Chris Cuomo’s nightly show Cuomo on NewsNation turns one on October 3. Viewers have seen a slightly looser version of Cuomo on the new network, not wearing the trademark black suit and getting out in the field more to speak with everyday Americans about their issues. 

The show is NewsNation’s top-rated program, according to Nielsen. In September, Cuomo averaged 120,000 total viewers and 25,000 in the demo. 

The executive producer is Alexandra “Dusty” Cohen, who did not work with Cuomo at CNN and spent close to a couple of decades at The View. Her friendship with Cuomo goes back many years, and he tapped her to launch the NewsNation show with him. 

“Christopher Cuomo had more confidence in me than I had in myself,” said Cohen, who added that she figured everyone in cable news was smarter and better educated than her. On Cuomo, she said, she gets “to exercise a muscle I didn’t know I had.”

In a statement, Cuomo said of the show’s anniversary, “Any longevity is a blessing in this business, and Dusty and the team have really helped establish NewsNation as a movement in America.”

Cohen spoke to B+C about year one, and what’s next for Cuomo, and Cuomo. 

She said she first met the host some 27 years ago, when he was going to law school with her brother. She arrived at ABC to launch The View in 1997, and he came to that network a few years later. 

“I would use him on The View, put him at the table,” Cohen said. “Boy, would he hold his own.”

Cohen said Cuomo benefits from her long “history” with the host. “I know all the different sides of Chris,” she said. “I knew he wasn’t just the guy in the black suit on CNN. My goal has been for everybody to see all the different sides of Chris.”

She described him as “the funniest person I know” and much warmer on NewsNation than he was on CNN. 

Cuomo hosted Cuomo Prime Time in the 9 p.m. hour on CNN. He was suspended in late November 2021 for his role in aiding his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, when the governor was accused of sexual harassment. He was fired a few days later, after a law firm’s investigation into his behavior. 

Cohen got the Dusty moniker before she was born. Her parents considered naming her Justine, which her brother could not quite pronounce. They went with Alexandra instead, but “Dusty” stuck. 

She mentioned dropping out of college just a few months in, working at various bars and restaurants, and then landing an entry-level job at WWOR New York (channel 9) at the age of 19, thanks in part to a bar customer she waited on. 

Cohen said she and Cuomo have a different partnership than hosts and producers typically do. “We have a banter and rapport that you can’t make up,” she said. 

Cohen is on the air now and then, fielding phone calls from viewers. “We wanted to go a little old-school and do calls,” she said. 

Last week, Cuomo visited East Palestine, Ohio, site of the train derailment in February that dumped toxic materials across the landscape. The September 26 episode focused on the East Palestine community eight months after the disaster. That special “epitomizes what NewsNation is about — people that are forgotten, people that the other networks aren’t focusing on,” Cohen said. “No one holds a candle to Chris when he’s out in the field with real people, people suffering from real problems.”

Cuomo will feature more boots-on-the-ground coverage from the host, and producers, in year two. “Chris can jump on a plane at any moment and visit a small town that’s not being paid attention to, that needs attention,” Cohen said. “We’ll look at those places as much as we can.”

If the presidential Election Day is the Super Bowl for reporters who cover politics, the midterms represent the NFL’s conference championships. Networks and stations alike are set to cover the big stories November 8 — and thereafter, should the situation call for it.

Showtime got things going with a midterm-themed episode of The Circus called Here Comes the Flood on Sunday, November 6.

On the local level, Fox-owned WAGA Atlanta turned on the midterm coverage Monday, November 7 with the hour-long special Road to November. Races to be covered in the region include the Senate battle between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker and the governor campaign between incumbent Brian Kemp and Dem challenger Stacey Abrams.

Fox’s KRIV Houston posted the 30-minute You Decide 2022 special to the station website and to its YouTube Channel. Greg Groogan anchors.

The Fox group’s streaming net LiveNOW goes live at 5 a.m. ET on Election Day, with station reporters covering the local races.  

