CNN nearing deal to sign Gayle King to host primetime show

CNN is closing in on a deal that would bring broadcaster Gayle King to the network to host a show in prime time, according to multiple reports.

King, 68, has served as a co-host of “CBS Mornings” for more than a decade and is reportedly in talks with CNN president Chris Licht about a weekly show that would debut this fall.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday the network is also in talks with basketball analyst Charles Barkley to appear on a show with King, citing people familiar with the conversations.

King’s duties with CBS are not expected to change, the Journal reported.

Licht took over at CNN last May and has implemented a number of programming and personnel changes as he looks to rehabilitate the company’s brand after a scandal that saw its top host and former president ousted, and rectify the network’s comparatively sluggish ratings.

A former executive producer at “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert and top showrunner for CBS’ This Morning, Licht acknowledged during an interview late last year King was on the short list of industry talent he was aiming to recruit.

“Well, she can’t break her contract,” Licht told the journalist Kara Swisher during the interview. “She’s too loyal. She’s too loyal.”

Licht recently moved prime time anchor Don Lemon to the network’s retooled morning show and has experimented with a number of specials, town halls and other forms of programming in prime time since taking over last year.

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