There is no downsizing in Anderson Cooper’s future: A CNN spokesperson stressed that Anderson Cooper 360 will remain a two-hour program for the foreseeable future. (It airs from 10 p.m.-midnight.) About two months ago, the show, which originates from CNN’s New York studios, switched to a mostly taped format for the bulk of the second hour.
AndersonCooper 360 posted strong numbers with this format for the month of August, which was marked by big national news stories including the Minnesota bridge collapse and the Utah mine tragedy.
Cooper still opens the 11 p.m. hour with 10-15 minutes of live content, but then the show reverts to taped pieces. Of course, Cooper will remain live when breaking news warrants, CNN said.
Year-to-date, Anderson Cooper 360 is averaging 831,000 viewers for the 10 p.m. hour, dropping to 524,000 for the 11 p.m. hour, according to Nielsen Media Research. But it still does better than a rerun of Lou Dobbs Tonight did in the 11 p.m. hour, and the first hour of 360 so far continues to outpace the show it replaced, NewsNight with Aaron Brown.
Of course, Fox News Channel’s On the Record with Greta Van Susteren and The O’Reilly Factor dominate the two-hour block, averaging 1.36 million and 1.1 million viewers, respectively, for the same period.