NBC’s owned stations will deliver NBC News coverage in prime, while detailing the local races live on their mobile apps and their local FAST channels on Peacock, Samsung TV and Roku. NBCUniversal Local’s LX News begins LXtion 2022 at 6 p.m. ET, with political editor Noah Pransky leading the coverage. He gets assistance from Mackenzie Behm in Pennsylvania and Chase Cain in Florida, among others.  

Gray Television’s streaming news net Local News Live will go live on Gray station sites, OTT platforms and Facebook Live from 7 p.m. until midnight November 8. Gray TV White House correspondent Jon Decker and Local News Live anchor Ryan Piers lead coverage.

Nexstar’s NewsNation coverage will be co-hosted by Chris Cuomo and Leland Vittert. Broadcasting from network headquarters in Chicago, NewsNation begins coverage at 6 p.m. ET and goes until 3 a.m.

CBS News’ America Decides: Campaign ‘22 is anchored at Times Square by Norah O’Donnell, with Gayle King, John Dickerson and Margaret Brennan among those pitching in.

For the first time, CBS News has a Democracy Desk on the set.

Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell lead coverage at NBC News, with Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid on MSNBC. CNBC has Shepard Smith while Julio Vaqueiro and Arantxa Loizaga anchor on Noticias Telemundo.

David Muir runs the show at ABC News, with the likes of Linsey Davis, Jonathan Karl, Cecilia Vega and Martha Raddatz helping out.

Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum anchor on Fox News Channel November 8, starting at 6 p.m. ET. America’s Newsroom co-anchor Bill Hemmer analyzes results in real time on the so-called “Bill-Board” throughout Democracy 2022. Fox News’s decision desk will be run by Arnon Mishkin.

CNN will have Anderson Cooper in the 8 p.m. slot and Jake Tapper at 9 p.m. on Election Night, before he shifts to the 4-6 p.m. slot after the election. Chief national correspondent John King will of course be breaking things down state by state. He called the midterms the “most complicated” of the many he’s covered over the decades. “We live in an age of volatility,” King said.

CNN said 35 Senate seats are on the ballot, and all 435 House spots. Plus, 36 out of 50 stations have gubernatorial elections.

Once the madness is over, MSNBC’s Morning Joe will broadcast in front of a live studio audience Wednesday morning, November 9, from Rockefeller Center. That goes from 6 to 10 a.m. ET and Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist host.

Road to November is a regular weekly show on WAGA. On November 10, it will cover what happened in the surely eventful days before. ■

NewsNation, Nexstar Media Group’s cable news channel, said its election coverage next Tuesday will be co-hosted by Chris Cuomo and Leland Vittert.

NewsNation’s election coverage will emanate from its headquarters in Chicago.

To get up-to-date election results and calls of races, NewsNation will be working with Decision Desk HQ. Decision Desk HQ’s head of data science, Scott Tranter, will appear in the Chicago studio, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how it operates.

Also playing roles in NewsNation’s election-night coverage will be Niall Stange, associate editor of The Hill (acquired by Nexstar last year); NewsNation Washington bureau chief Mike Viqueira; national correspondent Keleigh Beeson; correspondent Tom Dempsey; and analysts Chris Stirewalt and George Will.

“We are excited to bring viewers the most comprehensive coverage of election night anywhere, as our team anchors the newscast from the heartland of America,”  Michael Corn, president of news at NewsNation, said. “After providing exclusive national coverage of candidate debates in Georgia, Texas and Pennsylvania, NewsNation is preparing to deliver election-night results with a level of transparency and detail never before seen on TV.” ■

Former CNN host Chris Cuomo’s new show on Nexstar Media Group’s NewsNation cable network launches Monday night (Oct. 3).

Scheduled guests for the first night of Cuomo are Bill Maher and Dan Rather.

Also set to appear on the show this week are Stephen A. Smith, Andrew Yang, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Tulsi Gabbard and Whoopi Goldberg.

