*CNN is reportedly closing a deal with Gayle King to host a weekly primetime show.
We reported previously that CNN boss Chris Licht has tapped the veteran media personality to help boost ratings, Mediaite reports.
According to The New York Post, Licht wants King to co-host a weekly show that would not affect her day job at CBS, according to Puck News.
“Chris has talked to dozens and dozens of people to gauge interest in potential projects at CNN,” a rep for CNN told The Post.
READ MORE: CNN Eyeing Gayle King to Host Primetime Show: Report
Licht previously told the Los Angeles Times that he is “in conversations with relevant individuals from the worlds of entertainment, sports and comedy who can bring fresh and unique perspectives to the news” to fill the network’s 9 p.m. slot.
Former NBA star Charles Barkley will so join King at CNN, according to reports. Licht wants Barkley for a primetime show — and staffers are said to be upset over it.
Barkley, a sports analyst for TNT, is reportedly in negotiations with the network to fill one of the vacant weeknight time slots, Fox News reports. Sources say Licht “is now in negotiations to bring Charles Barkley to CNN for a news-oriented primetime show.”
According to Page Six, CNN execs hope to bring Barkley on board to also help boost the poor ratings. But insiders are said to be skeptical of Licht’s decisions.
According to CNN’s March 1 ratings, its prime-time audience averages 575,000. This is a 30% decline from a year ago and the “lowest quarterly rating average since 2015.”
“We’ve been openly experimenting with a variety of programming directions over the past few weeks,” a CNN spokesperson told NYT earlier this year. “Without an established format, cadence or promotion for that hour, the network has focused exclusively on producing smart and meaningful content — not on ratings.”
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