When CNN launches The Story Is with Elex Michaelson at 9 p.m. PT/midnight ET on Monday, it will be going up against main cable rivals’ reruns and, perhaps more importantly, will be one of the few news network shows based in Los Angeles.
Michaelson, who departed Fox’s Los Angeles affiliate last summer, makes the case for a west coast-centric show.
“As a proud Californian, I will say that it often leads the world when it comes to technology, entertainment, agriculture,” Michaelson said. “California not only has outsized importance to the country, but to the world.”
In the Los Angeles market, Michaelson having established himself as a leading personality covering politics and public affairs in California, as an anchor, reporter and the host of KTTV Fox 11’s The Issue Is with Elex Michaelson. He landed interviews not just with local figures but Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, among others.
After teasing a new gig when he left the station, Michaelson announced that he would be joining CNN to launch a show that will air in primetime on the West Coast — 9 p.m. PT, but at midnight on the East Coast. The show also will have reach via CNN International, showing up in the morning hours in some of those time zones.
In an interview, Michaelson said that he’s long pitched the idea of a live show for the time slot, noting that many viewers are “watching dated news in a media environment that is faster and faster. I don’t think that works anymore.”
Michaelson said that The Story Is will have a “different feel” than cable news daytime and early evening, with an expanded focus on cultural issues, entertainment, sports and technology, as well as “a little bit more breathing room to have those deep dive conversations.” It will be based at CNN’s studios on the Warner Bros. lot.
The debut of the two-hour show will feature an in-studio interview with California Governor Gavin Newsom; a profile of Josh Groban and his work on arts education in schools; and a regular panel segment, this time featuring Gloria Allred and Larry Elder. Anderson Cooper also will join in the premiere to talk about his podcast series, All There Is Live with Anderson Cooper.
The second night will feature a segment on former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s work with a program that trains ex-convicts to build custom cars, as well as Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), who stands to lose out should Newsom’s Proposition 50 redistricting proposal pass next month. Brian Tyler Cohen and Jessica Millan Patterson will join the panel.
Other guests confirmed for the first week include Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), as well as spotlights on the World Series in Los Angeles (and a Tokyo watch party). Breaking news will be part of the mix, drawing on CNN’s international correspondents, but also planned are other segments, like movie reviews, Michaelson said.
“I don’t think this is going to be West Coast news tonight or a version of local news,” Michaelson said. “But I do think that a lot of issues that are big in California are worldwide issues, like immigration, trade, tariffs,” as well as the acrimony between Trump and Newsom.
Fox News’ replays of The Five and Jesse Watters Primetime is still the juggernaut of the time period, while MSNBC features reruns of The Briefing with Jen Psaki and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.
Michaelson said that the show will “sort of feel more like a late-night show than the newscasts during the day.”
“Our ethos, our operating principle, is to find in every block moments of joy, hope and humor,” he said.
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