Cuomo was suspended in November by CNN and subsequently fired after the New York attorney general released documents that indicated Cuomo was more involved than previously disclosed in the planning of the legal defense of his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Also: Jake Tapper To Fill CNN’s 9 P.M. Slot Through Elections

Cuomo filed a wrongful termination suit against CNN in March, seeking $125 million.

Nexstar launched NewsNation on cable channel WGN America in September 2020. WGN America was rebranded on March 1, 2021.

The network has been expanding its news programming and is now up to 96 hours a week with the launch of NewsNation Live with Marni Hughes on September 19.

Hughes has been with NewsNation since it launched in 2020 and has been hosting NewsNation Prime with Marni Hughes at 9 p.m. That show is being replaced by Cuomo’s new program. ■

Nexstar Media Group’s cable news network NewsNation said that it will be adding former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo to its primetime lineup in the fall.

He discussed his new job during an interview on NewsNation’s Dan Abrams Live Tuesday night.

“NewsNation believes in the work I am doing with The Chris Cuomo Project and I look forward to building something special here — covering news wherever it happens and having conversations that cater to common concerns and solutions rather than political parties or the political circus,” Cuomo said in a statement. 

Cuomo was suspended in November by CNN and subsequently fired after the New York attorney general released documents that indicated Cuomo was more involved than previously disclosed in the planning of the legal defense of his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In a New York Times op-ed in September, Chris Cuomo was also accused of sexually harassing a colleague in 2005.

Cuomo filed a wrongful termination suit against CNN in March, seeking $125 million.

On Instagram earlier this month, Cuomo hinted he was staging a comeback. He launched a podcast, the Chris Cuomo Project, last week, with interview of actor Sean Penn and Andrii Yermak, chief of staff for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“NewsNation has earned high praise from multiple media watchdog groups by remaining true to its mission to bring viewers the fact-based news that impacts their lives without opinion or bias,” Nexstar president of networks Sean Compton said. “Chris joins our growing team of seasoned, award-winning journalists and will further our efforts to continue to ensure fairness and transparency in our news reporting and talk shows.” ■

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has re-emerged with a new bi-weekly podcast.

The debut episode of the Chris Cuomo Project features interviews with Sean Penn and Andrii Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff. 

The podcast, which will live on YouTube, Spotify and other platforms, also features a preamble from Cuomo, in which he declares his loyalty to the cable news network that fired him in December: "I will never be a hater," he declares. "CNN has great people, CNN has a great purpose, and I wish them all the best, and I miss so many of the people there.” 

Here's the first episode (after the dumb bot video): 

The podcast -- which has an initial runtime of one hour and 56 minutes -- will appear every Tuesday and Thursday. 

In opening his inaugural podcast Thursday, Cuomo said there is "no benefit" to "rec-litigate" the events that led to his firing by former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, who departed the network just over a month later, amid his own scandal. 

Cuomo was accused of leveraging his position at the network to try to help his older brother, Andrew Cuomo, save his floundering New York governorship last year. The New York Attorney General accused Chris Cuomo of serving as a "strategist" on behalf of his brother. 

Chris Cuomo said he "regrets" the way his CNN exit unfolded, but "will never regret" trying to help a family member. 

After his firing, Cuomo quit SiriusXM, and publisher HarperCollins quit on a Cuomo book project it had planned for this year. 

So the podcast is the first project Cuomo is doing since leaving CNN eight months ago. 

Cuomo, who currently has a $125 million arbitration claim against CNN pending, is booked to appear on Dan Abrams' NewsNation show on Tuesday, where he is expected to further discuss his new podcast. ■

Cable news network NewsNation said that Dan Abrams will interview former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo on Dan Abrams Live on July 26.

Cuomo was suspended in November by CNN and subsequently fired after the New York attorney general released documents that indicated the Cuomo was more involved than previously disclosed in the defense planning by his brother, then New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

In a New York Times op-ed in September, Chris Cuomo was also accused of sexually harrasing a colleague in 2005.

