Struggling cable news network CNN has just received more bad news, which has become a regular occurrence. Reports indicate that compared to March of last year, CNN lost 61 percent of primetime viewers and 73 percent of viewers in the key demographic 25-54 age range.
Unsurprisingly, Fox News is still on top of the cable news market, dominating the liberal competition like CNN and MSNBC. However, it is noted that all networks did see a noticeable drop in ratings due to dominant stories in the news cycle this time last year, such as the Ukraine war. Although, the drop CNN has seen is substantially worse than other networks. Deadline reported:
CNN saw some of the steepest declines, with its primetime audience down 61% from March of 2022, and dropping 73% in the 25-54 demo.
…For the month, Fox News topped primetime with an average of 2.09 million viewers, down 27%, versus MSNBC with 1.14 million, down 12%, and CNN with 473,000, off by 61%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News topped with 245,000, down 54%, followed by MSNBC with 107,000, down 42%, and CNN with 100,000, down 73%.
In total day, Fox News averaged 1.32 million, down 27%, followed by MSNBC with 701,000, down 10%, and CNN with 425,000, down 52%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 162,000, down 53%, followed by CNN with 83,000, down 64%, and MSNBC with 78,000, down 24%.
Some have blamed the quality of CNN’s programming for their substandard performance in ratings, citing the leftist bias they assign to their coverage of new stories. The disastrous ratings over the past couple of years prompted CNN to oust former CEO Jeff Zucker and bring in current CEO Chris Licht as a replacement. Breitbart reported:
The top-rated show at CNN — a far-left propaganda outlet that spreads conspiracy theories and political violence — was Anderson Cooper 360. It placed 26th and averaged only 635,000 total viewers. Erin Burnett earned only 625,000 viewers. During his smug two hours, Jake Tapper averaged only 584,000 and 575,000 total viewers… These are disastrous numbers. Don Lemon’s morning show attracted only 346,000 viewers.
Meanwhile, at Fox News, Tucker Carlson, Jesse Watters, and Sean Hannity attracted 3.25 million, 2.67 million, and 2.5 million, respectively. The media spin is that CNN’s problems stem from its struggle to find a permanent 9 p.m. anchor. Well, that spin is laughable. All that “spin” tells you is that no one will watch CNN’s current anchors in that timeslot because no one likes those people. Also, ask yourself this… What does a problem at 9 p.m. have to do with Tapper belly-flopping for two late-afternoon hours or Anderson Cooper’s ratings humiliation?
…Because CNN is already dead, it’s a zombie network walking around dead.
Since Licht has taken the reigns of the company, he has kicked off many initiatives to steer CNN in the right direction. These actions include cutting costs through mass layoffs, selling real estate, firing veteran anchors, and reprogramming content. The American Tribune reported on CNN cost cutting initiatives:
This move to Burbank will be instrumental in CNN’s massive cost-cutting campaign. The measures are likely a move to improve liquidity to service large amounts of debt. Parent company Warner Bros Discovery is straddled with $50 billion in debt currently.
In addition, CNN is laying off many employees and veteran anchors alike as a cost-cutting measure. The company is also looking to shift its programming toward more centrist, non-partisan reporting with less political bias.
"*" indicates required fields