Staff Reports
CNN is reportedly slicing and dicing, reaching for the budget knife as viewership has been tumbling faster than a cat video on a hot internet day. Following dismal ratings in the wake of the recent elections, the network, which used to dominate the ratings like a king in a castle, is now facing a reality check that should serve as a wake-up call to its executives: people simply aren’t tuning in as they once did.
Notably, the New York Post highlights the colossal victory racked up by Fox News on election night. With a staggering 10.3 million viewers glued to their screens from 8 to 11 p.m. Eastern, they put the competition to shame. Meanwhile, CNN, once reigning supreme in 2016 with 13.3 million viewers, only managed a mere 5.1 million last Tuesday, trailing even MSNBC, which held onto 6 million viewers. The stark reality is that CNN has lost nearly half of its audience since the thrill of the 2020 presidential election, staggering down from 9.6 million to an embarrassing fraction of its former glory.
MSM is truly in a dumpster fire…
CNN Reportedly Laying Off On-Air Talent & Hundreds Of Workers
"I'm told, CNN will implement another round of layoffs that will impact hundreds…" pic.twitter.com/uplmpp1C5s— Rami. (@ThrilledBe) November 12, 2024
As if this weren’t enough to send shivers down the spines of those working in the CNN tower, a massive layoff wave is on the horizon. Recently, the network announced it would cut around 100 employees, leaving their workforce feeling as secure as a house of cards in a windstorm. But wait, there’s more! The whispers circulating from insiders indicate that CNN’s new CEO Mark Thompson isn’t just stopping at the initial round of layoffs. In the coming months, hundreds more may lose their jobs, including those primadonna star reporters who have been living large on their multi-million dollar contracts.
Chris Wallace’s departure is just the beginning, as CNN decides against renewing his extravagant $8.5 million contract. The network has also given the cold shoulder to requests for pay raises from big-name anchors Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer, currently raking in $7 million and $3 million respectively. It appears CNN’s philosophy now leans toward starving the beast while shifting resources to digital content. While transitioning to a “digital-first” model might sound like a trendy buzzword, it may actually signal the end of the line for many of its high-priced talent.
The looming reductions are not only targeting the bubbly on-air personalities. Insiders suggest that everyone from the producers to the production assistants can expect to see their roles either consolidated or entirely vanquished. Essentially, it seems like CNN’s plan is to throw a few high-profile anchors overboard in hopes of staying afloat as the network shifts gears, focusing on streaming content rather than linear programming—the kind of decision that makes one wonder if CNN is still even in the news business or has gone full-on entertainment mode.
For a network that once prided itself on its journalistic integrity, these moves are nothing short of a messy scramble for survival as CNN faces the reality of what America really wants. With a shift of this magnitude, it seems one fundamental truth emerges: the viewers vote with their remote controls, and at CNN, the results are in—an episode of declension has kicked off, and it’s shaping up to be quite the spectacle.
