Connie Chung Jumps Networks (Again)

By Stephen M. Silverman

01/23/2002 at 01:25 PM EST

ABC newswoman Connie Chung, who once shared the anchor desk with Dan Rather on CBS, is about to have her own prime-time newscast. CNN, which has been engaged in a bitter battle with rival Fox News for viewers and high-profile personalities, has hired Chung away from ABC News to be the anchor of a nightly news show. The hiring is due to be formally announced at a news conference scheduled by CNN on Wednesday, though the hiring was confirmed by executives at ABC and CNN on Tuesday and appears in newspapers Wednesday morning. Chung, 55, declined to comment on Tuesday to any news outlets, but as noted by The Washington Post, the move allows CNN to patch up the vacancy left when that cable network's Greta Van Susteren jumped ship to go to Fox. Chung is considered an even-higher profile personality than Van Susteren, notes the paper. It will also allow Chung greater visibility, given that ABC had appeared to relegate her to newsmagazine appearances as a correspondent and substitute anchor -- though she did land a big fish last year, a coveted chat with California Congressman Gary Condit, at the height of the Chandra Levy mystery. Though Condit was evasive throughout the interview about the missing federal intern and his relationship with her, Chung won generally favorable reviews for the handling of the prime-time session. "Connie has been a valued member of the ABC News family," ABC News President David Westin said in a statement Tuesday. "This is a very important opportunity for her to have her own program. We wish her nothing but great success and happiness in her new job."