Jim Acosta is threatening to quit CNN rather than accept a reassigned time slot that would see him move from late mornings to the graveyard shift, according to a report.
Acosta’s days at CNN may be numbered as the former White House correspondent known for his combative coverage of President Donald Trump could be heading for the exits rather than accept a move that would see him broadcast a nightly show starting at midnight, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Another CNN staffer told Fox News Digital that Acosta was “getting hosed.”
“Acosta is a talented broadcaster who could handle any slot on the network,” the unnamed staffer told Fox News Digital.
“The midnight thing is shocking [but] it is what it is.”
Mark Thompson, the CNN top boss, announced a lineup reshuffle that will see Wolf Blitzer move his “Situation Room” program from the early evenings to the mornings.
Blitzer will anchor his show alongside Pamela Brown, the network confirmed on Thursday. CNN also announced that it was laying off some 200 staffers as it transitions its focus away from its linear television operation to a more digital-centered news outlet.
The shift means that Acosta’s daily program, “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta,” which airs weekdays at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, will be scrapped.
“We are in active discussions with Jim about a new time slot and will have more information to share soon,” a CNN spokesperson told The Post.
The proposed lineup shift was first reported last week by Oliver Darcy of the Status newsletter.
While Acosta’s move is widely perceived as a demotion given the fact that fewer people watch television in the midnight hour, a network source noted that a 12 a.m. Eastern Time show airs at 9 p.m. on the West Coast — which constitutes a prime time show in the Pacific time zone.
If Acosta were to accept his reassignment, he could be broadcasting his show from Los Angeles, which would necessitate him and his family moving from their current home in Washington, DC, according to a network source.
The source added that the East Coast is just “one slice of CNN’s global audience” and that the media outlet is “not an Acela corridor network.”
“CNN is a global news organization that broadcasts around the world, which would need to be noted,” the source added.
The source told The Post that a move to Los Angeles is not a requirement and that Acosta could continue to broadcast from Washington, DC, if he chose to do that.
The Post has sought comment from Acosta.
The network’s decision to move Acosta out of daytime is being perceived by some as a way to appease the Trump administration.
Earlier this week, Status reported that Thompson told his roster of journalists over the weekend that they ought to refrain from “expressing outrage” while covering the Trump inauguration.
Thompson is also reported to have told his staffers that they needed to be “fair-minded” when covering Trump.
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