CNN Will Reportedly Offer Kaitlan Collins the 9 p.m. Slot and a New Contract

CNN CEO Chris Licht plans to offer Kaitlan Collins a new contract and the 9 p.m. time slot at the network, Puck News reported on Wednesday.

Dylan Byers reported the news just hours before Collins is set to host a 90-minute town hall in New Hampshire with former President Donald Trump. It is Trump’s first town hall of the 2024 presidential campaign and his first appearance on the network in years.

“Kaitlan’s offer is not contingent on her performance at tonight’s town hall, but, given the Trump X-factor, those 90 minutes have the potential to modify, accelerate, or stifle the arc of her career,” Byers said. “At the very least, her performance tonight will set the tone for a new Collins era at CNN, which, barring any fuck-ups, will run at least through the 2024 presidential election.”

Before joining CNN in 2017, Collins worked for the conservative Daily Caller, which was founded by Tucker Carlson.

Since becoming network chief in February 2022, Licht has put the kibosh on opinion programming that former boss Jeff Zucker cultivated at the network in former stars such as Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, the latter of whom was fired last month after butting heads with Collins on CNN’s morning show both on air and off it. Licht has sought to move the network toward the center and serve up less partisan fare.

“For Licht, it will also mark the beginning of a formal primetime strategy, rather than the fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants mish-mash of low-rated town halls, specials and talk shows with no consistent star anchor,” Byers added. “Licht now needs to place his bets and define CNN’s place in the broader 2024 landscape. There’s a lot riding on tonight, and there’s a lot riding on Kaitlan.”

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