Former CNN CEO to tackle arts, politics, probably media for PBS program

Amanpour and Company, a news and public affairs program, debuts on PBS Sept. 10. Hosted by Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent at CNN, the show is a WNET and CNN International production.

Monday’s premiere provides two episodes. PBS said Amanpour and Company offers “wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day.”

Amanpour has four veteran journalists helping out: Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan. Amanpour is in London, while her Company correspondents will be at WNET Studios in New York.

Amanpour hosts Amanpour on CNN. “I’m delighted to expand my role at PBS from interim to permanent along with this remarkable diversity of voices and views,” she said in a release. “Never has the time for exploring our world and America’s place in it been so urgent. And I am also thrilled to be a female filling this role at this time!”

Amanpour and Isaacson go back to his time at CNN, where he was chairman and CEO from 2001 to the early days of 2003. Isaacson is a professor of history at Tulane University and the former president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. Besides his time atop CNN, he was editor of Time Magazine.

Isaacson said he’ll cover the arts, science, technology, creativity, politics and probably media on Amanpour and Company. He was drawn to the show by the idea of doing long-form interviews with compelling people. “We’re all chasing the latest tweet, and we let people talk in sound bites,” he said of journalism today. “This show goes deeper and is more sensitive.”

Isaacson’s interviews will include IBM Chairman/President/CEO Ginni Rometty and filmmaker Ken Burns.

“This show offered a chance to do 20-30 minute interviews,” he said, “rather than three-minute interviews.”

Martin is the weekend host of NPR’s All Things Considered. Her previous credits include ABC News and covering politics for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Menendez is contributing editor at Bustle, host of the podcast “Latina to Latina,” and former anchor and special correspondent at Fusion.

Sreenivasan is the anchor of PBS NewsHour Weekend, senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour and host of SciTech Now.