Christiane Amanpour Exits CNN for ABC Politics Show

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Mar 19th 2010 09:55AM

ABC News has hired Christiane Amanpour, one of CNN's best-known personalities for her hard-nosed reporting from war zones over the past two decades, to host its Sunday morning political talk show starting this summer. She replaces George Stephanopoulos, who left 'This Week' in December to take over as co-host of ABC's 'Good Morning America.'

Amanpour was chosen over some internal ABC candidates, including Jake Tapper and Terry Moran. Former ABC 'Nightline' host Ted Koppel was even in the mix at one point, and there was chatter of trying to bring over another CNN star, Anderson Cooper, for the job.

"With Christiane, we have the opportunity to provide our audiences with something different on Sunday mornings," ABC News President David Westin said.

Amanpour, 52, said she was exhilarated by the challenge. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime and a unique opportunity," she said.

She had a high profile as CNN's top international correspondent in the days when there was only one cable news network, reporting from conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, the Balkans and elsewhere.

Since moving to New York three years ago to be with her husband, former U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin, Amanpour has been seen much less frequently. She hosts a daily program for the CNN International network. Highlights of those are shown for a half hour each Sunday afternoon on CNN's domestic network.

"I leave CNN with the utmost respect, love and admiration for the company and everyone who works here," said Amanpour. "This has been my family and shared endeavor for the past 27 years and I am forever grateful and proud of all that we have accomplished."

ABC has been courting her for a job since back when Roone Arledge was head of the news division more than a decade ago. She and Westin both said the time was right now.

"Of all the people I know in this business, Christiane knows herself and she knows the news," said Frank Sesno, former CNN Washington bureau chief. "I think it's a very interesting and wise move for her and I think it will be a very different kind of program. George was the consummate insider, a former White House staffer turned interviewer. Christiane is the exact opposite."

She's already a non-Washington insider, who will commute to her new job from a home in New York.

That could be a risk for ABC, whose Sunday morning program has generally run a strong second to NBC's 'Meet the Press,' with the competition closer since the death of NBC's Tim Russert.

Amanpour downplayed the idea that 'This Week' will dramatically change. "This is something that people have come to really know and depend on," she said. "The creative DNA of the show will remain. What we want to do is broaden it even more."

Tags: christiane amanpour

Comments

(30)

Friday 19 March

By Reinhard

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Ve hate Christine. Too much truth. Too much truth.
Das Riech needs more Greta Van Susteren.
Ya das ist das ticket.

By tony

Vote down Vote up Report this

its all fake i got screwed on another site

By David

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

That marriage was a fallout waiting to happen. We love Sandra Bullock. Jesse James is just being Jesse James. I'm supprised that the marriage lasted this long. You can't turn a rock into a rock star.

By Bob

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

Another liberal skank! Won't be watching. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By scotch43

and you conserves would totally know what makes a woman a skank...you have bachman, palin, cheney and the #1 skank who I know has had an affair with palin, coulter...gettin' Bobin' off on that idea aren't ya....

By Bruce

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Boy did she jump from the frying pan into the fire!

By James Munk

Well she will fit in at ABC better, she is very liberal, even for liberal CNN. OI wish they would stop getting so many of these odd balls from outside the USA.

By Adele

She annoys me. I'm glad to see her go!

By anniewheelr

She has a definite slant to her interviews and reporting. Knowing that though, she's not a bad choice. You just have to know her bias just like you have to know anyone's bias that is doing the reporting or interviewing these days.

Long gone are the days when journalists looked for both sides and tried to stay in the middle. Long gone are the days that they would report the story even if it might not support their own political views.

By druid0621

Reporters should do their best to hide their bias, even though they can never really be neutral. The problem with this lady is that she doesn't even try to be objective. That's the real problem with news today - it's more opinion than anything else.

By MR.RICK

i agree. all media tries to shape your opinion instead of giving you the facts. the most blatant example was the iran story this summer. the newscasterstibefore they mentioned his name.
"that nutjob ahmedinajed". that was dispicable. they tried so hard to undermine his win in that election that they actually faked concern for the citizens of iran. the same citizens they advocated blowing to smithereens.

remember neda? they could care less about neda any other time. that was a classic example of shaping peoples views. this lady with sell her soul also.

By Richard

glad to see her go...she's pro Arab and a closet anti-semite. She always plays up the Arab position and dumps on Israel.

I never thought of Ted Koppel - but he'd be a much better choice. I won't watch her - I find her style annoying and distracting. She tends to preach a bit too much as well.

By Masked Marvel

I WOULD LIKE TO CHRISTEN HER AMAPORE. THAT WOMAN IS SEXY, INTELLIGENT, AND VERY ARTICULATE.

By rick

ill be watching dora the explorer.....its alot more interesting

By geddy37

She might as well go collect a paycheck from Al-Jazeera. She's been an advocate for them for many years.

i like to listen to women that are intelligent....being that gal is a liberal that means she is stupid so ill watch any cartoon instead of her dumb azz

By pppsfan

98% of the negitive are men. Don't like seeing a woman with more ego, bravery and smarts than all of them. Jealous?

By borinki kojenkas

christine is an industrial strength irritant and has the single most affected voice in the history of television...a notorious arab sympathizer

By MrDoughnut

She may not be saying that she is glad to get away from the constant dangers associated with the countries over there. Just being a woman can have implications in some of those countries where she could be killed or tossed into prison for violating some strange laws.

Now she can do the wild thing without death or torture hanging over her head! It will be a little more calm and peaceful with no missles flying overhead.

Page 1 of 2