NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 CNN says it will debut its new morning show on Nov. 1, before a new set is even built but with a new name, to get it in front of viewers a week before the midterm election.
The show will be called 鈥淐NN This Morning,鈥 the network said on Wednesday. The program, as hosts, replaces the current 鈥淣ew Day鈥 and will air weekdays at 6 to 9 a.m. Eastern.
It's the by CNN's new chief executive, Chris Licht. 鈥淐NN This Morning鈥 echoes the since-renamed 鈥淐BS This Morning,鈥 which both Licht and Ryan Kadro, now senior vice president of content strategy at CNN, produced.
While the name is similar, and both will share a sensibility of respect for the audience, viewers shouldn't necessarily be looking for a repeat, Kadro said.
鈥淲e're going to put the full power of CNN's newsgathering on display because we can do that better than anybody,鈥 he said.
CNN wants to take advantage of an expected bump in viewership surrounding the Nov. 8 election so it is moving ahead in temporary quarters despite a New York-based set for the show still being under construction, he said.
鈥淐NN This Morning鈥 will showcase the network's reporters around the world on big stories of the day, he said. The network's higher-rated cable competitors, 鈥淔ox & Friends鈥 and MSNBC's 鈥淢orning Joe,鈥 are both heavy on opinion.
Another priority is building familiarity with the new team: CNN is emphasizing their backgrounds in looking to drive home the point that it's not just a show for people in the New York-Washington corridor, he said.
The network has been going to the family homes of each host to film promos: Collins in Alabama, Harlow in Minnesota and Lemon in Louisiana.
The show's new theme will be 鈥渂ringing the world home鈥 to the audience, he said.
CNN will be trying some new technical tricks, and will keep viewers updated with onscreen reminders of segments on the show that are still to come, Kadro said.
