CNN's Ratings are an Unfixable Disaster

Well, CNN spent most of its summer falling hard into the cement. Nielsen data shows that CNN failed to reach 1 million viewers on 53 out of the last 92 days. CNN recorded an average of 603,000 in total day viewership, a 42% decrease from 2020.

In primetime, CNN has collapsed. CNN's primetime lineup drew 1 million viewers on just 12 of the same 92 days. For those who don't know -- and based on the numbers, that's many of you -- Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo, and Don Lemon are CNN's primetime hosts. So not exactly an intriguing or ethical group of guys. Compared to the summer of 2020, the Cooper-Cuomo-Lemon trio lost 50% of its viewership. How horrific.

CNN's tank-job began the moment Donald Trump left office. Like most trends in TV news, Trump is the explanation for CNN's fall.

Trump made Fox News and MSNBC more of what they already were, but CNN reinvented itself during Trump's presidency. CNN started over in 2016.

From the start of Trump-Clinton to Trump's exit from Washington, CNN focused almost entirely on bringing Trump down. One could argue, CNN did that well, at least to those who enjoy that type of pandering. And many do. I see them on Twitter.

While Fox News and MSNBC miss Trump and the topics he generated, neither network is soulless in his absence. MSNBC is still the whiskey to the mainstream media's coverage, mirroring their talking points more animatedly. Fox News is the alternative to ABC, NBC, CBS, the New York Times, and social media. Meanwhile, CNN is lost without an identity.

Who is CNN right now? Their hosts and executives haven't told us -- they don't know. For the first quarter of Biden's reign, CNN focused its attention on Tucker Carlson. Carlson is the biggest star in cable news, by a lot. However, he's not a politician -- his impact is minimal compared to elected officials. So, of course, CNN's Tucker-focused programming failed quickly and badly.

CNN will always receive a ratings spike during breaking news periods. Casual news viewers who don't pay attention instinctively turn to CNN during tragedies. In their minds, they think CNN is the CNN of old, a more middle-of-the-road presentation than its competitors. But even that inaccurate reputation is starting to wane. For example, CNN did not receive the lasting boost it expected during the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. Either CNN's viewers were not into that story, or its hosts did a poor job spinning it in a direction that their viewers liked. 

Moreover, CNN doesn't have an individual who draws an audience to the network, a necessity in 2021 due to the growing number of digital alternatives. Viewers don't leave one channel on throughout the day at the rate they once did. Instead, they tune in for specific hosts and leave when they sign off. I explained this in detail regarding Rachel Maddow. One million additional viewers turn to MSNBC when Maddow's show airs. Then around 900,000 change the channel after her show ends. Those viewers tune in for Maddow, not MSNBC.

CNN does not have a Rachel Maddow, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Greg Gutfeld, or even a Joe Scarborough. So though Jake Tapper, Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon, and Anderson Cooper are big names, few viewers see a story and wonder what Don Lemon has to say about it. It wouldn't be anything of substance, anyway. He's a creep.

Along with lacking individual draws and an identity, CNN begins every day behind. And on most mornings, really behind. CNN's morning show sucks. It is bad. No one watches it. Despite its sixth relaunch attempt, New Day averaged 438,000 viewers and 90,000 in the coveted 25-54 demo in August. That's putrid. Brianna Keilar is not the answer in the morning. In fact, she's not the answer anywhere. Thus, when a network places her on a show that's already ill, it sees numbers like that.

Should CNN receive a boost this month as summer ends and more viewers relocate to their couches, it won't be a notable one. CNN's problems are not fixable in a month. In some ways, they are not fixable at all. CNN needs Donald Trump to save them. Or another boogeyman they can call fat, racist, and white. 

Until then, expect CNN to limp into 2024 with an average viewership of well under 1 million.