Zahn Gets New Exec. Producer
By Allison Romano -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/2/2003
James Miller, who most recently was a consultant for ABC News'Good Morning America, will be senior executive producer for Zahn's upcoming prime time American Evening, which should launch this summer.
Zahn has been anchoring two hours in prime since the early days of the war in Iraq, but CNN is still formally "developing" her new show. Anchoring under the placeholder name Live From the Headlines, Zahn drew roughly 900,000 viewers from the time the war ended until May 9, when she went on a brief leave.
Miller may be new to cable news, but he says Good Morning America prepared him well for the cable grind. "GMA is a beast. It is a 24-hour-operation, and there is no part of the day when you can relax," he said. Battling with feisty Fox News Channel, though, will surely be something new. Miller will work with Zahn and CNN Executive Vice President and General Manager Teya Ryan to craft the newscast's design and elements. Along with his Good Morning America experience, he has been a producer for CBS News and was a television reporter for The Washington Post. More recently, he was executive vice president of original programming for USA Network.
He welcomes his reemergence in the news business. "In entertainment, you're creating an alternate reality," Miller said. "I'd rather stick with what's real."
