Is Charles Barkley the answer to CNN’s primetime struggles? The network is hoping so. Puck News reports that the Inside the NBA star and CEO Chris Licht are in negotiations to launch an interview show.
“The conceit is that a genuine, outspoken, often humorous figure like Barkley might be a bigger draw than the traditional self-serious newsman, and might be better suited to ask guests the kinds of questions that average Americans actually care about,” Dylan Byers writes.
Barkley would be interviewing newsmakers from a variety of fields. Certainly, Licht and CNN are banking on some of the humor and spontaneity that has defined Inside the NBA will show up. It will be interesting to see if Barkley can deliver that kind of show without Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal.
While the hire would be unconventional, it is not without precedent. Warner Media, now Warner Bros. Discovery, has given Charles Barkley the chance to stretch his legs in the past. A recent example was The Race Card, an ill-fated miniseries. He has also expressed an interest in politics in the past.
Warner Bros. Discovery just inked a new deal with Barkley over the summer. Andrew Marchand of The New York Post has reported that the ten-year deal is worth close to $200 million. Barkley has been adamant that he doesn’t intend to stay the entire ten years. His goal is to put TNT in the best position to retain half of the NBA’s television rights. He has said that he plans to retire when the league’s next TV deals are done.
It is unknown how a new show on CNN would affect the deal. Certainly, Barkley would want to get paid more if he is adding more work. Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping that it would entice the star analyst to stay on TV longer.
Negotiations are underway, but a deal is far from done with CNN. The network has been trying to solve its primetime woes and Licht now appears to be focused on star power over traditional journalists. He is also reportedly negotiating with CBS This Morning’s Gayle King. Byers writes that she and Charles Barkley are not the only two celebrities on the CNN boss’s radar.
