CNN to Cut Costs, Lay Off Staff by Year’s End: ‘These Changes Will Not Be Easy’

[PTBoardOp94]

Keep in mind, Chris Licht was Executive Producer of the "Late Show with Steven Colbert," which successfully (according to the ratings, not my personal taste) rode "comedy-news" to the top of the late night ratings.

Doing the same thing on cable news seems ... improbable.
One major difference: If the "Late Show" didn't want to cover something insensitive (say, the recent air crash in Kathmandu), they can skip it. CNN doesn't have that luxury.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Bill Maher is a political opinion talk show host, not a comedian. Comedians are funny.

 

[Mikey Radio]

CNN is serious about getting into comedy | Semafor

Chris Licht is exploring hiring a comedian to host one of CNN's prime time shows; “They’re looking for their version of John Oliver,” one television news insider says.

www.semafor.com

Note CNN is proposing the idea but in general it's a ploy to put attention on HBO Max.

CNN is considering hiring a comedian to host one of its prime time shows.

I guess no one remembers in the early to mid 00's when CNN broadcast The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on their network? Why? Because more younger people were getting their daily "news" from Jon Stewart back then, than from any other source - and CNN wanted to get in on the action.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Bill Maher is a political opinion talk show host, not a comedian. Comedians are funny.

He was a comedian in the Jurassic period late 1980s and Politically Incorrect originated on Comedy Central.

 

[Rusty Muck]

I guess no one remembers in the early to mid 00's when CNN broadcast The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on their network? Why? Because more younger people were getting their daily "news" from Jon Stewart back then, than from any other source - and CNN wanted to get in on the action.

I know you said it in jest (well, I hope you are) but it’s worth remembering that the only time Jon Stewart ever appeared on CNN, it literally got Crossfire cancelled.

 

[Mikey Radio]

I know you said it in jest (well, I hope you are) but it’s worth remembering that the only time Jon Stewart ever appeared on CNN, it literally got Crossfire cancelled.

Actually my comment above wasn't said in jest at all. Back in I believe the early 2000s, CNN began airing a condensed, 30 minute weekly version of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on their CNN International channel.. When asked, CNN commented back then on the fact that many younger people got their news from Stewart's show vs. watching or reading traditional news outlets, and they were trying to attract that segment. Again, you must also keep in mind that this was 20 years ago now. From the CNN website:

CNN.com - The Daily Show: Global Edition

"The Daily Show: Global Edition," is a half-hour weekend edition of the satirical news commentary program which airs on U.S. cable network Comedy Central. The CNN International version is a compilation of the best comedy sketches that aired during the previous week on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," which is recorded weeknights before a live studio audience in New York.

Geared toward a young, savvy late night audience, the program features Stewart's smart wit, satire and observations on U.S. and world current affairs.

 

[Will_H_69_9]

Actually my comment above wasn't said in jest at all. Back in I believe the early 2000s, CNN began airing a condensed, 30 minute weekly version of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on their CNN International channel.. When asked, CNN commented back then on the fact that many younger people got their news from Stewart's show vs. watching or reading traditional news outlets, and they were trying to attract that segment. Again, you must also keep in mind that this was 20 years ago now. From the CNN website:

i take it, this was when the then-AOL Time Warner co-owned Comedy Central before it was spun off by them to then-Viacom gaining full ownership.

 

[TVCOOL]

I heard CNN is moving out of Atlanta and their home the CNN Center since 1980.

 

[TheBigA]

I heard CNN is moving out of Atlanta and their home the CNN Center since 1980.

What they've done is consolidate their Atlanta holdings, leaving CNN Center, moving back to Techwood Drive, where they started.

The majority of the programming originates in NYC or DC.

Atlanta 69

CNN Center was next to the Georgia Dome, which was demolished and replaced by the Mercedes Benz Stadium.

 

[Don CT]

Bill Maher is a political opinion talk show host, not a comedian. Comedians are funny.

He still tours so yes he is a comedian.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Cost cutting and mismanagement reaping the inevitable results.

CNN Just Suffered Its Worst Ratings Week in 9 Years

 

[Don CT]

CNN was fine the way it was. No need to try to beat Fox News. How long before we see a change in leadership.

