Gone in recent weeks (for the most part) are what had become the network’s signature red-versus-blue showdowns between hot-talking contributors or segments that hinge on an anchor scolding an interviewee. This is the kind of stuff that typically gives cable-news a viral boost. In its place, CNN is trying something else: the news.

And it could guide what three people familiar with the network say will be some sort of recalibration of on-air talent that could become more apparent this fall.

“CNN seems to be moving back more toward straight news and away from some of the blatant opinion-mongering by its anchors that characterized its past few years,” says Mark Feldstein, chairman of the broadcast journalism department at University of Maryland, and a former CNN correspondent. Recent “First on CNN” scoops include stories on the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security telling the Secret Service to stop investigating missing texts related to the January 6 insurrection and First Lady Jill Biden’s press secretary leaving the White House.