He's been at CNN for 23 years, and one could make the case at times the face of the network.
Yet according to a report by the New York Daily News, Wolf Blitzer's air time is going to decline until he's finally replaced by a "younger, hipper host."
“Wolf is going to be gradually phased out and replaced with a younger, hipper host,” a CNN insider told the Daily News. “The decision has been made that people want to look at beautiful people, and although Wolf is no beast, they’re thinking younger.”
“Oh [sic] course they want journalists with great credentials, but they also want reporters with a face, and body, for TV — not radio,” said the insider. “Anderson Cooper is the networks’ poster child for a reason: He is super-cute and charming.”
As the Daily News pointed out, since Jeff Zucker took over the reins earlier this year, Chris Cuomo and Jake Tapper have joined CNN whilst older personalities such as James Carville, Mary Matalin, and Roland Martin have been let go.
As a result according to the insider, "Everyone is a little worried...You know the on-air talent is scared when you see Piers Morgan eating a salad at lunch. If he is spotted at the gym, then you know the most trusted name in news will also be the prettiest.”
Is this true, or is the Daily News's insider full of beans?
Consider that the youth movement at MSNBC hasn't worked very well given the slide in that network's ratings since Chris Hayes replaced Ed Schultz at 8PM.
In addition, ABC's movement of Jimmy Kimmel Live to 11:35PM in order to steal young viewers away from NBC's Tonight Show and CBS's Late Show also failed.
As such, it will be interesting to see in the coming months if this report has any merit.
Stay tuned.
