Now that she has bid good-bye to CNBC, Erin Burnett is focusing on her new gig at CNN: an hour-long prime-time show. According to “Page Six,” development execs are crafting a daily news program for her (not just financially oriented) to replace John King USA in the seven o’clock hour. King’s show, which debuted just over a year ago, has never really been a ratings magnet. It is routinely walloped by The Fox Report with Shepard Smith and generally trails Hardball With Chris Matthews on MSNBC. Getting a woman in their prime-time lineup would be a nice change for CNN, too — at the moment their evening headliners are Wolf Blitzer, King, Eliot Spitzer, Piers Morgan, and Anderson Cooper. CNN wouldn’t comment on the star vehicle, but it explains why Burnett — who was building a career as a personality at NBC News — would make the jump to cable.
Erin’s news gig [NYP]
Update: CNN just issued this statement: “We have no plans to make changes to John King, USA—the audience is up 68 percent this year vs. a year ago and we look forward to its continued progress as the program takes on an important role in our 2012 campaign coverage … We do not have a time slot selected for Erin Burnett’s program and the show will begin development in a few weeks. We look forward to having a lineup that includes both John King and Erin Burnett as well as our many other talented CNN anchors come the fall.”
