CNN announces new prime time lineup
By Brian Stelter, CNN Senior Media Correspondent
Doubling down on its investment in original series, CNN will begin to devote the 9 p.m. hour of prime time to new taped shows starring Mike Rowe, Anthony Bourdain and others, the channel announced on Thursday.
The new strategy represents a shift away from the talk show format that CNN has featured at 9 p.m. for thirty years, first with "Larry King Live," then with "Piers Morgan Tonight." Morgan's program ended on March 29.
"We believe that genre is no longer viable" at that hour, the CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker said, citing "too many outlets" and "not enough unique guests."
Following the taped series at 9 p.m., a new addition called "CNN Tonight" at 10 p.m. will feature rotating hosts. It was described as "a live hour of the day's biggest stories."
Read more of Brian's CNNMoney article here.
Stephen Colbert to succeed David Letterman as host of "The Late Show"
By Brian Stelter, CNN Senior Media Correspondent
(CNN) - Stephen Colbert will succeed David Letterman as the host of "The Late Show," CBS announced on Thursday, one week after Letterman told his audience that he would retire sometime in 2015.
CBS said Colbert had signed a five-year contract to host the iconic late-night broadcast.
Colbert, 49, has been the host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" since 2005.
Read the latest updates from Brian on CNN.com here.
DNC rips MSNBC decision on Scarborough speech
By Brian Stelter, CNN Senior Media Correspondent
(CNN) – The Democratic National Committee is challenging MSNBC's decision to allow one of its hosts, Joe Scarborough, speak at a New Hampshire state GOP event.
In a letter to MSNBC president Phil Griffin on Thursday, the committee's communications director, Mo Elleithee, accused the liberal-leaning cable news channel of having a "pretty big double standard" when it comes to host participation at partisan events.
The dust-up comes amid media scrutiny about Scarborough's scheduled keynote speech at the Cheshire County, New Hampshire Republican Lincoln Day Dinner on May 2.
Why, some reporters and activists wondered, was Scarborough allowed to participate when another MSNBC host, liberal firebrand Ed Schultz, was barred from speaking at a local Democratic committee dinner in Florida in March? That dinner was labeled a fundraiser, which led The Huffington Post to inquire about MSNBC's policies regarding partisan events.
Read more of Brian's article via the CNN Political Ticker.
'GMA' adds another man: ESPN's Tony Reali
By Brian Stelter, CNN Senior Media Correspondent
One week after former ESPN anchor Josh Elliott exited "Good Morning America," the ABC morning program is adding ESPN host Tony Reali as a contributor.
Reali's role was first described by The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. Reali, the host of "Around the Horn" on ESPN since 2004, is expected to appear on "GMA" two or three days a week as a part of the show's social media segments.
The program named a corner of its studio the "Social Square" earlier this year in an attempt to connect social media conversations to the live broadcasts. NBC's "Today" show has a similar set-up, "The Orange Room," and Carson Daly frequently leads segments from there.
The "GMA" position is part of a new contract for Reali that also extends his time at ESPN. (Both ABC and ESPN are owned by Disney (DIS, Fortune 500). Reali, who also appears on the ESPN show "Pardon The Interruption," will leave that program. "Around the Horn" - which is currently taped in Washington, D.C. - will move to New York.
Read more of Brian's article on CNN Money here.
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About the host
Brian Stelter is the host of "Reliable Sources" and the senior media correspondent for CNN Worldwide. Before he joined CNN in November 2013, Stelter was a media reporter for The New York Times. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Top of the Morning."
Here's his biography. You can read his stories on this blog and at CNNMoney.com/Media/.
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