CNN may name Kaitlan Collins chief White House correspondent: report
CNN top brass is considering naming primetime anchor Kaitlan Collins to the role of chief White House correspondent as the left-leaning network grapples with how to cover the incoming Trump administration, according to a report.
Collins, who hosts “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” weekdays at 9 pm, would relocate with her New York-based show to Washington, D.C., at least part of the time, Semafor reported Sunday.
The move, which has not yet been finalized, is currently being discussed by CNN CEO Mark Thompson and his lieutenants in the hope that it would allow Collins to fully tap into her network of sourcing within Trump’s White House.
However, another veteran TV source who has worked at rival networks speculated that said CNN — which is cutting its own budget — will move Collins into the White House role and drop her as a primetime anchor.
“Her viewership numbers are bad,” the source said, noting that Collins is paid a a reported $3 million a year. “They probably want to move her back to D.C. and get her out of the anchor chair.”
Collins’ show, which launched on July 10, 2023, averaged 629,00 total viewers its first year. But since the election earlier this month, the program’s ratings have hovered between 565,000 to 430,000 range, according to Nielsen data.
CNN has been looking for ways to keep costs down while Thompson looks to amp up the network’s digital presence and increase its ratings. In recent months, Chris Wallace, who was making a reported $7 million a year, was informed that his poorly-rated shows would be canceled.
Wallace opted to leave after his agent was told he could stay on as an analyst if he took a massive pay cut.
The network also recently denied raises to Jake Tapper, who makes a reported $7 million, and to Wolf Blitzer, who is believed to make roughly $3 million
CNN did not return requests for comment.
The reporter covered Trump’s first administration for CNN, as well as for her previous employer, conservative news site the Daily Caller.
In recent weeks, Collins has been reporting from West Palm Beach, Fla., near the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago compound, hosting her show from a set up nearby and breaking news about the president’s transition efforts.
The 32-year-old star has climbed the ranks at the struggling news network, moving from the role of White House reporter to co-host of “CNN This Morning,” the ill-fated morning show co-hosted by Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow, both of whom were axed.
Collins managed to sidestep that disaster and find a plum gig, anchoring the network’s important 9 pm-hour, and cementing herself as CNN’s “It girl.”
Even with her Trump connections, Collins could find it hard to walk a tightrope at CNN, which has grappled with how to cover the incoming president.
Thompson said in an internal meeting with staffers earlier this month that he did not want the network to default to leaning into too much anti-Trump coverage ahead of another four years of Trump in power, the Status newsletter first reported.
He also stressed that there would be a plethora of important stories outside of the D.C. bubble that should not be pushed aside and that the network should strike a balance.
