Christiane Amanpour to leave CNN after 43 years
CNN's chief international anchor will end her programme in May and depart the network at the end of June, closing a four-decade career that began on the international assignment desk in 1983.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international anchor and one of the network's most decorated journalists, is to leave the broadcaster after 43 years. In a statement issued on Monday, she confirmed that her programme «Amanpour» will end in May, with her departure from the network following at the end of June.
Amanpour joined CNN in 1983 as an assistant on the international assignment desk, when the channel was still in its early years. She went on to build a reputation as a foreign correspondent and interviewer, covering conflicts and world leaders across several decades before taking on the chief international anchor role.
Her departure is not thought to be connected to the company's recent acquisition by David Ellison's Skydance Media, which has marked the start of a new ownership era at the network. The timing of the announcement places her exit within that wider period of change at CNN, though no link between the two has been established.
Alongside her CNN work, Amanpour hosts «Amanpour and Company» for PBS in the United States. That programme will conclude at the end of this year, meaning both of her current on-air roles will wind down within months of each other.
The announcement drew attention quickly in the UK and internationally, reflecting Amanpour's profile as a familiar face in global news coverage. Her career at CNN spans reporting from major conflict zones and high-profile interviews with political figures, work that made her one of the channel's best-known international voices.
Her exit adds to a period of transition in international broadcast news, as established anchors and correspondents move on and networks adjust to new ownership and changing audience habits. For CNN, the loss of its chief international anchor removes a long-serving figure from its foreign affairs output at a time when the organisation is being reshaped under new leadership.
No successor has been announced for the chief international anchor role, and CNN has not indicated how its international coverage will be structured after Amanpour's programme ends. Her final months at the network will run through the spring, with the programme closing in May ahead of her full departure at the end of June.
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