Ryan Kadro: Last News

CNN’s new morning show CNN This Morning launched on Tuesday with a news heavy three-hours that nevertheless played up an essential element of rival shows: Conversation and chemistry.

CNN This Morning has tapped Lauren Mensch and Chris Russell as its new executive producers, an effort to bolster the network’s morning show after its debut in November.

The executive producer of CNN This Morning is departing the show and moving to the 11 PM hour of CNN Tonight hosted by Laura Coates.

Ryan Kadro is joining CNN as senior vice president of content strategy and development, a role that is expected to include a new or revamped morning show, according to a source familiar with the plans.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN has enlisted a new executive to help it generate programming ideas.Ryan Kadro, a veteran of “CBS This Morning” and several digital ventures, is set to join CNN as a senior vice president of content strategy, overseeing the development of new programming such as a revamped morning show and other new concepts,  according to a spokesperson for the network and two other people familiar with the matter.Kadro is a former lieutenant to Chris Licht, the CEO of CNN, and succeeded him as executive producer after he left the CBS morning program to work with Stephen Colbert on CBS’ “Late Show.”His hire puts a trusted executive in place to create programming in which Licht is said to have a strong interest.  Licht, who helped launch “Morning Joe” and the most recent iteration of “CBS This Morning,” is said to be eager to revamp to play more robustly against the A.M. competition and to find a new program to fill CNN’s 9 p.m, hour.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA bevy of big media players are eager to win a growing battle to provide consumers with streaming news, but John Heilemann has a message for them: Don’t count out smaller competitors.Heilemann’s “The Recount,” a media outlet founded with entrepreneur John Battelle in 2019, is hiring its first chief content officer in a bid to gain new traction with streaming-news aficionados eager for smarter analysis in critical news categories like politics and sports.

CBS has named Shawna Thomas executive producer of CBS This Morning, its flagship morning news program. Thomas will join the program, which is anchored by Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil, on Feb.