“Early Start” Anchor Christine Romans Departs CNN After 24 Years
UPDATED: Christine Romans is departing CNN after 24 years, ending her tenure as the anchor of Early Start.
Romans has been an anchor on the show since 2014. The newscast has varied in length, and now runs an hour starting at 5 a.m.
“It has been a pleasure waking up early for you for so many years to get your morning started,” Romans told viewers on Friday. “I love CNN dearly. I have loved my 24 year run here. 24 years, right? But I have decided I am ready for a new chapter. I am full gratitude for my CNN family. It is a family. Everybody here are my friends. And I am excited for the challenges ahead.”
She told viewers that she still will be watching the show, “but I just won’t have an alarm set for 2:30 in the morning.”
Romans also has served as CNN’s chief business correspondent, and won an Emmy for the CNN series Exporting America, which focused on globalization and outsourcing.
A CNN spokesperson said they have no announcements on who will fill her spot on the show. Romans did not respond to requests for comment. NBC News declined to comment on a Variety report that Romans is headed to that network. Many media contracts include non compete clauses, which prohibit talent from going to rivals for a specified period after their departures.
Romans joined CNN from Reuters in 1999, and reported from the New York Stock Exchange and served as anchor. As a correspondent, she reported on numerous stories, including Hurricane Katrina, the Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS.
Laura Jarrett, who had co-anchored Early Start with Romans before Jarrett moved to NBC News last year, wrote on X/Twitter about Romans’ departure, “Bravo to my friend and former co-anchor Christine Romans on an amazing run at CNN. Learned so much from you and can’t wait to see your next adventure!”
CNN’s Sara Sidner wrote that Romans “knows business and this is a huge loss for us. She is smart, kind, giving, and an all around great journalist.”
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