ABC News' Jake Tapper Jumping to CNN

Will be chief Washington correspondent, anchor new weekday program

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/20/2012 4:54:47 PM

ABC News' senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper is leaving the network to be the chief Washington correspondent at CNN and host a new weekday program on the network beginning in 2013.

"We are thrilled to have Jake join CNN and take the helm of a brand new weekday program," said Ken Jautz, executive VP of CNN/U.S. "Jake is an exceptional reporter and communicator, and we look forward to developing a program that takes advantage of all of his strengths, his passion and his knowledge of national issues and events."

Tapper had covered the White House beat for ABC for the last four years, and first joined the network in 2003.

Jonathan Karl will become ABC News' chief White House correspondent, ABC News president Ben Sherwood said in a memo to staff Thursday. Karl had been the network's senior political correspondent since 2010, and covered the Romney campaign during the most recent presidential election. He first joined ABC News in 2003 as senior foreign affairs correspondent.

Sherwood said Martha Raddatz will take on an expanded role as ABC News' chief global affairs correspondent and will also replace Tapper as the primary substitute anchor for This Week. When Christiane Amanpour exited the Sunday morning public affairs program at the end of 2011, Tapper was considered a likely candidate to replace her; instead George Stephanopoulos was named to again assume the role.

Raddatz was formerly senior foreign affairs correspondent at ABC News and moderated this year's vice predisdential debate.

Tapper joins political director Amy Walter in departing ABC News, who also announced Thursday she would leave the network to rejoin the Cook Political Report.