CNN has tapped Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan to co-host the cable news network’s new morning show, which will premiere this spring.
In addition, the network said that Michaela Pereira will join CNN from KTLA Morning News in Los Angeles, as the program's news anchor. The network did not give a name for the new program, when it announced its morning roster on Thursday.
The Bolduan move is a surprise given that speculation had centered on "OutFront's" Erin Burnett joining Cuomo as co-host in the mornings.
It's also an indication of how important CNN and its newly minted chief Jeff Zucker sees Cuomo, who was lured away from ABC in January, to its long-term plans to revive the network.
Since he took the reins at the ratings-challenged CNN, Zucker has swept away the network's morning programming. Last month, CNN announced that Soledad O'Brien would leave as host of its morning show "Starting Point" and will instead enter into a production deal with the network.
Fixing the way CNN kicks off its day is a priority for Zucker, who brings his decade-plus experience as producer of "Today" to his new gig. In both ratings and buzz, the network's morning programming has lagged behind its more partisan competitors like Fox News' "Fox and Friends" and MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
In a statement, Zucker said he believed the new hosts will give CNN an opportunity to offer news in the morning "with a fresh, new voice."
“Chris, Kate and Michaela are a dynamic team that will give our viewers in America a new way to start their day," he said. "We were floored with excitement when we saw Chris and Kate together on screen, and by adding Michaela to the mix we feel we have something very special."
In an interview with the New York Times, Zucker gave some indication of what form this "fresh" approach would take, saying the program will be "more energetic, more conversational and more interesting," while not dwelling on social issues or politics as much as its cable news rivals.
At ABC, Cuomo served as "20/20" co-anchor, ABC News chief law and justice correspondent and "Good Morning America" news anchor. Bolduan joined CNN in 2007, and is co-anchor of "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." She also serves as one of the network's Congressional correspondents.
News executive Jim Murphy will oversee the program as senior executive producer, and Matt Frucci will serve as executive producer. The show will be broadcast from CNN’s New York City studios.
