NEW YORK — CNN is handing Lou Dobbs’ 7 p.m. ET time slot to anchor John King, whose encyclopedic political knowledge and deft use of technology made him one of the network’s standouts during last year’s political coverage.
King, who anchors the network’s Sunday morning show, “State of the Union,” will start his daily show early next year and give up the weekend program. The network today described the program as a “definitive political hour” in which King will interview newsmakers, political reporters and elected officials.
“The program will reflect what CNN is all about: straight facts from our anchors and the widest range of opinions from across the political spectrum,” CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein said in a statement. “John has enthralled CNN viewers with his vast political knowledge, and he has spent the past year reporting from beyond the Beltway on pressing policy issues and the real people they impact. Every night, he’ll share his passion and his insights about what is really going on in Washington and across America.”
King said he planned to use his new platform “to discuss and explore the big issues of our time.”
“There is a lot of noise and conflict in our political discourse, which is fun to cover, but I’m convinced from my travels that people also thirst for more details as well as insight and context,” he said. “I’m looking forward to combining those conversations with top newsmakers, smart reporting and expert analysis.” The anchor came to CNN in 1997 from The Associated Press.
The move comes after Dobbs made a surprise announcement on his program Wednesday that he was resigning after nearly 30 years at the network.
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