CNN continues its downward slide in ratings after being overtaken by Food Network and History Channel last week.
The cable news network struggled to gain momentum despite a busy news cycle that included the outright assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the subsequent manhunt for his killer, news of newly elected President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and a rebel group gaining ground in the USA Syria.
The primetime shows Anderson Cooper 360, The Source with Kaitlan Collins and CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip averaged just 367,000 viewers this week. Fox News reports.
By comparison, Fox News Channel averaged 2.5 million primetime viewers.
CNN’s audience was also smaller than TNT, Food Network, Discovery, Hallmark Mysteries, TLC, TBS, History, HGTV, USA, MSNBC, Hallmark Channel and ESPN.
The network fared even worse among the 25-to-54 demographic, which is hitting advertisers hard.
It drew a paltry 67,000 viewers in the category, finishing behind networks like TV Land, MTV and Comedy Central.
The statistics spell trouble for the old network, which has been in a downward spiral since reporting on the presidential elections.
CNN continued its downward spiral in network ratings last week
The audience was smaller than the Food Network’s the week of December 2
It then experienced its lowest-rated week among total viewers since June 2001 on the week of November 25, averaging only 268,000 viewers.
The dismal numbers spark an infighting among the network’s stars as they try to figure out who is responsible for CNN’s failure.
Former producer Carper Dulmage, who now works for KABC in Los Angeles, even joked that CNN is no longer important because critics on both sides of the political spectrum say the channel is biased toward the other.
Amid the low ratings, network executives announced in November that they would implement mass layoffs that would affect hundreds of employees — especially in the manufacturing sector.
Reporters and correspondents will then be asked to pick up their slack, they told Puck News, describing how on-air staff “will be asked to take on more responsibilities that would once have been handled by teams of producers and production assistants .’
“Unnecessary assignments will be eliminated and various divisions will be reduced or even eliminated,” reporter Dylan Byers wrote.
“Some of the on-air talent will likely be affected as well,” he further revealed.
New CEO Mark Thompson (pictured) has planned mass layoffs across the company
The dismal numbers spark an infighting among the network’s stars as they try to figure out who is responsible for CNN’s failure
The architect of the layoffs is new CEO Mark Thompson, a former New York Times boss who was brought in to lead the Warner Bros.-led network. Discovery parent company to review.
He filled the position left by then-languishing leader Chris Licht last August, and since then ratings have dropped more than 20 percent, having already gone from one of the most-watched cable news channels on election nights to one of the most-watched cable news networks on election nights. the least.
Thompson now plans to create new positions to support its digital-first vision, insiders told Byers.
But an old 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.
Stars like Jake Tapper (left) 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
The network had already laid off about 100 employees – or three percent of its workforce – earlier this year.
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.
Screen favorite Chris Wallace also left the network last month, although he insisted he did so on his own terms.
Recently, host Alisyn Camerota, 58, signed off for the last time on Sunday.
She joined the network in 2014 after a 16-year stint at Fox News. She started off hosting a morning show alongside Chris Cuomo before moving to the afternoon show in 2021.
After Warner Bros. Discovery took control of CNN, Camerota found herself in various positions at the network, including as the network’s 11pm host before becoming a political commentator and a fill-in anchor at the network.
During an emotional farewell, Camerota reflected on her remarkable journey with the channel, which she said featured “interviews with presidents, heroes and extraordinary individuals.”
She said experiencing such moments while working for CNN had been the culmination of her lifelong dreams in journalism.
“The journalists at CNN are the very best in their field,” Camerota told viewers as she expressed her deep gratitude for the opportunities and camaraderie she experienced at the network.
“It has been an honor to be in your home over the past decade through some of the biggest stories of our lives.”
Camerota also recognized her viewers, some of whom have credited her work with helping her navigate difficult times, and concluded her message by thanking her colleagues for the laughter, lessons and shared passion for the power of journalism.
“To my dear friends at CNN, thank you for all the laughs we shared, all you taught me about the power of journalism, and for making my time here so very worthwhile.”
DailyMail.com has contacted CNN for comment.