Top liberal media channel CNN is navigating troubled waters as the outlet faces an interim leadership crisis.
The network is unable to decide if the new leadership will be able to bring the channel out of the crisis.
CNN is in a “Sorry State of Affairs”
A former producer of CNN noted the channel is in a “sorry state of affairs” after the departure of the former president, Jeff Zucker.
The parent company of CNN WarnerMedia is underway a merger. This will be finalized soon, so the working hierarchy of the channel is likely to be changed, which is worrying many stakeholders.
Chris Litch, who has been selected as a new president of the network, is yet to take charge. David Zaslav, the CEO of Discovery, will oversee the organization after the merger is completed.
According to Fox News, the speculations about the potential changes within the network are at an all-time high.
Reportedly, the duo is likely to shake things up to a greater extent, which is worrying the workers.
‘Sorry state of affairs’ at CNN amid ratings woes, and looming regime change and ‘suboptimal’ streamer. https://t.co/5Yt4SAhHQc
— Ned Ryun (@nedryun) April 1, 2022
As per the news, the far-left inclination of the channel is expected to be reconsidered after the change in the top leadership. Thus, CNN can no longer be a mouthpiece of the Biden administration.
Efforts to reconsider the newly launched streaming service of CNN+ are also expected to be intensified, as the former producer noted the service is “set up to fail” even though it is just being released this week.
The producer also stated Zucker did unprecedented damage to the media channel by changing the stance of the channel from non-partisan to far-left.
He also suggested when CNN was supposed to do war reporting about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the channel was busy launching a new product. Thus, he added, Americans do not watch CNN “for serious news anymore.”
Since CNN decided to launch a smear campaign against former President Donald Trump, its ratings have declined, the producer added.
CNN launched paid service with a few users on free content
In the latest released ratings, CNN’s top watched program “Anderson Cooper 360” stood at No. 22 countrywide among cable news programs.
Similarly, the top-rated show of the channel stood behind 15 Fox News shows, as per the ratings released Tuesday.
Amid all of this, the channel is being criticized for launching a paid service at a moment when viewers are not even interested in the free content. The business model of CNN+ has also been chided by others.
Nick MacShane, the founder of Progress Ventures, noted the network should settle its terms with top advertisers in order to be dependent on ad revenue instead of subscription fees.
24 hours after launch, the layoff rumors and merger chatter began RT CNN+ Already Set to Fail https://t.co/aVITiL3wld
— The HighWire (@HighWireTalk) March 31, 2022
As the new president is likely to shift the channel from liberal commentary to objective news, there is a perception that he would rethink the business model of the news service.
Many other commentators have also questioned the direction in which CNN is headed.
John Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media, suggested he wants CNN to embrace the type of journalism it used to, instead of being highly partisan.
