Steve Krakauer leaves Mediaite for CNN’s Piers Morgan show

Joe Pompeo
·Media Reporter

What better gig for a reporter covering the cable news industry than, well, the cable news industry?

That's the object lesson in synergy that greeted the media-industry site Mediaite--itself the brainchild of former MSNBC honcho Dan Abrams--with the news that its TV reporter/editor Steve Krakauer is the new digital producer of the soon-to-launch prime-time CNN interview show "Piers Morgan Tonight."

It's a high-profile gig, to be sure -- all eyes will be on Morgan when his show premieres in January after "Larry King Live" goes off the air at 9 p.m. CNN hopes it will breathe some new life into the network's struggling prime-time lineup. Krakauer's hiring also marks the first move by Morgan's new executive producer, Jonathan Wald, the former CNBC honcho brought on earlier this month to steer "Piers Morgan Tonight."

"Steve has been a leading voice in the digital world, reporting on cable news, politics and pop culture. He'll be a great addition to the CNN team and will be instrumental in driving 'Piers Morgan Tonight' beyond its one hour of television and into a more active online experience," Wald said in a statement.

This marks another high-profile departure for Mediaite, whose founding senior editor, Glynnis MacNicol, resigned a few weeks ago. (Disclosure: MacNicol left to take my former job as media editor at Business Insider.)

Monday's news didn't come as a complete surprise to the media site: One week ago, Mediaite posted an applications listing for Krakauer's job.

And sure enough, Krakauer's successor is already lined up: Mark Joyella, a seasoned TV news reporter/anchor with five Emmys under his belt.

"Mark will now be the point person for Mediaite's TV coverage reporting to Managing Editor Colby Hall," Mediaite founder Abrams wrote in a blog post announcing the hire. He added: "Mark has big shoes to fill."

Krakauer, for his part, offered this comment to The Cutline via email:

"I have loved working on this side of the business, covering the TV and media world at Mediaite and previously at TVNewser, but this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Piers, Jonathan and the CNN team have plans for the new show that involve an active Web and social media presence. I am excited to be part of those plans from the beginning."