‘CBS Mornings Plus’ to Launch This Month

CBS News’ third hour of “CBS Mornings” is set to debut on September 30, with Tony Dokoupil and Adriana Diaz cohosting the additional programming hour, the network announced Wednesday.

The program will extend the network’s flagship morning show into the 9 a.m. hour. “CBS Mornings Plus” will air weekdays on CBS-owned stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit and Miami. The show will also be simulcast to CBS News 24/7, the broadcast network’s free streaming platform.

The third hour will be produced by the “CBS Mornings” team and will include relevant headlines of the day, as well as pop culture, entertainment, health, wellness and financial news.

Both of the program’s competitors in the broadcast morning show market, ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Today” show, have already expanded beyond the initial two-hour timeslot .

“CBS MORNINGS PLUS is a great example of how our broadcast and beyond strategy is leveraging the strengths of our most important brands to grow the audience and position CBS News and Stations for the future. At the same time, it highlights our commitment to delivering best-in-class journalism on every platform,” president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures Wendy McMahon said in a statement.

Executive producer of “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Mornings Plus” Shawna Thomas added, ““This expansion of CBS MORNINGS shows a commitment to the brand, and I’m excited to see what this team can do with another hour of real estate to experiment with. People say all the time they wish we had another hour. Now it’s time for us to do something smart with the time that the audience will appreciate.”

Dokoupil is a current “CBS Mornings” cohost, who is experienced in both on-the-ground and anchor coverage of big news events. He has interviewed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, comedy legend Steve Martin, music superstar Dolly Parton, and many more.

Diaz joined CBS News in 2012, serving as an anchor of the Saturday edition of “CBS Weekend News,” the network’s Asia correspondent, and a Chicago-based correspondent. She has interviewed many newsmakers including former NFL star Colin Kaepernick, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Olympian Allyson Felix.

The post ‘CBS Mornings Plus’ to Launch This Month appeared first on TheWrap .