Journalist Glenn Greenwald thoroughly enjoyed news that CNN had suffered its worst ratings week in nine years, saying it was “well-deserved” and “good for the country.”
The Wrap reported on the Nielsen ratings which showed the network “averaging just 444,000 viewers in primetime, 93,000 in the all-important age 25-54 news demographic and 417,000 in viewers and 80,000 in the demo for total day.”
It was the first time CNN saw such dismal numbers since May of 2014.
The outlet notes that the program “CNN This Morning,” which saw significant moves made to the lineup from new CEO Chris Licht, which included the addition of Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, and Kaitlan Collins to the revamped lineup, had its worst week ever.
Not great when your signature shakeup is absolutely tanking.
Former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly announced the news and called it a “5-alarm fire” for the sinking network.
These are 5-alarm fire #s – omg: “CNN just notched its lowest ratings in 9 years across all its day parts…averaging just 444,000 viewers in PRIMETIME, 93,000 in the all-important age 25-54 news demo & [in day] 417,000 in viewers and 80,000 in the demo.” https://t.co/mjtW26VrXS
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) January 30, 2023
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CNN is a Ratings Flop
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It sure seems like viewers on either side of the aisle aren’t necessarily convinced by Licht’s efforts to present his news network as more balanced and fair. Or they’re just not entertained by the idea.
Licht has been trying to improve the credibility of his network by actively promoting efforts to weed out nakedly partisan contributors. Such an effort appears to be being met with skepticism.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald took a shot at CNN over the rating disaster.
This is so well-deserved and good for the country.
CNN turned itself into a fanatical political PAC during the Trump era, got a few quick sugar highs, hired an army of US Security State operatives, and ratified one lie after the next with no retractions or accountability: https://t.co/2SE5d2j3GC
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 30, 2023
“This is so well-deserved and good for the country,” he surmised.
“CNN turned itself into a fanatical political PAC during the Trump era, got a few quick sugar highs, hired an army of US Security State operatives, and ratified one lie after the next with no retractions or accountability,” Greenwald added.
Greenwald went on to note an example of the reckless reporting propagated by CNN – the Hunter Biden laptop scandal prior to the 2020 presidential election.
“Everyone who works at CNN knows it spread an outright lie before the 2020 election: the Biden laptop was ‘Russian disinformation,’” he wrote. “Not one ever told their audience it was false or they spread it, let alone apologized for it.”
Just look at this alone:
Everyone who works at CNN knows it spread an outright lie before the 2020 election: the Biden laptop was “Russian disinformation.”
Not one ever told their audience it was false or they spread it, let alone apologized for it:https://t.co/kjLH42pIZN
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 30, 2023
“When a ‘news outlet’ constantly gets caught lying and refuses even to acknowledge it, they deserve to collapse and disappear,” Greenwald continued. “Good riddance.”
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Kinzinger to the Rescue?
Even with the terrible rating news, CNN can rest easy knowing they just hired former congressman Adam Kinzinger as their “senior political commentator.”
Surely that will resurrect the network’s ratings like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Greenwald, prior to that announcement, had mocked Kinzinger with a poll wondering where he would end up once his political career wound down, with CNN being one of the options.
Shame on my audience for getting such an obvious and easy question wrong (though MSNBC was certainly a reasonable guess): https://t.co/MAQjJraBrd pic.twitter.com/xcETe1fRJg
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 5, 2023
If that doesn’t work out, CNN is reportedly looking to insert a comedian into their primetime lineup.
Kelly mocked the idea of hiring a leftist comedian to try and help a sagging network that is trying to convince viewers that they’re not partisan.
“It would be amazing if in this era where they think they’re appeasing Republicans and trying to get Republican viewers and independent viewers to come back to them by hiring some Republican contributors … that then they give two hours of their prime time to John Stewart?” hs laughed.
“See how that works out with the people you’re trying to win back, OK? You’ve been warned … see how that works out,” Kelly added. “It’s not going to go very well.”
https://t.co/Xc456p0epk @rumpfshaker reported these potential changes two weeks ago. Seems as though CNN would like to move quickly to bring nontraditional programming to the network
— Natalie Korach (@NatalieKorach) January 30, 2023
Kelly claims she turned down a “huge offer” from CNN from its previous CEO, Jeff Zucker.
The New York Post reports that she decided “not to go to CNN because she didn’t think she would have a sizeable audience there.”
Nobody has a sizeable audience there.
Recently she predicted it was too late for Licht to save the network no matter what moves he tried to pull off.
“They’re trying to turn things around right now,” Kelly said on a recent podcast. “People ask me all the time: Do you think CNN can be saved? Now they have new management and new ownership [and] I think a new commitment to try to win back some Republican viewers.”
“Personally, I think it’s too late,” she added. “They’ve already told half the country that they hate them.”
If these ratings are any indication, it appears the feeling is mutual.
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