By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-18 21:20:07 | Updated at 2024-11-18 23:25:45
2 hours ago
It's no secret that center-left news organization CNN does not welcome four more years of a Donald Trump administration.
But the cable network desperately needs to claw back viewers, after numbers declined before the election and prompted looming mass lay-offs.
According to an insider at Puck, CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson hosted an all-hands meeting on Wednesday morning to set the agenda for the second Trump era.
The CNN boss of one year used the daily 9am call to rally editorial staff, telling them not to obsess over drama surrounding the incoming president for the next four years.
Thompson reminded staff that there are 'a lot of other stories out in the U.S. and around the world' and 'it was clear that audiences were sick of the way the media covers politics' according to Puck.
He also said he wanted to get more 'people we don't normally hear on CNN' - perhaps alluding to more right-wing pundits like Scott Jennings, who was recently praised by viewers for his commentary on the election which stunned his fellow panelists into silence.
Thompson praised some of the network's current projects, including John King's 'All Over The Map' series which tracked the 2024 campaign through the voices of voters.
It comes as CNN suffered its worst rating in a key demographic for the first time in a quarter of a century as employees fear more layoffs are coming.
According to an insider at Puck , CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson (pictured) hosted a company wide meeting on Wednesday morning to set the agenda for the second Trump era
The CNN boss of one year used the daily 9am call to rally editorial staff, telling them not to obsess over drama surrounding the incoming president for the next four years
A critical demographic for network news channels are those aged 25 to 54, and on Tuesday - a week after the 2024 presidential election - CNN averaged 61,000 viewers in that range.
It was the smallest of audience viewers in that demographic since June 27, 2000, when Bill Clinton was in the White House.
It also pulled in bad numbers for its daytime programming - shows that run between 9 am and 5 pm - with an average 60,000 viewers in the demographic on Tuesday.
This was the worst for a non-holiday week since 2014, according to Fox News.
Overall daily viewership for daytime programming sat at 403,000 for the liberal outlet, whereas its competitor and conservative outlet Fox News brought in around 2.2million.
Primetime coverage - between 8 pm and 11 pm - also saw struggling viewership numbers with an average of 483,000 since Election Day. Fox News brought in 3.4 million, according to the network.
CNN's Election Day coverage also waned compared to previous cycles, with a huge downfall in viewership as it fell below MSNBC for the first time since the company launched, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
CNN brought in 5.1million viewers, while MSNBC had 6.01million. Meanwhile, Fox News led with 10.32million, according to THR.
During CNN's prime time shows in 2022 it saw an average of 828,000 viewers, significantly down from 2020 numbers, where it saw around 1.8million, according to Pew Research Center.
A critical demographic for network news channels are those aged 25 to 54, and on Tuesday, CNN averaged 61,000 viewers in that age range. It was the smallest of audience viewers in that demographic since June 27, 2000
The news also comes as veteran anchors Jake Tapper (left) and Wolf Blitzer (right) were reportedly recently denied raises. Tapper's salary is currently $3million and Blitzer stands at $7million
MSNBC saw slightly lower numbers than CNN, while Fox News bulldozed the both of them with a 2.1million average viewers in 2022 and 3.1 million in 2020.
CNN's dropping numbers have caused staff to become 'scared and frustrated' about looming layoffs.
Stars including Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer have reportedly been denied raises on their multi-million-dollar salaries as the biggest names on the network fear for their futures.
Tapper's salary is currently $3million and Blitzer stands at $7million.
On-screen favorite Chris Wallace also departed the network earlier this week, although he insisted that he did so on his own terms.
A longtime CNN employee told Fox News that after news of the layoffs spread, staff across the company are left feeling 'very sad and deeply frustrated.'
'Feelings which are pervasive throughout the organization among those who have been here a long time and feel a deep personal connection to having helped build the organization,' the anonymous staffer added.
