Soledad O’Brien’s Plan For CNN Mornings: ‘Interesting People Discussing Interesting Topics’

In the world of cable news, there are two primary distinctions of on-air talent: on one side, you’ll find the hosts who can seamlessly navigate a rundown of both hard and soft news, acting as anchor to a show, and on the other, the reporters/analysts who provide journalistic cred or expert insight on the topic at hand. While these core attributes are often mutually exclusive, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien is the rare breed of broadcast veteran who is equally experienced at both. As the recently named new host of CNN’s morning programming, it is hoped that she will bring an interesting and innovative new form to the morning show concept. Today, I spoke to O’Brien and she revealed her plans on what she hopes to be a winning formula.

First, some context in the world of cable news programming. O’Brien’s assignment as morning show anchor will rightfully be seen by many as the final significant strategic move made by President of U.S. Operations Ken Jautz since taking over the reigns from Jon Klein.

Skeptics may claim that Jautz is making a play from a 2003 playbook, as this is O’Brien’s return to hosting CNN’s morning show, and the reason cited for her departure morning show schedule was low ratings. But that’s nothing new; CNN’s morning programs have had a hard time drawing substantial viewer for well over a decade, so the hope is this version of an O’Brien hosted show differentiates itself enough from a crowded field that it can make an impact. Another important distinction? CNN EVP and Managing Editor Mark Whitaker, a well respected news veteran himself, will oversee development of the version of the morning programming.

Unlike prime time slates, cable news competes with the broadcast news outlets, and their comparatively enormous production budgets as well.

So understanding that the show needs to be different from the pack is an important component of recognizing O’Brien’s forte. In the last few years, she has produced and hosted 25 documentary episodes for CNN; she has well-honed journalistic chops that few, if any, of the other cable news morning anchors can match. And lest there’s concern that she’s unfamiliar with the morning show genre, she came up the morning show ranks, having hosted NBC’s Weekend Today before becoming CNN’s own morning show host in 2003 and 2004.

I spoke with O’Brien earlier today and asked her how she hoped her new show would stand out in a crowed field. She quickly referenced bringing with her the experiences from the documentary series as tools she plans on using.

“I’m thrilled and excited to get to a chance to work on the stories that I like to tell,” O’Brien said. When pressed for specifics, she added that the experience of producing 25 documentaries informs the way she hopes the show will differentiate itself, saying “we recognize the need to give insight, nuance and deeper context which are missing from a lot of morning show stories. The topics might be the same, but we will hope to address them in an entirely different manner.”

I asked if we should expect to see documentary-style segments, and she said “Oh, this is still a morning news show, don’t get me wrong. But our documentaries were issue-oriented programs that allowed a deeper look into topics that concern real people — whether it’s the economy, education, religion, or race — and we plan on doing the same thing on the morning show. Talk to real people, in addition to the players and analysts associated.”

Since CNN has stayed away from the opinion media fray that has served Fox News and MSNBC so well, I asked if she will enter that realm, at least by covering the media coverage in the way that many other shows are now doing. She conceded that “in some stories, the coverage of the story is a story unto itself – take for instance the media reaction and coverage of the earthquake in Haiti,” but she did allow that she didn’t necessarily foresee the need to cover opinion coverage.

At the end of the day, its clear that O’Brien is an old school journalist who still gets a thrill from “cracking the nut of a complicated story by getting a number of different opinions,” though in a way that works for morning programming. She summed up by saying “the show has to be interesting people talking about interesting topics…that’s what makes entertaining television.”

After three months, her goal is for viewers to say, of her program, “It’s a smart morning show that’s fun to watch.”

Read the press release from CNN below:

CNN will launch a new format of news and conversation in the morning, including a 7-9am ET show anchored by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien in 2012.
O’Brien will anchor a new conversational ensemble program that explores top issues of the day while opening the conversation to people from all walks of life. O’Brien will continue to be a special correspondent for long-form documentaries at CNN.
“I couldn’t be more eager to return to daily news, to bring conversation and context to CNN viewers in the morning. I welcome the opportunity to give voice to people who aren’t often heard, and stories that are sometimes overlooked,” says O’Brien. “I love telling people’s stories, and I’m looking forward to bringing the perspective, heart and storytelling that have worked well in our documentaries to a morning audience”
“CNN has the opportunity in the morning to cover a wider range of stories from broader perspectives,” says Executive Vice President of CNN Ken Jautz. “We are planning to offer something original in the four-hour morning block to complement our direction in primetime.”
“This is an exciting time to be relaunching our morning show, with the morning television audience more up for grabs than it has been in years,” says Executive Vice President and Managing Editor of CNN Mark Whitaker, who will oversee development of the new program. “With CNN’s global reach and this unique cast of superb journalists as anchors, we have the opportunity to do something truly fresh and different.”
Ashleigh Banfield and Zoraida Sambolin will anchor from 5-7am ET, kicking off the new CNN morning block with a new program covering a broad spectrum of the day’s news from two highly personable and passionate journalists.
Shannon High will join CNN later this month and will be executive producer of both programs. Most recently, High was the executive producer of development for NBC Peacock Productions, and before that served as MSNBC’s vice president of daytime program development, and vice president and managing editor. At MSNBC she developed The Dylan Ratigan Show and oversaw Morning Joe and daytime news. An award-winning producer, High has worked in local news in Miami, Houston and Charlotte as a manager and producer.
“I’ve dreamed of joining CNN for more than 20 years. It’s the gold standard of news — the brand, the people and the product. I am excited to be stepping back into a daily anchor role with such a prestigious team, and I can’t wait to get started!” says Banfield.
Sambolin adds, “I am completely thrilled to be coming to CNN. Ashleigh is an accomplished journalist with an incredible wit and dynamic personality. I look forward to collaborating with her and working together to inform, enlighten and build a strong relationship with our viewers.”
Since joining the network in 2003, O’Brien has reported breaking news from around the globe—including the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, hurricane Katrina, and the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. In addition, she has produced award-winning documentaries, including the acclaimed Black in America, Latino in America and Muslim in America. Earlier this year she was part of a CNN team that won an Emmy Award for their reporting of the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. O’Brien came to CNN from NBC, where she anchored the network’s Weekend Today show from 1999-2003. She was named Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists in 2010. That same year she launched a personal foundation with her husband, the Soledad O’Brien and Brad Raymond Foundation to send underprivileged youth to and through college.
Banfield has covered national and international stories including live reports from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, England, Israel (West Bank and Gaza), Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Most recently, she was a correspondent for ABC News, reporting for Good Morning America, 20/20 and Nightline. Prior to ABC, Banfield anchored and hosted three programs on TruTV (formerly Court TV); Banfield and Ford: Courtside, Hollywood Heat and Disorder in the Court. As a correspondent for NBC News from 2000-2004, Banfield reported for The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and Dateline. She received Emmy Award recognition for her groundbreaking 9/11 coverage from Ground Zero in New York City.
Sambolin was the Weekday Edition co-anchor of NBC5 News Today in Chicago and special assignment reporter and fill-in news anchor for Telemundo Chicago. She also served as host of Un Buen Doctor, a weekly Spanish language medical series airing on cable stations worldwide. Before joining NBC5, Sambolin was the creator and Emmy award-winning host and executive producer of Small Talk for Parents on WYCC-TV and Nuestros Ninos on WSNS-TV from 1999 to 2002.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively-syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.