CNN Plays Reruns in 'Reliable Sources' Slot
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One week after Brian Stelter signed off the abruptly canceled “Reliable Sources” for the last time, CNN aired a rerun of “Inside Politics” during the Sunday morning time slot — and will continue to do so while it seeks a replacement.
Sunday’s 8 a.m. ET “Inside Politics” was replayed in full at 11 a.m. where “Reliable Sources” used to be. There is no current replacement in the works for the plum news-magazine time slot, an individual with knowledge of the network’s plans told TheWrap.
In the meantime, the Sunday version of “Inside Politics,” hosted by Abby Phillip, will continue to replay at the old “Reliable Sources” time, the person said. John King hosts “Inside Politics” on weekdays at noon.
Poor ratings dogged “Reliable Sources,” which had its worst year since Stelter took over the 30-year-old program in 2015 and was losing viewership despite a slight July rebound. Ratings data for Sunday’s “Inside Politics” were not expected until Tuesday.
As TheWrap first reported, CNN does not intend to develop another media-focused show, and the network had no comment on its development plans.
When the decision was made to cut “Reliable Sources,” insiders told TheWrap that CNN’s new leadership is seeking a broader, less-partisan lens. The lack of a backfill plan for “Reliable Sources” informs the urgency with which CNN brass wanted to shake up the Sunday morning lineup; many observers told TheWrap that board member and major stakeholder John Malone, not a fan of CNN’s politics, was a heavy influence — though Warner Brothers Discovery execs denied it.
The “Reliable Sources” newsletter began its “brief summer hiatus” Aug. 18, the day that Stelter’s exit from CNN was announced. In its latest installment Aug. 18, titled “The future of ‘Reliable Sources,'” Stelter discussed the ending of the Sunday edition of “Reliable Sources” and his time at CNN, saying, “I started writing this daily newsletter in 2015 with exactly zero subscribers and as the readership grew, day after day, it became one of the true joys of my career.”
He, then, passed off the newsletter’s duties to Oliver Darcy.
“In the immediate future, this newsletter will take a brief summer hiatus,” Darcy wrote. “But in a few weeks, I will return with a reimagined product that expands our coverage and mirrors the complex media landscape our nation and world are facing today.”
Another source with knowledge of CNN’s plans told TheWrap there is still no official relaunch date for the newsletter.
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