CNN: The Continuing Soap Opera

[mightynine 287]

New York Times reporting this too. 
 

And so is CNN’s Oliver Darcy. 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by mightynine

[kshow 164]

Wonder if the new shows slated in the fall are still happening. (King Charles)?

[JosiahCubed 255]

Kate Bolduan just announced the news on-air.

[Action Newsroom 1200]

I honestly thought - due to his previous work - that Licht would be a great fit for CNN, but I was wrong. Here's hoping the next leader will really improve the network. But at this point, it feels like a longshot. 

[mightynine 287]

Collins will still be a go, but I wonder if "King Charles" will get quietly cancelled. Maybe moved to a weekend slot, seems silly to break up your newest host's week like that.

Edited June 7, 2023 by mightynine

[Glimmer 260]

Much of Licht’s handpicked team also leaving CNN https://twitter.com/dylanbyers/status/1666457553583087618?s=46&t=8s2ut1VEnz5wTqdvS7kePg

[tyrannical bastard 3764]

CNN is so screwed up right now (along with WarnerDiscovery) it would almost make sense for Nexstar to just give up on NewsNation and take CNN, and maybe a few more networks off of WarnerDiscovery's hands.  The implosion of cable TV is imminent, and Nexstar could get these networks on the cheap.

 

Then again, Perry being Perry, he'll make the same mistake Sinclair did with the former Fox RSNs and overvalue them to the point companies drop them and we have another Bally's situation...

[Jase 923]

2 hours ago, kshow said:

Wonder if the new shows slated in the fall are still happening. (King Charles)?

 

Somewhat doubtful. Gayle likely only agreed to do the show as a favor to Licht. Now that he's gone; not sure she would want to continue as she doesn't need the money nor the extra workload. Charles signed a huge new deal that WBD will want to get their monies worth some how from him.

 

A lot will depend on when a new leader is named. My guess is sometime in August or September. Can't see a ton of people jumping at the chance to run CNN and be micro-managed 24/7. 

 

And with a temporary quadfecta of people currently running things, I would assume no big decisions will be made anytime soon. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by jase

[mre29 1437]

1 hour ago, jase said:

A lot will depend on when a new leader is named. My guess is sometime in August or September. Can't see a ton of people jumping at the chance to run CNN and be micro-managed 24/7.

 

Zaslav was doing the micromanaging, correct?

 

[Jase 923]

2 minutes ago, mre29 said:

 

Zaslav was doing the micromanaging, correct?

 

 

Correct. I would hope that the next head of CNN wouldn't accept the job without some assurances that they will be given the opportunity to do their job effectively without interference. CNN isn't broken (per se); they just need to re-focus on things that matter (news) and less on politics.

[newscopter7 232]

Ted Turner for CEO

[nickp 313]

please give Robin Meade her job back! Robin Meade is amazing!

[jrogo 193]

2 hours ago, nickp said:

please give Robin Meade her job back! Robin Meade is amazing!

That would actually make sense, it wouldn’t do any worse in the ratings and it would bring a certain level of comfort to the executives, knowing she and her team are more than capable and they wouldn’t have to worry about any unfavorable press with them. 
 

Im also wondering if MSNBC is smart enough to take advantage of CNN’s down position and make any changes to primetime or weekends ahead of the election year, seems like a great time for MSNBC to tidy up the network while CNN is a mess. 

[carolinanews4 347]

3 hours ago, nickp said:

please give Robin Meade her job back! Robin Meade is amazing!

 

The "folksy" tone of the show was a double-edged sword. It was that warm approach that made it a "success" on HLN but it is also why it was never considered a fit for the mothership. I put success in quotes because its ratings were good...for HLN...but the expectations for that channel were always lower than main CNN. The tenor of Morning Xpress was always lighter than the more serious tone CNN wanted through numerous iterations of New Day. Now, you could make the case constant anchor changes, set changes, etc. never really moved the needle against Fox & Friends and Morning Joe so why not try something different.  But sadly, I don't see it happening.

 

1 hour ago, jrogo said:

Im also wondering if MSNBC is smart enough to take advantage of CNN’s down position and make any changes to primetime or weekends ahead of the election year, seems like a great time for MSNBC to tidy up the network while CNN is a mess. 

 

I don't see MSNBC making any adjustments because of CNN. They have been giving Fox a run for its money since Tucker's departure. (Obviously that has more to do with FNC's stumble but hey an opportunity is an opportunity) So, I don't see them adjusting anything because of a distant third-place CNN. If anything, they should focus on what (if anything) they can do to break FNC's long run atop the weekly ratings. 

[Geoffrey 796]

If not for The Atlantic piece, I wonder if Licht still would have been fired or have been allowed to continue flailing. There were clear problems but that piece really exposed it to the general public. Zaslav is still in charge so will anything really change? He still wants to "appeal to Republicans" (a.k.a. bothsides reality).

[mountainave 557]

Well, that was fun while it lasted.  Just kidding.

 

It's kind of a shame, really.  Licht is, by all accounts, an exceptionally successful and creative producer, having essentially resurrected three different shows on three different networks from near death to successes in their own right.  In some ways, he was set up to fail: he came in replacing a predecessor (Zucker) who was terminated but incredibly popular among CNN staff, and then immediately after he was named CEO, Licht shut down CNN+ right after it launched, executed rounds of company layoffs, and fired several on-air talents, all at the behest of his boss, Zaslav. The Trump town hall, which irked many CNN staffers too, was no doubt encouraged or approved by Zaslav, too.  But, yes, Licht also made his own fair share of unforced errors, and by his statements in the Atlantic article, he had lost all support from his staff.

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by mountainave

[Geoffrey 796]

AC360 recently started opening the show teasing some of the stories coming up in the broadcast. (It used to start by going right into the top story.) Notably, they are using music (I think the old AC360 theme?), which I don't believe this show has used in many, many years. 

 

[Geoffrey 796]

This perfectly sums up Licht at CNN:

 

He should have listened to Colbert and kept the great job he had at The Late Show.

[Geoffrey 796]

CNN's ticker turns red.

 

[Geoffrey 796]

Anderson Cooper in NY and Kaitlan Collins  in DC anchored the 8-10 p.m. hours. Then Erin Burnett and Dana Bash took over, presumably until at least midnight.

[Briella 234]

CNN has been really solid today and lately with actual news reporting. I’m shockingly impressed.

[Geoffrey 796]

1 minute ago, Briella said:

CNN has been really solid today and lately with actual news reporting. I’m shockingly impressed.

They're always good with breaking news. 

[Manny NYC 29]

3 hours ago, Geoffrey said:

They're always good with breaking news. 

For actual breaking news, CNN is far better than MSNBC or Fox News becuase they don't try to have three "analysts" shove a political opinion down your throat. They are actually just telling the story of what's going on. That is great for viewership when something big happens (when more "regular" people watch cable news) but doesn't work when it's just partisans watching.

[Geoffrey 796]

How does CNN decide which font to use?

[Spring Rubber 671]

1 hour ago, Geoffrey said:

How does CNN decide which font to use?

Ugh, do they have two different templates loaded up with differing fonts, and they're just happily filling out the text without realizing the font difference?