Erin Burnett will join CNN in June as
an anchor and chief business correspondent, the network announced Friday, confirminga report earlier this week that the CNBC anchor would jump to the cable newsnetwork.
She will anchor a weekday general news program and contribute to CNN's breaking
news coverage on-air and on CNN.com and be based in New York.
No timeslot has been determined for her
show, and CNN EVP Ken Jautz is keeping his options open about where to schedule
his newest anchor. He said CNN will develop a show with Burnett once she comes
on board in early June and then see which is the most suitable timeslot for
that show.
"She's an excellent combination of a very, very strong reporter and
excellent anchor and that's a rare combination," Jautz told B&C. "We're very, very pleased
that's she's coming to join us and we're going to develop a show that showcases
her strengths."
The move will give Burnett the chance to broaden her coverage from the business
reporting she does at CNBC. While Jautz
says Burnett's CNN program will focus on business when appropriate, he
emphasizes that hers will be a general news show.
"She has this incredible knowledge and expertise with business
background, but she's also proven that she can go beyond that background and
connect her thematic background to other areas," Jautz added.
Burnett joined CNBC in 2005, and currently co-anchors the morning show Squawk on the Street and anchors Street Signs in the afternoon. She was also a
contributor to NBC's Today and Meet the Press and MSNBC's Morning
Joe. Before CNBC, she worked at Bloomberg TV and Citigroup.
