CNN Press Release - Award-winning producer Jamie Kraft has been named executive producer of CNN's American Morning, the network's flagship morning program, it was announced today by Bart Feder, senior vice president for current programming, CNN/U.S.

Kraft has been the acting executive producer since May, 2009 and during that time, American Morning's audience has grown eight percent compared to a year ago. Prior to that, he served as the program's senior broadcast producer for the past year, and now will oversee all aspects of the program's production and mission as the hard-news alternative in the morning. Since Kraft joined the program in August 2008, American Morning has seen a 26% increase in audience.

As the program's senior broadcast producer, Kraft was responsible for editorial direction and was instrumental in selecting upcoming stories and overseeing long-term projects. He covered major news stories included the 2008 presidential campaign, the election and inauguration of President Barack Obama, the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, the economic and financial crisis and the death of Michael Jackson. Before joining American Morning, he was a senior producer for Anderson Cooper 360 for three years where he was responsible for overseeing all daily and future editorial content for the program, and played an integral role in propelling AC360 to the number one 10 pm program in cable news last year.

"Jamie is an extremely talented journalist, a dynamic leader and the right person to carry on CNN's tradition of offering the most hard news in morning television, said Feder. "Since Jamie joined the program, American Morning's audience continues to grow, and he will play a pivotal role in the show's future success."

Said Kraft, "I am excited and honored to be at the helm of CNN's morning program. I am so proud of John Roberts, Kiran Chetry and this entire team and what we have accomplished this past year. The show's recent success is undeniable, and the possibilities are endless."

Kraft came to CNN from CBS News where he worked for more than 13 years. He was a producer on 60 Minutes, where he worked on investigative reports and sports profiles for Steve Kroft. Prior to that, he was a producer for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather where he produced for Rather, and produced assignments domestically and internationally. While there, he received an Emmy award for his lead story on the September 11 terrorist attacks. Kraft also produced "The American Dream," a weekly series reported by Rather, which later became a book. He opened and managed the CBS News Southeast regional bureau in Atlanta, coordinating all aspects of the region's news production. In addition, during his tenure at CBS he produced for 48 Hours and Street Stories with Ed Bradley. Awards he received while at CBS included a Gracie award, two Emmy awards and a New York Press Club award.

While a CNN, Kraft was part of the coverage teams that earned two George Foster Peabody awards for its Katrina reporting and the 2008 Presidential Campaigns and Debates, plus an Edward R. Murrow Award for the Lebanon/Israeli conflict and two Emmy awards for Anderson Cooper 360.

Kraft earned his bachelor's degree in journalism and economics from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He resides in New Jersey with his wife and four children, and coaches three of his children's soccer teams.