Can a new morning show with Don Lemon help turn around CNN’s fortunes?
CNN’s Don Lemon is at the center of a potential reboot of his syndicated morning show, which would have him back at the network where he made a name for himself as a crusading political correspondent in the 1990s.
CNN is reportedly considering a new morning show with Don Lemon that would bring him back to the network where his ratings soared, where he was best known and where he was famously fired from in 2003 after he called then-President George W. Bush “a fake.”
The news of a potential CNN comeback comes on the heels of a new report that the network is looking to revive its primetime lineup with a reboot of its morning show with a new host.
The two biggest names to come out of the rumor mill — MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle and CNN head of news Jim Walton — both said they were not involved in any big news-making move or shake-up.
According to a person familiar with the situation, CNN’s parent company, Time Warner Inc., has hired a group of three to five journalists with ties to New York City to advise on new programming.
Ruhle is a reporter for “The New York Times” who left her job as a senior editor at the paper in June 2015 to work full-time on MSNBC. She’s now working at CNN as part of the restructuring effort.
Lemon is already a star in the network’s lineup having hosted “CNN Tonight” since 2013.
But he’d be the new face of CNN’s biggest-selling show, “The Don Lemon Show,” which would air on a Sunday night following the primetime line-up. Lemon’s show is a must-see for many of CNN’s viewers — and for the network’s advertisers.
“The Don Lemon show” would not replace “The Lead” with anchor Wolf Blitzer — who has done a solid job as co-anchor with Lemon.
Blitzer recently announced that his contract was not renewed, which is why Lemon is moving over to the Sunday night spot.
Meanwhile, Walton has been
