Ashleigh Banfield is ending her true crime-themed news program at Nexstar Media Group and will transition into a full-time digital content role with the cable news outlet.
Banfield will wind down her daily NewsNation show in order to focus on her podcast, “Drop Dead Serious,” which will become part of the NewsNation brand, the network said on Friday.
Her final show will take place in January, after which the 10 p.m. Eastern time slot will be filled by a rotating panel of news anchors until a permanent host is announced.
“I’m excited to channel the momentum of my Drop Dead Serious podcast brand towards NewsNation’s growing digital audience,” Banfield said in a statement. “The success of true crime reporting on streaming media platforms has been transformative, and I’m looking forward to helping shape and enhance NewsNation’s multi-platform strategy in this genre.”
Banfield joined NewsNation in 2021, while the network was in the midst of evolving into a cable news channel from WGN America. She is the second prime-time host to resign her spot over the past year; in February, Mediaite founder Dan Abrams ended his prime-time show in order to focus on his other initiatives, including his on-air role at the Reelz reality program “On Patrol: Live.”
Banfield’s show was originally intended to replicate the talk format pioneered by late CNN host Larry King — her first guest was acclaimed actor Bryan Cranton — before shifting to its current format heavy on true crime stories.
NewsNation’s prime-time ratings have risen over the past few months, particularly among the key demographic of adults between the ages of 25 and 54 years old that are attractive to cable news advertisers. Its overall viewership still dwarfs that of Fox News, CNN and MS NOW (formerly MSNBC).
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Editor’s note: A version of this story distributed as a newsletter included a headline that said Banfield will remain at NewsNation as a correspondent; a spokesperson clarified that Banfield will remain as an on-air contributor offering legal analysis.
