Former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace saw his burgeoning CNN career cut mercilessly short after the left-wing cable network’s new corporate parent took an ax to the CNN+ streaming service after just one month of operation.
Now Wallace is getting a second chance, with the network announcing that his show “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” will be resurrected this fall in a Sunday primetime slot. It will also stream on HBO Max, which like CNN is now owned by the recently merged media giant Warner Bros. Discovery.
CNN’s new chief Chris Licht made the announcement Wednesday at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation, but didn’t specify which time slot Wallace’s show will take. He said Wallace will be part of a new “CNN Sunday” programming block, which will include a longform journalism series.
Wallace’s move comes as CNN is facing a major shake-up following Discovery’s merger with WarnerMedia. CNN+ was one of the major casualties of the merger after the streaming service managed to draw a paltry 150,000 subscribers. Jeff Zucker was also pushed out following record-low ratings.
Wallace quit Fox News late last year after clashing over primetime hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity. He then jumped to CNN to host his own CNN+ show.
During his brief tenure at CNN+, Wallace reportedly was breaking down on a regular basis in front of his crew over the “miserable failure” of the new streaming platform. The anchor was also demanding his own CNN show, threatening to walk out if his demands weren’t met.
Wallace was reportedly demanding Chris Cuomo’s old time slot on CNN primetime.
On Wednesday, CNN’s Licht alluded to grand ambitions for the network under new management, including aa promise to challengee “cable news norms.”
”The next chapter in CNN is one where we aspire to be a beacon for the kind of journalism essential to a functioning democracy,” he reportedly said.
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No one cares about CNN.
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