CNN Shakeup: 'AC360' Moved to 8 p.m.; ‘In the Arena' Off Schedule

New Erin Burnett program at 7 p.m.

By Tim Baysinger and Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/6/2011 1:37:28 PM

CNN announced Wednesday a new primetime lineup, one without Eliot Spitzer's In the Arena.

Instead, Anderson Cooper 360 will move to 8 p.m. starting Aug. 8, and be re-broadcast at its former 10 p.m. timeslot.Erin Burnett's new program will debut at 7 p.m. (with a re-air at 11 p.m.), bumping John King, U.S.A. to 6 p.m. Burnett's program is expected to premiere in late September.

"I'm looking forward to the new time slot and am excited to share AC360 with a new audience at 8 p.m., while still connecting with my regular viewers at 10 p.m.," Cooper said in a statement.

The shift puts the network's star anchor in the lead primetime hour, where Fox News has Bill O'Reilly and MSNBC has Lawrence O'Donnell.

"8 o'clock is the marquee hour on cable news, and Anderson Cooper is our flagship news program," CNN/U.S. Executive VP Ken Jautz told B&C. "So it makes sense to put the flagship news program at the marquee hour. Eight p.m. sort of states what you are as a network. AC360 itself embodies what we see as CNN's strengths and its uniqueness."

The canceled In the Arena receives the axe after less than a year on the air, after undergoing transformations in format that ultimately failed to improve its ratings. The program originally debuted as Parker/Spitzer last fall then shifted to a solo anchor roundtable format with co-host Kathleen Parker's exit in February.

"We would like better ratings and share at 8 o'clock than were being delivered," Jautz acknowledged.

The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer moves to 4-6 p.m. following CNN Newsroom, which will now run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Piers Morgan Tonight will stay at its regular 9 p.m. slot, and re-air at 12 a.m.

Jautz says he is committed to the schedule of multiple re-airs at hours when some cable networks feature original programming.

"We believe that this is a good lineup and it would improve the flow from show to show," he said. "We think it's a lineup that underscores what's important to CNN - a commitment to quality journalism."

Cooper will launch his syndicated daytime talk show, Anderson, in September, but Jautz said that show's taping schedule was not a factor in AC360's move to 8 p.m. Cooper has said Anderson will tape two shows a day, three days a week to balance his responsibilities at CNN.

"We're not reacting to what someone else has done, we're doing what we think is the strongest lineup and the best shows," Jautz said.

CNN's new full schedule is below:

CNN Fall Schedule (All times Eastern):
6a-9 a.m.:  American Morning
9a-4 p.m.: CNN Newsroom
4 p.m.:       Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
6 p.m.:       John King, USA
7 p.m.:       Erin Burnett
8 p.m.:       Anderson Cooper 360°
9 p.m.:       Piers Morgan Tonight
10 p.m.:     AC 360 re-air
11 p.m.:     Erin Burnett re-air
12 a.m.:     Piers Morgan Tonight re-air