Cuomo filed a wrongful termination suit against CNN in March, seeking $125 million.

Earlier this month in an Instagram post, Cuomo hinted at a possible comeback, saying “Something’s coming . . . Summer ‘22.”

In promos, NewsNation said Cuomo’s first television interview since leaving CNN will cover “what he’s doing now, what he’s doing next and answer the tough questions about his past.”

The interview will take up the full hour of Dan Abrams Live.  ■

Less than a year after CNN ousted Chris Cuomo, the embattled anchor might be staging a comeback.

Cuomo posted a cryptic message on his Instagram page saying "Something's coming ... Summer '22". The message accompanied a series of photos featuring Cuomo puffing a cigar, flexing for the camera, and shirtless.

Cuomo was fired from CNN following an external investigation into how he had helped his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, amid allegations of sexual harassment.

“This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother,” Cuomo said in a statement published on CNN's web site after his firing. “So let me now say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at Cuomo Prime Time and the work we did as CNN‘s No. 1 show in the most competitive time slot. I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work.”

News of how he advised his brother first broke in The Washington Post last May. The Post reported that Cuomo spoke with his brother as well as members of his brother's team about the allegations made against the then-governor by women who had worked with him.

At the time, Cuomo apologized on his show for his actions and CNN did not punish him. But after New York Attorney General Letitia James released new documents and videos showing the extent to which he had helped his brother, the news network suspended him indefinitely. The suspension was followed a week later by his firing.

Cuomo filed a wrongful termination suit against CNN in March, seeking $125 million. ■

Chris Cuomo, former anchor at CNN, is seeking $125 million from the network for wrongful termination. Cuomo was fired in early December, after New York Attorney General Letitia James released emails and text messages that revealed Cuomo was giving advice to his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the politician faced a sexual harassment scandal. 

In a legal filing March 16, Cuomo’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said the anchor is seeking the $15 million owed to him under his contract, along with “future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation.”

Freedman continued, "The legal action filed today makes clear that CNN wrongfully terminated Chris and further violated the express terms of his employment agreement by allowing its employees to disparage him. Chris is owed a full apology from those responsible."

Cuomo, who was host of Cuomo Prime Time, was fired by Jeff Zucker, then president of CNN. Zucker resigned in February after an internal investigation revealed he had failed to disclose a romantic relationship with Allison Gollust, CNN executive VP and chief marketing officer. Gollust resigned as well.

CNN did not comment at deadline. ■ 

CNN said Allison Gollust, its executive VP and chief marketing officer, has resigned after an investigation into issues surrounding former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his brother, former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, found she violated CNN's news standards and practices.

CNN said former network chief Jeff Zucker also violated standards and practices. Zucker resigned on February 2 with an admission that he had failed to disclose an intimate relationship with Gollust, who reported to him.

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar disclosed the findings and Gollust's resignation in an internal memo. CNN anchor Brian Stelter tweeted the memo, which stated that an investigation by a third-party law firm, Cravath, and led by a former judge "was comprehensive and definitive" and found violations of company policies.

Stelter further reported that Gollust responded by telling colleagues in an email: "WarnerMedia's statement tonight is an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks. It is deeply disappointing that after spending the past nine years defending and upholding CNN's highest standards of journalistic integrity, I would be treated this way as I leave," Gollust said. "But I do so with my head held high, knowing that I gave my heart and soul to working with the finest journalists in the world."

Gollust joined CNN in 2013, reuniting there with CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker, for whom she headed corporate communications while Zucker was CEO of NBCUniversal. Before joining CNN she worked as communications director for Governor Cuomo.

CNN is in the process of being spun off with other WarnerMedia assets and sold to Discovery.

