Eisen to solo anchor CNBC’s “Closing Bell;” Wapner gets new show

Dan Colarusso, senior vice president of business news at CNBC, sent out the following on Wednesday:

The volatile market start to 2022 has reminded us that anything can –and often does – happen in the last hours of the trading day.

With that in mind, we’re making some exciting changes to our afternoon schedule beginning in early March.

Sara Eisen will solo anchor a new one-hour Closing Bell at 3 pm. The program will feature CNBC beat reporters to take a deep look at the day’s most important developments. After spending more than three years co-anchoring Closing Bell and doing news-breaking interviews from Davos to D.C., Sara will bring a roster of top-tier CEOs, analysts and money managers who will lay out their strategies and opinions.

The program’s commercial-free Market Zone coverage will begin at 3:40 pm and run through the close.

The action won’t stop when the bell rings at 4 pm. Scott Wapner will lead us through a fast-paced look at the after-hours moves and late-breaking news live from the New York Stock Exchange in Closing Bell Overtime. Scott’s critical eye and passion for the markets have made Halftime Report one of CNBC’s trademark programs. He won’t be leaving Halftime Report but he will bring those same qualities to Overtime, drilling down into stocks and sectors, questioning some of the world’s most influential investors and getting viewers ready for the next day’s action.

Both hours will continue to showcase Mike Santoli’s market-leading commentary and analysis.

Additionally, beginning today, Leslie Picker will be taking on coverage of major banks and financial institutions. In her time at CNBC, Leslie has won a SABEW award for her reporting on Puerto Rico’s debt crisis and covered IPOs, private equity and hedge funds (and not to mention a little bit of Broadway for The News with Shepard Smith), all of which she will continue to do.

Our new Closing Bell line-up will further position us to deliver deep coverage and analysis to an audience that doesn’t stop thinking about investing when traditional market hours end.

Dan