CNN star Kaitlan Collins gets new job as struggling network tries to save ratings

CNN darling Kaitlan Collins will have to work overtime to help the struggling network cling on to viewers. 

The network confirmed today on a morning call that in addition to hosting her own show, The Source, Collins will also resume her old role of Chief White House Correspondent. 

It means splitting her time between New York City and Washington DC, and returning to her old stomping ground in the White House briefing room. 

Collins, who makes $3million-a-year, is one of the few CNN success stories of the last few years. 

She rose to notoriety during the first Trump administration with bold line of questioning in the White House briefing room. 

She and Trump clashed regularly. She was eventually banned from events for her relentless grilling of him about his friendship with Putin. 

Collins was part of the doomed facelift former boss Chris Licht implemented. She co-hosted a morning show with Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow which resulted in Lemon’s firing from the network. 

Now, as CNN desperately tries to move away from the constant Trump bashing that has turned viewers off, network executives are hoping Collins and her contacts can save the day.  

She, like several other members of the media, has been camped out there for days, as Trump continues to hold court from his compound in Mar-a-Lago.

The Semafor piece further stated how there’s been some ‘internal buzz’ surrounding the prospective shuffle within the network’s DC bureau, which has already been graced with a new boss in the form of DC bureau chief David Chalian.

Chalian previously served as Yahoo! News’ Washington bureau boss, but was fired from after he was caught on a hot mic saying then-candidate Mitt Romney was ‘not concerned at all’ and ‘happy to have a party with black people drowning’ during Hurricane Isaac.

He went on to head CNN’s political coverage from 2014 until this past week, when he was tapped to oversee the network’s D.C. bureau and all of CNN’s Washington political news coverage.

This comes in addition to his role as overseer of CNN’s daily political reporting across all platforms, where he is also in charge of the editorial content for special political programming.

He will also remain CNN’s political director in his new role, as ‘multiple’ insiders disclaimed to Semafor that the network hasn’t made any other official decisions yet.

If the move surrounding Collins goes through, she and her eponymous primetime show – currently being broadcast out of Florida – would have to relocate from New York to Washington. 

Any programming changes or staffing beyond the appointment were not detailed.

Collins already hosts her own show, The Source, weeknights at 9pm 

The most notable – and likely the reason for former CEO Chris Licht’s ouster – was a widely seen faceoff between the two at a town hall last year, where Trump branded Collins ‘a nasty woman.’ The event saw CNN criticized for alleged bias and an unprofessional line of questioning

Collins, meanwhile, is in the midst of a meteoric rise that has seen her rub shoulders with not one but two administrations, all while surfacing as a new recognizable face.

Today, she commands a salary of $3million, and has, for a little more than a year, hosted The Source with Kaitlan Collins on primetime.

The show airs on weekdays between Anderson Cooper 360° and CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, the latter of which has occasionally performed better in ratings despite being in a later timeslot.

 By appointing her to the new position, CNN is attempting to mimic success seen during Trump’s first term, when coverage of the president drew record numbers on a nightly basis.

Doing so with a journalist who has a checkered history with the conservative is akin to ‘walk[ing] a tightrope’, the Semafor report conceded when it comes to Trump coverage – pointing to CNN’s old approach of mostly panning the then-president.

CNN boss Mark Thompson has made it clear the station’s new mission is to not default toward anti-Trump coverage, in contrast to former CNN president Jeff Zucker.

Replacement Chris Licht attempted the same, but was fired after less than a year in June 2023 following a series of layoffs and a botched town hall that coincidentally had been headed by Collins.

The latter has been pegged as one of the primary reasons for Licht’s ouster, as it was widely panned for Collins’ hapless efforts to fact-check the president.

The news also comes as veteran anchors Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer were reportedly recently denied raises – after already raking in salaries of $3million and $7million, respectively

Veteran news anchor Chris Wallace has also left CNN after several years – and after making an $7million salary. Insiders previously said they were pondering a pay-cut for the 77-year-old

Collins, despite being a relative newcomer, remains not far behind, with a take-home of $3million. She is currently in West Palm Beach covering the president-elect

 As a result, the live event teetered on the edge of chaos, and days after it wrapped, spawned a 15,000-word profile in The Atlantic from journalist, Tim Alberta, who called into serious question Licht’s ability to lead the organization.

Within the week, Licht was fired, after finding success leading ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ and producing MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’.

Meanwhile, the widely criticized town hall did succeed in one thing showcase a reporter Licht had sought to elevate into a star in Collins.

Within months, her then-new prime-time show would air as planned, and it continues to do so to mixed ratings.

And while a recently-instilled Thompson is reportedly working hard to correct the climate left by his predecessors, ratings have fallen more than 20 percent in the year since.

A particularly pronounced drop-off was seen the Thursday after the election, when the network’s numbers fell from 6million daily viewers Tuesday to just 596,000

Fox News, meanwhile, remained the top choice for viewers on the big night and well after, after averaging 10.3 million on Tuesday, and a total of 2.6million viewers Thursday.

The latter was more than 10 times what MSNBC had achieved, and even more when compared to CNN.

Doing so with a journalist who has a checkered history with the conservative is akin to ‘walk[ing] a tightrope’, the Semafor report conceded when it comes to Trump coverage – pointing to CNN’s old approach of mostly panning the then-president

Days earlier, The Ankler reported that officials had been mulling a pay cut for Wallace, who had been making $7 million-a-year.

Puck was reportedly told by insiders that Wallace was told by CNN brass that his two struggling shows would be nixed and his salary clashed if he would sign on for another year.

Meanwhile, famous faces like Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett are taking home annual salaries of $20million and $6million, respectively.

Collins, despite being a relative newcomer, remains not far behind.