The New York Times also published a story about the investigation into Chris Cuomo and Zucker, including that CNN had received a letter from a lawyer representing a former colleague of Cuomo's at ABC News. The former colleague claimed that Cuomo had sexually assaulted her and that "Mr. Cuomo had tried to keep her quiet by arranging a flattering CNN segment about her employer at the time." Days after receiving the letter, Zucker fired Cuomo, the Times said, adding that a spokesman for Cuomo denied the allegations. Zucker then resigned two months later. ■

CNN has fired anchor Chris Cuomo after earlier suspending him indefinitely due to revelations about the extent of his aid to his embattled brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The firing also came after the news outlet retained an outside law firm to look into what aid Chris Cuomo gave in his brother's handling of sexual harassment allegations that ultimately led him to step down, according to CNN.

CNN said that investigation uncovered additional information that it will continue to look into, Cuomo's firing notwithstanding. It did not say what it was.

Also: CNN's Chris Cuomo Apologizes for Helping Brother

“Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother's defense,” CNN said Saturday (Dec. 4). “We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately.”

“This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother,” Cuomo said in a statement published on CNN's web site. “So let me now say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at Cuomo Prime Time and the work we did as CNN‘s No. 1 show in the most competitive time slot. I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work.”

Cuomo's suspension came after new documents and videos were released by New York Attorney General Letitia James from her investigation into the sexual harassment allegations, documents that showed Chris Cuomo tried to use the power of his journalism job to help is brother.

Cuomo‘s primetime show had been a bright spot for CNN in terms of ratings. Cuomo Prime Time, at 9 p.m., was the network‘s most-watched show in total viewers for the month of November, averaging 826,000. ■

CNN has indefinitely suspended anchor Chris Cuomo, one of its top-rated news personalities, following the release of documents that CNN Business characterized as indicating Cuomo was "more intimately involved than previously known" in his brother's, then New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's, defense of allegations of sexual misconduct.

Chris Cuomo had acknowledged he had been involved in his brother's defense, but CNN signaled the documents changed the equation, and not in Chris Cuomo's favor.

"The New York Attorney General's office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo's involvement in his brother's defense," said a CNN spokesperson according to the network's website. "The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions."

Also: Chris Cuomo Accused of Sexual Harassment

CNN said that while Cuomo's advice to his brother broke its rules, it had recognized his unique position and his desire to put "family first and job second."

But the documents suggest greater involvement in the governor's defense efforts than they had been informed so he was suspended "pending further evaluation."

The new documents were part of a rolling release these week of more transcripts and video from New York Attorney General Letitia James' investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the now former governor. ■

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has been accused of touching a TV news executive in an inappropriate manner. Shelley Ross, former TV news executive, wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times that detailed the incident. It happened in 2005, at a going-away party for an ABC staffer. Ross had been executive producer on Cuomo’s show Primetime Live. When Cuomo entered the bar, he hugged Ross, then squeezed “the cheek of my buttock,” she wrote, in front of her husband. 

Cuomo apologized via email a short while later. 

Ross’s essay is entitled “Chris Cuomo Sexually Harassed Me. I Hope He’ll Use His Power to Make Change.”

Ross noted how Cuomo “escaped accountability for advising former Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his sexual harassment scandal.” She said she does not want to see him punished, but is hopeful that “this is an opportunity for him and his employer to show what accountability can look like in the #MeToo era.”

Cuomo anchors Cuomo Prime Time on CNN. His brother is Andrew Cuomo, who stepped down as New York governor in August following allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Ross was an executive producer on ABC’s Primetime Live and Good Morning America, and The Early Show on CBS. 

CNN shared a statement from Cuomo. “As Shelley acknowledges, our interaction was not sexual in nature,” he said. “It happened 16 years ago in a public setting when she was a top executive at ABC. I apologized to her then, and I meant it.”

CNN and anchor Chris Cuomo have apologized after The Washington Post reported that the anchor had participated in strategy sessions with his brother, embattled Andrew Cuomo, on how he should respond to allegations of sexual harassment.

