Travel Channel is losing one of its best-known personalities to CNN after ten years. Emmy-winning No Reservations star Anthony Bourdain has signed a deal with the news network to head up a new show set for a 2013 premiere over at CNN as well as contributing to a variety of other yet-to-be determined projects.
No Reservations fans won’t be missing much, they’ll just need to head over to CNN to catch Bourdain’s travels, says The Hollywood Reporter. His new series, as yet untitled, will be very similar to what he’s been doing on Travel Channel for years. He’ll visit countries around the world and explored “their food, dining, and travel rituals.” The show is even produced by the same company, so it looks like it won’t be that much of a change for Bourdain. It’s likely, however, that he’ll see a bigger budget and may be able to take his show to greater lengths and perhaps more difficult locations. The new show will air new episodes on Sunday nights with repeats running on Saturdays.
With the deal in place Bourdain could show up as a contributor on CNN before the launch of the new series next year, but there’s no details on that at the moment. Bourdain’s new gig is a part of CNN’s efforts to broaden their appeal by adding more lifestyle programming; certainly he’s an opinionated personality that tends to draw attention. That seems to be just what CNN is looking for, according to CNN Worldwide executive vice president and managing editor Mark Whitaker who calls Bourdain “an outspoken commentator on social trends.” CNN will certainly give him a bigger stage on which to share that commentary.
