CNN Reportedly Closing Deal With Gayle King on New Primetime Show

Gayle King is reportedly in final talks to join CNN with a weekly primetime show aimed at helping the network out of its ratings slump.

The Wall Street Journal reported that King will continue her anchor duties at CBS This Morning as she begins work at CNN. Former NBA star Charles Barkley has also reportedly been tapped to join King at CNN.

Bringing King aboard for a new 9 p.m. show is the latest strategy by CNN boss Chris Licht to amp up the network’s primetime ratings. Licht took over as chairman and CEO last May, replacing Jeff Zucker. WSJ reported that CNN has suffered the most out of the cable networks that are dealing with a post-covid ratings downturn.

Licht initially introduced CNN Primetime for the 9 p.m. slot toward the end of February featuring “exclusive interviews” with such notables as Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelensky and First Lady Jill Biden.

However, the interviews failed to resonate with viewers, and The New York Times reported more people tuned in to “Homicide Hunter” on Investigation Discovery and “Ancient Aliens” on the History Channel than stuck around to watch CNN.

According to WSJ, Nielsen data showed that CNN is averaging 575,000 prime-time viewers as of March 1. That’s down 30% from a year ago and its “lowest quarterly ratings average since 2015.”

Chris Cuomo held the 9 p.m. prime-time slot at CNN until 2021 when an investigation showed he helped his brother, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, address sexual misconduct allegations. The former CNN anchor has stated that he was “wrongfully terminated” from his position. He joined NewsNation last October.

“We’ve been openly experimenting with a variety of programming directions over the past few weeks,” a CNN spokesperson told NYT earlier this year. “Without an established format, cadence or promotion for that hour, the network has focused exclusively on producing smart and meaningful content — not on ratings.”