The paper reported that Chris Cuomo had advised his brother was on a series of conference calls with the governor, aides, lawyers and others and encouraged his brother not to resign and used the term "cancel culture" as a reason not to leave.

According to a story on CNN's web site about the conference calls, the network has said his participation was "inappropriate" and improper, but said he will not face any disciplinary consequences.

"[I]t was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor's staff, which Chris acknowledges," CNN said.

Cuomo apologized on his Thursday night show, but suggested he was apologizing for how it impacted others: "It will not happen again. It was a mistake, because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I am sorry for that."

Cuomo took some heat for interviewing his brother earlier in the pandemic, CNN waived its policy against that at the time--but Cuomo said he would not cover the sexual harassment story because it was impossible for him to be objective. Some argued at the time that it had been impossible for him to be objective in his earlier interactions with his brother, when Andrew Cuomo was being hailed as the face and voice of reason in daily press conferences about the pandemic.

It has been, by every conceivable measure, a perfect storm for news viewing. As the pandemic rages on, people are stuck at home and are desperate for timely information related to this enormous, horrifying story.

And news outlets, ranging from cable news networks to broadcast news divisions, are eager to provide viewers with the latest.

But what happens down the road? When the pandemic eventually dies down — it has to, right? — will viewers still be fervidly searching out news on TV? There’s no way news can sustain the lofty ratings of today, but many executives are hopeful to see a bump when the massive story of 2020 subsides. “We’ve exposed the audience to our programs and we’ve gotten before new audiences,” Kim Godwin, executive VP at CBS News, said. “I hope people who watch us now appreciate the journalistic integrity of our shows. I hope the audience gets used to watching us and likes our journalists.”

As the coronavirus curve has flattened across some parts of the country, news consumption has ticked downward from its high levels in the early days of the crisis. News programming was 19% of total TV time March 16-22, according to Nielsen, and dropped to 17.5% April 6-12. During March 16-22, subscription video-on-demand viewing on platforms such as Netflix was 15.1% of TV time, which ticked up to 15.4% April 6-12.

In an era when one hears about fake news on a daily basis, the TV news organizations are optimistic that the pandemic has drawn a clear line between established news outfits and the less credible ones. “There’s a reason viewers are turning to us now and trusting us at a terrible time,” ABC News VP of newsgathering Wendy Fisher said. “They’re not turning to us for fun. They’re turning to us because we provide information at this time of difficulty.”

Even before the pandemic, slow news days were increasingly uncommon in the modern media landscape. The post-pandemic days will surely be newsy too, which benefits the networks. For starters, America will decide on a new president inside of six months. TV news will be all over that, and so will viewers.

“This story does not seem like it is leaving, but we have long-range stories we’re staying focused on,” said Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Media. “I do think people will be checking in with news for a long time to come.”

Network news executives are hopeful that the pandemic got viewers in the habit of seeking out timely information from their favorite networks, and perhaps strengthened the bond between a particular anchor or host and viewers. With viewers stuck at home, many can watch a daypart they don’t normally tune in for. 
“My expectation is that people will be more engaged and interested,” said Rashida Jones, senior VP at NBC News and MSNBC. “The work we do gives us the opportunity to showcase for people who haven’t watched us — show them what we do and what we are capable of doing. Hopefully, that brand can continue when we cover other stories.”

New News Demeanor

News may never look the same after the pandemic clears out. The coronavirus has been a deeply personal issue, with more than 1,000 deaths a day nationwide. At a time when it has become somewhat common to see politicians showing their emotions while updating residents on corona, anchors too are at times scrapping their stoic demeanors while reporting this story. Some news veterans suspect the indifferent comportment that has long defined TV anchors is giving way to a more human bearing.

“The Voice of God — I’m not sure that’s what people are looking for now,” said Wallace, who describes Fox News’ anchor-viewer connection as the network’s “secret sauce.” “They are looking for people who are in this together — this sense of, you understand my struggle.”