 

[davideduardo]

CNN was fine the way it was.

No, it was not. It had spent a decade slowly declining and was at the point where advertisers could reach that segment via MSNBC and forget about CNN.

No need to try to beat Fox News.

No, maybe not. But it was so far behind MSNBC that it was not getting buys.

How long before we see a change in leadership.

They just went through one. That is why they are doing all the changes and refocusing.

 

[Don CT]

No, it was not. It had spent a decade slowly declining and was at the point where advertisers could reach that segment via MSNBC and forget about CNN.

No, maybe not. But it was so far behind MSNBC that it was not getting buys.

They just went through one. That is why they are doing all the changes and refocusing.

CNN has never been this low, so the current leadership is making it worse. At what point can they not save it.

 

[davideduardo]

CNN has never been this low, so the current leadership is making it worse. At what point can they not save it.

Remember, media innovation is no different than doing the same with shampoos or breakfast cereals. At least half the new products introduced each year do not survive.

The best marketers in the consumer goods area are the folks at P&G, and even they don't succeed 40% or more of the time with news products.

It can be said that CNN did not change enough. They shuffled some hosts and commentators around, cancelled the paid channel, but are still basically CNN. They may need to total refresh at the talent, image and production levels.

 

[Don CT]

Remember, media innovation is no different than doing the same with shampoos or breakfast cereals. At least half the new products introduced each year do not survive.

The best marketers in the consumer goods area are the folks at P&G, and even they don't succeed 40% or more of the time with news products.

It can be said that CNN did not change enough. They shuffled some hosts and commentators around, cancelled the paid channel, but are still basically CNN. They may need to total refresh at the talent, image and production levels.

Is the problem that CNN is a legacy product. Will changing it make it better or worse. Should they go back to their roots and report hard news. Or follow the Fox News model of we are right you are wrong.

 

[Mikey Radio]

Is the problem that CNN is a legacy product. Will changing it make it better or worse. Should they go back to their roots and report hard news. Or follow the Fox News model of we are right you are wrong.

In my opinion, CNN found itself in a bit of a no-win situation in recent months. For the past several years there has been Fox News (along with others like OANN and NewsMax) for those on the right, MSNBC for those on the left, and at one point, CNN also took a turn to the left, rather than just being an objective 24/7 "news network". In recent months, CNN tried to reestablish itself as that objective news network without any bent to the right or left. Problem is, those on the right will never trust CNN, as that network was called out by Trump as being "fake news" and they'll always think of it as a "liberal network". On the other side, as CNN started to move back to doing objective news, those on the left seemed to grow mistrustful as they were afraid of whether CNN would be truly objective, or if it was becoming at least slightly right. The big looser there, of course, as they lost both sides politically - was CNN.

 

[TheBigA]

The big looser there, of course, as they lost both sides politically - was CNN.

Truthfully there isn't much of an audience for "real news" except when real news happens. So CNN still gets good numbers on days when something major happens. The rest of the time, it's simply not that important. So what the news networks are doing is long-form documentaries on various subjects. While there may not be big audiences for the documentaries, they can run them over & over, and also use them on other platforms.

 

[Don CT]

People won't want to think anymore, they want to be fed their information. This is how Fox News gets big ratings. This is why hard news fails. It requires brain power.

 

[Mikey Radio]

People won't want to think anymore, they want to be fed their information. This is how Fox News gets big ratings. This is why hard news fails. It requires brain power.

Not only that, but straight news can sometimes be a bit dry and unexciting, depending on the delivery. However, if you take that same story and sensationalize it, throw in some implications that make it seem more scandalous than it actually is, then inject some commentary and personal opinion, many more people are likely to tune in and watch/listen/read. That's what some of the networks that incorrectly label themselves "news", do so well. Likewise, in many places, residents can be more apt to listen to and believe what they hear through gossip and rumor or at the barber or coffee shop, vs. what they see/hear/read from bona fide, fact-checked news sources. Why? The stuff they hear second or third hand tends to be much more exciting vs. the factual truth which can be pretty mundane by comparison. That's regardless of the fact that it can often also be partially or completely made up.