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CNN appears to be considering a significant schedule change for veteran anchor Jim Acosta, potentially moving his weekday morning show to a midnight time slot.
According to reporting from Oliver Darcy’s Status News newsletter, CNN chief Mark Thompson recently approached Acosta with an unexpected proposal to shift his current 10 am program to a 12-2 am ET broadcast window.
CNN moved Jim Acosta to midnight?!?!? pic.twitter.com/L6Aw7TcXaj
— ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) January 17, 2025
The suggestion reportedly caught Acosta by surprise, given his program’s historically strong performance. His show has consistently delivered some of the network’s highest ratings, both during his previous weekend slots and in his current weekday morning position. On certain days, his viewership numbers even surpass some of CNN’s prime-time offerings.
“They want to get rid of Acosta to throw a bone to Trump,” one executive told Darcy’s newsletter. “Midnight is not a serious offer when his ratings are among the best on the network.”
Jim Acosta just gave a pathetic monologue where he said heโs not the enemy of the people.
Heโs wrong, of course. Acosta is fake news.
Fake news is the enemy of the people.
๐ is the media now.pic.twitter.com/38d2Wp37xQ
— Paul A. Szypula ๐บ๐ธ (@Bubblebathgirl) January 16, 2025
The proposed schedule change would place Acosta in what many consider television’s least desirable time slot, when most viewers are asleep and ratings typically reach their lowest points. The timing is particularly unusual given that virtually no other cable news networks maintain anchor-led programming during these hours.
The development comes as CNN, along with other cable networks, grapples with declining viewership numbers and growing audience skepticism. This isn’t the first time Acosta’s position at CNN has appeared uncertain. In 2022, speculation circulated that the network planned to terminate his employment due to his political commentary style.
However, Acosta’s tenure survived the departure of former CEO Chris Licht, who was dismissed after attempting to steer the network toward a more moderate editorial stance. Despite previous challenges, Acosta has managed to retain both his show and its accompanying compensation package.