Deborah Jaramillo, associate professor and director of the film and television studies program at Boston University, and author of Ugly War, Pretty Package: How CNN and Fox News Made the Invasion of Iraq High Concept, said giant news stories typically vault an anchor or two to the next level, as President Donald Trump’s election did for MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Showing emotion, such as CNN host Don Lemon getting choked up over fellow host Chris Cuomo’s coronavirus diagnosis, may help launch TV talent.

“There’s a greater emphasis on humanity, a greater emphasis on emotion,” Jaramillo said. “You see that conveying of emotion playing out in public on cable news. Perhaps some of that connects with viewers.”

Short Cuts

With Cuomo broadcasting from his basement, NBC’s Lester Holt anchoring NBC Nightly News from his apartment and the vast majority of newsroom staffers toiling from home, the networks have redefined the way they produce news these last couple months. In several markets, including Tampa, Florida, and Washington, D.C., competing news stations are teaming up to send a lone photographer to a static news event such as a mayor’s press conference, then sharing the video. Fewer photographers on site means better social distancing, and frees up photographers to chase down more enterprising stories.

“It’s so smart and long overdue,” Andrew Heyward, Knight senior researcher in TV news innovation at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said. “The culture of innovation that emerges from this results in a smarter workflow.”

Networks and stations alike are getting better every day at producing newscasts with talent and staffers spread around a given market. “I was pleasantly surprised to realize we could function with people working from home,” Fisher said. “I had a lot of trepidation about it. You realize, something you think you have to do this way, you actually don’t have to do it that way.”

Execs said viewers are more lenient about production values that may not be what they are accustomed to. “People are starved for information now,” Godwin said. “They really don’t care if the live shot is not 100% well lit. Skype and Zoom work just as well if you ask the right questions.”

With Manhattan’s CBS Broadcast Center closed, station-level talent, both at CBS’s owned stations and affiliates, have anchored CBS Evening News on weekends during the crisis. Monique Ming Laven, anchor at KIRO Seattle, anchored the national broadcast May 2-3. Godwin called it “a terrific experiment” that benefits both parties.

“We get the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with affiliates, and it’s an opportunity for them to increase their exposure,” she said.

With CBS News unable to send live trucks to all corners of the country, she added, the affiliate base plays a vital role in helping cover all regions of the U.S.

The pandemic prompted NBC to launch Nightly News: Kids Edition, which Holt anchors, in mid-April. The newscast targets uncommon news consumers. “It helps children process what is happening,” said Jones. “We’re making sure the youngest among use are informed and educated.”

Jones said there’s no end date set up for Kids Edition.

Good News

Newscast producers have been keen to inject a bit of good news in the broadcasts, such as Steve Hartman reporting on a newspaper deliveryman handing out groceries on CBS Evening News, David Muir reporting on a high school principal visiting his graduating students on ABC’s World News Tonight and Harry Smith speaking on Nightly News about homemade greeting cards. “I think it’s just us being human,” said NBC’s Jones. “It’s human moments that show we are all in this together.”

Time will tell if positive news occupies more than the final slot in an evening newscast after the crisis, but the pandemic has certainly stoked a desire for inspiring content. “There’s definitely a thirst for some other news,” Wallace said. “With all the vegetables we serve, people do want some sweets. They’ve had enough Q&As with doctors.”

Time will also tell if TV news, a vital part of people’s lives during the pandemic, remains vital viewing when things get back to normal. The networks are eager to keep meeting sky-high demand.

“Some people who discover evening news might stick around,” said Heyward, former president of CBS News. “They see how important TV news has been on a very complicated story, and that should enhance the value of TV news in people’s lives.” 

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo's wife, Christina, has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Cuomo, who himself has the virus and has been in home quarantine, revealed the news to his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"She is now positive and it just breaks my heart," said Chris Cuomo on CNN. "It is the one thing I was hoping wouldn't happen and now it has."

The brothers Cuomo had a few moments of "serious" levity Thursday (April 2) at Governor Andrew Cuomo's televised daily COVID-19 status briefing. Brother Chris, the CNN anchor/host, has tested positive for the virus and is in "basement" quarantine.

