‘CNN This Morning’ producer Eric Hall out in abrupt shakeup
The executive producer for “CNN This Morning” has been ousted — just months after the revamped morning show launched, according to multiple reports.
Ryan Kadro, a top lieutenant to CNN president Chris Licht, informed staffers of the move during a meeting Thursday, the Wrap reported, citing a network insider with knowledge of the situation.
The executive producer, Eric Hall, was reassigned from his gig at “CNN This Morning” to a new role at the 11 p.m. hour of “CNN Tonight.”
Executives have yet to name a replacement for Hall at “CNN This Morning” after the abrupt shakeup, according to a separate report from Deadline.
It’s unclear what prompted Licht to make the change — though the move comes as CNN’s leadership scrambles to boost ratings for the network’s morning programming, which has long lagged behind its cable rivals.
A refreshed morning lineup has been a top priority for Licht, who has led an aggressive push at CNN toward centrist, nonpartisan coverage since he took over as network president last year.
The Post has reached out to CNN for comment.
“CNN This Morning” debuted just before the midterm elections on Nov. 1, with Don Lemon, Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow serving as the program’s co-anchors. Lemon joined the lineup after getting booted from his primetime slot.
So far, the overhauled morning show has averaged approximately 400,000 viewers a day, according to Nielsen data. By comparison, its predecessor in the same time slot, “New Day,” averaged about 412,000 viewers.
Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” is averaging 1.33 million viewers, while MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” is averaging 905,000.
The Licht-led CNN is also experiencing some struggles in primetime — where ratings hit a fresh low on Monday as programming went head to head with the NFL wildcard playoff game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys.
CNN brought in 311,000 nightly viewers on average for the night, compared to an average of more than 2 million at Fox News.
Licht is reportedly considering the addition of a late-night comedian to fill CNN’s 9 p.m. hour, which hasn’t had a permanent anchor since Chris Cuomo was pushed out in late 2021.
Overall, CNN’s primetime audience dropped 33% to 730,000 viewers last year.