Amanpour lands new ABC gig

After two decades covering wars, famines and natural disasters, CNN’s chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is headed to a new network and a new battleground: Washington.

ABC News on Thursday hired the CNN stalwart as the new host of “This Week,” its Sunday morning public affairs program.

ABC’s bold move signals that it intends to shake up the Sunday morning field, long dominated by NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Although Amanpour is a strong personality with substantial journalistic credentials, her specialty has long been international affairs – she has been reporting from around the world for CNN since 1990 – and her appointment comes at a time when ABC has been dramatically scaling back its international news operations as part of deep cuts across its news divisions.

“With Christiane we have the opportunity to provide our audiences with something different on Sunday mornings,” said ABC News President David Westin in an e-mail to ABC News personnel. “We will continue to provide the best in interviews and analysis about domestic politics and policies. But now we will add to that an international perspective.”

Amanpour, 52, will join ABC News in August. In the meantime, ABC’s Jake Tapper will continue to host “This Week.”

Jim Walton, president of CNN’s Worldwide, said in an e-mail to his staff: “Since 1990 when Christiane became a CNN international correspondent, she has covered the defining news events of our time.”

The birthday bunch

Comedian Marty Allen is 88. Ric Ocasek (The Cars) is 61. Chaka Khan is 57. Amanda Plummer is 53. Catherine Keener is 51. Hope Davis (“About Schmidt”) is 46. Marin Hinkle (“Two and a Half Men”) is 44. Keri Russell (“Felicity”) is 34. Nicholle Tom (“The Nanny”) is 32.