Governor Cuomo said that because many people had asked how Chris was doing, he thought he would let Chris provide the answer himself remotely, turning the table to become the interviewer. 

What ensued in the next few minutes is clearly going to be an iconic moment in the family history, and made for entertaining TV amid the grim reality of the surrounding New York environs. 

Chris Cuomo said he had had a fever-induced hallucination in which the Governor appeared to him in a dream in "a very interesting ballet outfit." He said his brother was dancing and "waving a wand and saying: 'I wish I could wave my wand and make this go away,' and then you spun around and you danced away." 

A smiling governor Cuomo thanked him for that update, and suggested that there was "a lot of metaphoric reality in that one." A goofily chuckling Chris responded: "I can't get that picture out of my head."  

"Obviously the fever has affected your mental capacity," the governor joked. That and likely a dose of cabin fever as well, given his response. "And being alone all the time," Chris responded, adding "I think everything I say is funny," and breaking into giggles. Brother Andrew then gently asked Chris if he still had a fever.  

"I have a fever right this instant, governor," he said. 

Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) closed her press conference Thursday--about setting up a committee to look into the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic--with the following advice: "Don't forget: Hydrate, wash your hands, pray, [and] dance as if no one is watching." 

CNN’s New Day morning news co-anchor Chris Cuomo will test the primetime waters with CNN's launch of the Cuomo Prime Time series later this spring, CNN announced Wednesday. 

The series, which will feature Cuomo’s one-on-one interviews with politicians and newsmakers as well as analysis of the news of the day and breaking news, will air at 9 pm and go head-to head with cable news network ratings powerhouses in Fox News Channel’s Hannity and MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show. 

CNN’s John Berman will replace Cuomo as co-anchor of New Day alongside Alisyn Camerota, said the network.

Cuomo Prime Time will be sandwiched between AC360, hosted by Anderson Cooper, and CNN Tonight -- hosted by Don Lemon – as part of CNN’s primetime news lineup.

In an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo Wednesday (March 16), the GOP's dominant front-runner says he thinks there will be riots if he comes into the convention in Cleveland with close to the number of delegates needed and does not get the nomination for president.

Donald Trump made the talk-show rounds by phone this morning -- speaking with MSNBC, NBC and Fox News -- after winning Republican primaries in Florida, Illinois and North Carolina and possibly also Missouri. 

Following big wins in Tuesday's primary that pushed Trump closer to the delegate total he needs but did not provide a knockout blow given Gov. John Kasich's win in Ohio, Cuomo asked Trump what would happen if he came to the convention short of the requisite number of delegates.

Trump said that if he were, say, 20 votes or 100 votes short, and did not get the nomination: "I think you'd have riots. ... I am representing many millions of people... If you disenfranchise those people and say, 'I'm sorry, you're a hundred votes short,' even though the next one is 500 votes short, I think you would have problems like you've never seen before. I think bad things would happen. I really believe that," according to a CNN transcript.

Trump said he wouldn't lead those riots, "but I think bad things would happen."

Trump has been criticized for the violence at his rallies and his inflammatory rhetoric. But the candidate said in the interview that has been overblown.

"[S]ometimes we'll have somebody stand up and start screaming and then the press fix it up like it's a big deal, but to be honest with you, we have had tremendous harmony, and there's love in those rooms," he said.

Trump told Fox News this morning that plans to skip the upcoming GOP debate scheduled for Monday on Fox News -- he said he is slated to give a speech at the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC conference instead. "Nobody told me about debates. As you saw I thought the last debate on CNN was the last debate," he told Fox & Friends, Politico reported. Trump's presence has helped pump up ratings for the GOP debates.

Trump told MSNBC that he had been receiving calls from prominent Republicans he wouldn't identify but whom he said had been on talks shows previously speaking out against Trump. "They want to get together," he told Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough.