CNN has elevated veteran reporter Brian Abel to anchor and correspondent, expanding his role across the network’s TV and digital platforms as the cable news giant reshapes its on-air lineup.
The promotion, which was announced Thursday by the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network, will see Abel appear across CNN, CNN International and CNN Headlines — the network’s domestic FAST channel — while continuing to serve as a fill-in anchor.
The expanded position also reflects CNN’s increasing emphasis on multi-platform talent capable of reporting and anchoring across traditional television channels, as well as streaming and digital outlets.
Abel most recently worked as a correspondent for CNN Newsource, the syndicated content and newsgathering operation, in Washington, DC.
Since joining CNN, he has covered some of the country’s biggest stories, including the the 2024 presidential election, multiple hurricanes and the recent unrest in Minneapolis.
Abel, who will also perform fill-in anchoring duties, was part of the CNN team nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Breaking News Coverage category for its reporting on Hurricane Milton.
Before joining CNN, Abel worked as an evening anchor at Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ, where he covered politics and major breaking news stories.
Among the major events he covered were the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as well as the mass shootings at Oxford High School and Michigan State University.
Abel also earned industry recognition for investigative reporting.
In 2020, he received an Emmy Award from the Michigan chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for “Connected in Crime: Detroit to West Virginia,” a report examining the consequences of a drug pipeline and efforts to combat it.
Prior to his time in Detroit, Abel worked for Scripps-owned station KSHB in Kansas City, where he served as the lead reporter during the 2016 election cycle.
His career also included stops in North Dakota, where he worked as a reporter and weekend anchor for WDAY in Fargo and later became the primary anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks.
The move places Abel in a more visible role at CNN as the network continues to rely on journalists with experience covering breaking news, politics and major national events.
His reporting portfolio spans a broad range of stories, from natural disasters and political campaigns to crime and public safety incidents, experience that helped raise his profile inside the network.
CNN highlighted Abel’s extensive field reporting as a key part of the promotion, noting his coverage of both national political developments and fast-moving breaking news events.
Abel, who is based in Atlanta, is a graduate of Western Michigan University, where he earned a journalism degree.
The promotion takes effect immediately.