CNN is bringing back the political debate program Crossfire, the network officially announced on Wednesday. The show will return in the fall.
In the new version, Newt Gingrich and S.E. Cupp will host from the right and Stephanie Cutter and Van Jones will host from the left. All four hosts will also appear across CNN’s programming and in its special election/political coverage.
“Few programs in the history of CNN have had the kind of impact on political discourse that Crossfire did-it was a terrific program then, and we believe the time is right to bring it back and do it again,” said Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide. “We look forward to the opportunity to host passionate conversation from all sides of the political spectrum. Crossfire will be the forum where America holds its great debates.”
Gingrich is a former Speaker of the House and served for Georgia in Congress for two decades and ran for the Republican nomination in the 2012 presidential election. Cupp is a conservative columnist and is currently cohost of The Cycle on MSNBC; she will continue her role as contributor to Glenn Beck’s The Blaze.
Cutter is a partner at consulting firm Precision Strategies and was most recently deputy campaign manager for President Obama’s re-election campaign. Jones is founding president of Rebuild the Dream, which promotes innovative policy solutions for the U.S. economy.
Crossfire originally aired weeknights from 1982-2005 with founding hosts Pat Buchanan and Tom Braden. Over the years, other hosts included Robert Novak, Tucker Carlson, James Carville and Paul Begala.
Source: Broadcasting & Cable, 6/26/13
