Erin Burnett Rumors Swirl As Jeff Zucker Shakes Up CNN

What's Going To Happen To Erin?

As Jeff Zucker works to shake up the network he recently took over, rumors continue to swirl about how the newly appointed president will make his mark on CNN and its struggling ratings. All eyes have been fixated on "Starting Point," anticipating the most immediate and dramatic of changes to occur within the network's morning programming block.

After news broke last month that the network hired Chris Cuomo to host CNN's morning show, many speculated that Zucker also planned to make primetime host Erin Burnett his co-anchor. Things appeared to be moving in that direction, as "Starting Point" host Soledad O'Brien announced last week that she would be leaving the morning show, and the network sent both Cuomo and Burnett to co-host the network's coverage of the Pope's resignation.

But even as it seemed like CNN viewers could expect to wake up with Chris and Erin, new gossip emerged that Zucker had not yet chosen his morning co-anchoring team. FTV Live reported on Thursday that moving Burnett to mornings was "dead in the water" at CNN, citing that Zucker might have his eye on HLN's Robin Meade.

After O'Brien announced her semi-departure from CNN, the network was criticized for its lack of diversity. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists urged Zucker to increase the network's diversity, just one day after the CNN president met with the National Association of Black Journalists. Some speculate that Zucker put the brakes on moving Burnett from primetime to mornings so he could address the network's diversity issue. However, if Burnett leaves her current role for the morning gig, the network would have a primetime hosting spot to fill. Currently, there are no Latino and only one African American primetime host on cable television: MSNBC's Al Sharpton.

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2005 Redbook's Mothers and Shakers Awards

Soledad O'Brien Style Evolution

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