On June 1, 2019, Chris Licht, the executive producer of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and newly appointed executive producer of CNN’s morning show, “New Day,” acknowledged that the show’s low ratings were “on me.”
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Licht accepted responsibility for the show’s struggles, saying, “I know this is a competitive field and I know we’re not doing as well as we need to be doing. That’s on me.”
Licht also acknowledged that the transition from his previous role at “The Late Show” to his new position at CNN was a challenging one. “There’s always a learning curve,” he said. “There’s always things you don’t know when you start somewhere new.”
While Licht is taking the blame for the show’s poor performance, it’s clear that he’s not the only one responsible for its struggles. “New Day” has been plagued by a number of issues, including a lack of chemistry between the hosts and a focus on opinion rather than hard news.
In an effort to address these issues, CNN has made several changes to the show. In May, the network announced that it would be bringing on a new co-anchor, former NBC News host Alisyn Camerota, to replace Kate Bolduan. The network has also made changes to the show’s format, focusing more on breaking news and less on opinion-based segments.
Despite these changes, ratings for “New Day” have continued to lag behind its competitors. For the week of May 20-24, the show averaged just 474,000 viewers, compared to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” which averaged 1.07 million viewers and Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” which averaged 1.57 million viewers.
Licht’s acknowledgement of responsibility for the show’s struggles is commendable, but it remains to be seen whether the changes that have been made will be enough to turn things around for “New Day.” With a crowded and competitive morning news landscape, the show will need to find its footing quickly if it hopes to stay relevant and draw in viewers.
