Anderson Cooper to helm CNN’s challenge to “60 Minutes”

The following excerpt was sent out from Variety:

Anderson Cooper, a regular correspondent at “60 Minutes,” will now lead CNN’s attempt to mount a Sunday-evening challenge to it.

Cooper will lead a new Sunday newsmagazine, “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper,” that will present one-hour deep dives into specific topics, interviews, profiles and investigations The show will debut Sunday, April 16 at 8 p.m., and in many ways attempts to build off of series hosted by Lisa Ling or W. Kamau Bell that took viewers to a specific part of the country or inside a particular topic over the course of an hour.

“Powered by CNN’s unmatched global journalism operation, ‘The Whole Story’ goes behind the headlines, touching every continent and corner of the planet, as we bring our viewers into the heart of the essential stories of our time,” said CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht, in a statement.

Susan Chun, a longtime producer on the CNN weeknight program “Anderson Cooper 360,” will serve as executive producer of the new series. Cooper is expected to maintain his regular duties on his Monday through Friday program.

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