, not personal) – it’s an attempt to not miss what may be an important media story to write about.

Which is why in the morning, it’s Fox & Friends and Morning Joe. Now F&F is a huge presence in the ratings, but MSNBC’s Morning Joe decidedly isn’t. In fact, it regularly finishes in fourth place on cable news in the demo and total viewers. But the difference here is buzz – noteworthy guests, interesting (sometimes contentious) debates and discussions, a few gaffes. American Morning may not ever be able to touch FNC’s ratings, but why shouldn’t they try to compete with MSNBC over buzz? And for a network seen for it’s hard news chops, the combination of buzz and news in the morning could help in the ratings as well. Which may mean changes are on the horizon.

In some ways, what’s happening in the morning at CNN is symptomatic of a larger issue at CNN – where hard news continues to drive prime time as well. While the formula may have worked in the past, the ratings are declining, and CNN hasn’t evolved in the same way the competition (FNC, MSNBC and even sister-network HLN) have.

Another element to this is Kiran Chetry, who came over from Fox News (very suddenly) almost three years ago exactly. Would a change at CNN in the morning coincide with her contract being up? CNN had no comment (although, regarding Chetry, others yesterday did).

One final note – in TVNewser’s write-up yesterday they highlight “another top-line talent may bolt the cable channel when her contract expires. We hear she’s being wooed by one of the big 3 news divisions.” It would make sense that this person is Christiane Amanpour, whose name has been rumored for the vacant This Week job. In that case, it wouldn’t directly related to CNN’s morning show changes (or non-changes).

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