CNN’s primetime ratings continue to fall to their lowest numbers in seven years, despite the public turning around on the excitement and opinion shows under new president Chris Licht.
The network, which Licht promised to “take a different path” during a period “where extremes dominate cable news”, appears to be still in the tank even during the month that saw massive hearings on January 6.
Despite the hearings, which drew tens of millions of viewers across multiple networks, CNN had fewer viewers in June than it did in May, and which has continued the network’s long descent since the invasion of Ukraine lifted them in March.
While the three major news outlets – CNN, Fox News and MSNBC – have seen significant declines since former President Trump left office, CNN’s numbers continue to disintegrate at an alarming rate.
CNN, which moved under Warner Discovery in April, attracted an average of just 654,000 viewers in primetime in June and 487,000 in a full news day, down one and three percent, respectively.
CNN’s primetime ratings continue to drop to their lowest levels in seven years, despite the public turning around in excitement and opinion shows under new president Chris Licht.
The network, which Licht has promised to ‘go a different route’ during a period of ‘extremism dominating satellite news’, appears to be still in the tank even during the month that saw blockbuster hearings on January 6th.
During the week of committee hearings from June 13 to 19, the network averaged just 480,000 viewers, the network’s worst rating week since November 2015 and down 13 percent from its May averages.
Overall, June 2022 was the lowest-rated month for 24-hour viewers on CNN since July 2015, according to daily monster.
By contrast, MSNBC — which had the highest rates of listening on cable — averaged 1.28 million viewers at prime time, a 26 percent increase from May. Fox News also had a better second quarter than it did in 2021.
CNN ranked 12th among major cable networks in May and June. While ESPN and TNT were dominant due to their coverage of the NBA and NHL Playoffs, that still puts them behind many of their non-sporting competitors.
It’s a far cry from the final days of the Trump administration, which saw the network reach the top on cable in 2020 and send rival Fox News into third place.
During the week of committee hearings from June 13 to 19, the network averaged just 480,000 viewers, the network’s worst rating week since November 2015 and down 13 percent from those May averages.
While the three major news outlets – CNN, Fox News and MSNBC – have seen significant declines since former President Trump left office, CNN’s numbers continue to disintegrate at an alarming rate.
CNN attracted an average of just 654,000 viewers in primetime in June and 487,000 throughout the news day, down one and three percent, respectively. During the week of committee hearings from June 13 to 19, the network averaged just 480,000 viewers, the network’s worst rating week since November 2015 and down 13 percent from those May averages.
In the final year of Trump’s presidency, CNN brought in an average of 1.79 million prime-time viewers, but the network had lost more than half of that viewership by the end of 2021.
And it continues an awful year for the network in the wake of its expensive CNN+ streaming service.
Licht, of course, has tried to correct what he sees as the network’s credibility problems after the ouster of his predecessor, Jeff Zucker.
He ordered staff to stop using the phrase ‘the big lie’ to describe Donald Trump’s 2020 election fraud allegations, because it is a Democratic mantra.
The wording is common to the network. according to mediaThis phrase was said 168 times in the first half of June alone.
Hosts like Brian Stelter from Reliable Sources are often so fond of the term that they use it most prominently in graphic packages and crowns.
But Licht ordered Shtilter and other journalists to stop, and suggested “Trump’s election lie” or “election lie” as possible alternatives.
The ordinance was issued days after he warned employees about their continued use of “breaking news” graphics in stories, which he said were melodramatic, ultimately weakening the power of big stories when they broke.
Licht is also said to be keen to return the well-resourced network to impartial news coverage, with CNN lauded for its coverage of the Ukraine war and other major international news.
A former producer on Morning Joe on MSNBC and more recently with Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, this isn’t the first time Licht has tried to get the network to smooth things over since he took the reins.
Licht, of course, has tried to correct what he sees as problems with the network’s credibility after the ouster of his predecessor, Jeff Zucker.
Licht, as part of his effort to revamp the outlet, has evaluated personalities and news programs that have become polarized during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Licht, as part of his effort to revamp the outlet, has evaluated personalities and news programs that have become polarized during Donald Trump’s presidency.
CNN insiders said those who fail to join the network’s new priority of becoming “less partisan” could be terminated. Axios.
It is said that Licht is not looking to weed out the programming of superstars like Anderson Cooper or Don Lemon, but he does want CNN’s news staff to present the information in a way that supports the network’s explicit values of unbiased reporting.
Analysts claim this could be a problem for network reporters Jim Acosta and Brian Stelter, among others, who became “the face of the network’s liberal transformation.”
The insider said Licht wanted to give the controversial figures a chance to “prove that they’re willing to support the network’s values” before anyone is fired.
Specifically, talent, producers and on-air bookings want programming decisions that focus on “the nuances” and don’t tarnish the CNN brand, once considered the “most trusted name in the news.”
CNN insiders claim that those who fail to join the network’s new priority of becoming “less partisan” could be terminated.
He doesn’t plan to change the tone of the network’s primetime shows, but he does want to make sure partisan voices don’t ‘dominate’ programming in a harmful way.
It would be a turnaround from the way former CNN chief Jeff Zucker ran the network, which many argue allowed the promotion of an anti-Trump agenda.
Licht, who officially took over at CNN on May 2, also said in a recent note that he agrees with criticism from “people both inside and outside the organization” that banners are being used excessively on television, Axios mentioned.
“It has become such a staple in every channel and network that its impact on the audience has been lost,” he wrote. “We tell the truth, we focus on informing viewers, not panicking.”
Licht said CNN bureau chief Sam Feist led a review to identify best practices for using the Breaking News tag, and added new rules to the network’s style book, or internal editorial guidelines.
“It’s definitely going to need adjustments, so we’re open to feedback, but this is a great starting point for trying to make ‘breaking news’ mean something big is happening,” Licht said of the new rules.
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