Legacy media network CNN received its worst rating in a key demographic group for the first time in a quarter century as employees fear more layoffs are coming.
A critical demographic for network news channels is those between the ages of 25 and 54, and on Tuesday — a week after the 2024 presidential election — CNN averaged 61,000 viewers in that range.
It was the smallest number of viewers in that demographic since June 27, 2000, when Bill Clinton was in the White House.
It also got poor marks for its daytime programming – shows that run between 9am and 5pm – with an average of 60,000 viewers in the Tuesday demographic.
This was the worst for a non-holiday week since 2014according to Fox News.
Total daily viewers for daytime programs were 403,000 for the liberal channel, while rival and conservative channel Fox News brought in about 2.2 million.
Primetime coverage – between 8pm and 11pm – also saw poor ratings, averaging 483,000 since Election Day. According to the channel, Fox News brought in 3.4 million.
CNN’s Election Day coverage also declined compared to previous cycles, with a huge drop in viewership as it fell for the first time since the company launched under MSNBC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
CNN drew 5.1 million viewers, while MSNBC had 6.01 million viewers. Meanwhile, Fox News led with 10.32 million, according to THR.
A crucial audience for network news channels are people between the ages of 25 and 54, and on Tuesday CNN averaged 61,000 viewers in that age range. It was the smallest viewership in that target group since June 27, 2000
During CNN’s prime time shows in 2022, it averaged 828,000 viewers, down significantly from 2020, where it saw about 1.8 million viewers, according to the Pew Research Center.
MSNBC saw slightly lower numbers than CNN, while Fox News crushed them both with an average of 2.1 million viewers in 2022 and 3.1 million in 2020.
CNN’s declining numbers have left staff “scared and frustrated” about impending layoffs.
Stars like 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 $3 million and Blitzer $7 million.
Screen favorite Chris Wallace also left the network earlier this week, although he insisted he did so on his own terms.
A longtime CNN employee told it Fox News that after news of the redundancies spread, staff across the company are feeling ‘very sad and deeply frustrated’.
“Feelings that permeate throughout the organization among those who have been here for a long time and feel a deep personal connection to helping build the organization,” the anonymous employee added.
The news also comes as veteran anchors Jake Tapper (left) and Wolf Blitzer (right) were reportedly recently denied raises. Tapper’s salary is currently $3 million and Blitzer $7 million
The man behind the layoffs, they said, is none other than new CEO Mark Thompson (pictured) – the former New York Times boss who was brought in to lead the Warner Bros.-led network. Discovery parent company to review.
News of the cuts and layoffs at CNN first spread after an explosive report from Puck News, which warned that network executives are about to take drastic action to save the company’s flagging reputation.
While there is no mention of who might be on the chopping block, it is feared that the cuts could affect everyone from low-level staff to the likes of Anderson Cooper and his $20 million-a-year salary.
“Over the next several months, I am told, CNN will implement another round of layoffs that will impact hundreds of employees across the organization,” reporter Dylan Byers wrote Friday, referring to CNN’s recent layoff of 100 people during the summer.
The new round of layoffs will, say the insiders, be more focused on the production side of the business, but on-screen ‘talent’ will also be affected.
The highest-paid stars include Anderson Cooper – who pulls in $20 million a year – Erin Burnett at $6 million, and rising star Kaitlan Collins at $3 million.
The man behind the layoffs, they said, is none other than new CEO Mark Thompson — the former New York Times boss who was brought in to lead the Warner Bros.-led network. Discovery parent company to review.
The old BBC boss filled the position left by then-flagging leader Chris Licht last August, and ratings have since fallen by more than 20 percent.
Under Licht — a tenure that lasted just over a year — the channel fell from the most-watched cable news channel on election nights to one of the least-watched.
Despite Licht’s controversial reign, he appeared to overshadow his former colleagues earlier this week when he told a Yahoo Finance reporter all the things he thought were wrong with the industry — something he’s been doing since his June 2023 resignation has not returned to.
CNN’s declining numbers have left staff “scared and frustrated” over looming layoffs, which are reportedly also impacting on-screen talent. Some of CNN’s most famous faces include Anderson Cooper, who makes $20 million a year, and Erin Burnett, who makes $6 million.
On Tuesday, the former CEO sat down to discuss how he thinks traditional media — including CNN, though he didn’t name the company directly — has lost its way with the American people.
“The facts are that people have lost confidence in traditional media,” he said Yahoo Finance anchor Seana Smith.
‘I’m not saying that, that’s a demonstrable fact that hasn’t happened in the last six months. That’s been happening for a long time and people are tuning in.”
Licht, who started in local news, believes traditional media must find a way to “reconnect with people and become relevant in their lives again.”