Together with the program Early Start (4.00–6.00 a.m. weekdays), it replaced American Morning, which ran from September 2001 to December 2011, under a variety of presenters.

[4][5] Other cities the show has covered include Charleston, South Carolina[6] and Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

[8] By November 2011, CNN announced that American Morning would be replaced by two new programs, with O'Brien anchoring the second slot from 7:00-9:00AM.

The show received poor ratings, and was canceled in early 2013 by CNN executive Jeff Zucker.

[11] Starting Point was replaced by New Day, co-anchored by Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan.