Overview
- CNN announced the promotion of Brian Abel on Thursday, June 18, and the change takes effect immediately with Abel appearing across CNN, CNN International and the CNN Headlines FAST channel.
- Abel joins the anchor ranks after serving as a correspondent for CNN Newsource in Washington, D.C., where he covered the White House, the 2024 presidential election, multiple hurricanes and unrest in Minneapolis.
- Network materials highlight Abel’s breaking-news and investigative credentials, including a team Emmy nomination for coverage of Hurricane Milton and a 2020 Michigan chapter Emmy for an investigative report on a drug pipeline.
- The move reflects a deliberate strategy by CNN and its parent to deploy journalists across traditional TV, streaming/FAST and digital outlets so single reporters can produce content for many platforms.
- Abel will continue fill-in anchoring, which raises his visibility across CNN’s outlets and could presage further cross-platform promotions as the network repackages reporting to reach TV, streaming and digital audiences.