CNN Confirms: 200 To Be Fired, New Digital Push

UPDATE 1:30 PM:   CNN has confirmed it is laying off roughly 200 employees, or about 6% of its workforce, part of a plan Chief Executive Mark Thompson says will shift the cable TV brand’s emphasis toward digital growth and prepare it to launch a streaming service. 

The changes at CNNs are part of the organization’s continuing response “to profound and irreversible shifts in the way audiences in America and around the world consume news,” Thompson wrote in a memo to staff Thursday.

The business environment for cable television has been on a downward path for years, thanks to cord-cutting and a growing distrust of legacy media. CNN averaged 578,000 prime-time viewers in the three months through December, down by 74% from its peak in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to Nielsen data, placing it firmly in third place among the major cable news networks.

Earlier Story...

Warner Bros. Discovery’s CNN plans to lay off hundreds of employees Thursday as it refocuses the business around a global digital audience, according to CNBC citing people familiar with the matter.

The layoffs come as CNN is rearranging its linear TV lineup and building out digital subscription products. The cuts will help CNN lower production costs and consolidate teams, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes.

Certain shows that are produced in New York or Washington may move to Atlanta, where production can be done more cheaply, said the people.

For the most part, the job cuts won’t affect CNN’s most recognizable names, who are under contract, said the people. CNN has about 3,500 employees worldwide.

During a town hall meeting earlier this month, CNN CEO Mark Thompson said the media company has received an investment of “more than $70 million” from Warner Bros. Discovery to help fund the company’s digital operations. Part of that investment will go toward hiring employees in areas where CNN sees potential growth avenues, such as data scientists and product development.

In October, CNN launched a digital paywall, charging heavier users of the site $3.99 per month.

NBC News is also planning cuts later this week, according to people familiar with the matter. While the exact number couldn’t be determined, the job losses will be well under 50, two of the people said.

Both news organizations waited until after the U.S. presidential inauguration to make the cuts. The news media landscape is in transition as fewer people watch linear TV and more consume their news on streaming services and through social media.

TV Ratings: FOX News, ABC News, Football Have Strong Week

During the week of January 13-19, FOX News Channel (FNC) secured the top 102 cable news telecasts for the week.  Additionally, FOX News surpassed ESPN to lead all of cable with primetime viewers. 

In primetime (8-11 PM/ET), FNC earned 3 million viewers and 363,000 in the 25-54 demo, commanding all of cable with viewers. In total day (6AM-6AM/ET), FNC posted 2 million viewers and 236,000 in the 25-54 demo.  Notably, FOX News’ daytime programs including Outnumbered, The Story, America Reports and The Faulkner Focus beat ABC’s The View with viewers. 

CNN and MSNBC both continued their post-Election audience erosion seeing double digit declines across the board compared to the same week last year. 

Additionally, The Five has now surpassed 4 million viewers every week since the Election.

For the week, The Five averaged 4.3 million viewers and 382,000 in the 25-54 demo, leading cable news with viewers. At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier drew 3.3 million viewers and 307,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Ingraham Angle saw 3.1 million viewers and 332,000 in the 25-54 demo at 7 PM/ET. At 8 PM/ET, Jesse Watters Primetime delivered 3.9 million viewers and 437,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 9 PM/ET, Hannity posted 3.2 million viewers and 391,000 with A25-54. At 11 PM/ET, FOX News @ Night secured 1.8 million viewers and 256,000 in the 25-54 demo.

At 10 PM/ET, FNC’s late-night offering Gutfeld! secured 3.3 million viewers and 443,000 with A25-54 making it the top cable news program in the younger demo. Gutfeld! once again topped the broadcast competition including ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1,759,000 P2+; 364,000 A25-54), CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (1,617,000 P2+; 250,000 A25-54) and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (1,052,000 P2+; 259,000 A25-54).

Ratings Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN

FNC also saw a number of its daytime programs outrank the broadcast competition including ABC’s The View. Most notably, Outnumbered (weekdays, 12-1 PM/ET; 2,553,000 P2+), The Story with Martha MacCallum (weekdays, 3 PM/ET; 2,459,000 P2+), America Reports with Sandra Smith and John Roberts (weekdays, 1-3 PM/ET; 2,428,000 P2+) and Harris Faulkner’s The Faulkner Focus (weekdays, 11 AM/ET; 2,416,000 P2+) all led ABC’s The View (2,410,000 P2+) with viewers. Additionally, America’s Newsroom with Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer (weekdays, 9-11 AM/ET; 2,262,000 P2+) and all outpaced NBC’s Today Third Hour (2,067,000 P2+) and CBS Mornings (2,031,000 P2+).

On Saturday: FOX News Live (Saturday 10 AM - 2 PM/ET) was the most-watched show of the day with 1.8 million viewers. One Nation with Brian Kilmeade (Saturday, 9 PM/ET) led in primetime commanding 1.5 million viewers. FOX News Saturday Night with Jimmy Failla (Saturday, 10 PM/ET) commanded 1.3 million viewers and 189,000 in the 25-54 demo.

On Sunday: as FOX News prepared for the inauguration of Donald Trump, it aired many of its weekday programs from Washington D.C and saw its highest cable news share in network history for a Sunday. The Five was the top show of the day with 4.2 million viewers and 543,000 in the 25-54 demo. Special Report commanded 4 million viewers and 523,000 in the 25-54 demo at 6 PM/ET. The Story with Martha MacCallum delivered 2.9 million viewers and 377,000 in the 25-54 demo, its best show since Election Day.

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Week of 1-13-25 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54, P18-49. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name.

22.1M Watched The National College Football Championship

The first year of the expanded College Football Playoff (CFP) saw a 12% drop in viewership for the championship game compared to last year. Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame drew 22.1 million viewers across ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU1. This was significantly lower than the 25 million viewers for last year's Michigan-Washington game. The game faced competition from Inauguration Day coverage and fell on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday

The Buckeyes’ title victory averaged 22.1 million million viewers, ESPN announced Wednesday. That’s the most-watched game of the expanded College Football Playoff, but a decrease from last year’s national championship between Washington and Michigan, which averaged 25.05 million.

The national championship was hours after President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony, but coverage continued throughout the day. That could have played a role in the drop in viewership from 2024. Still, the title game was the most watched sporting event – outside of the NFL – since last year’s championship.

According to The Wrap, the game currently ranks as the most-watched non-NFL sporting event over the past year, and drew the biggest audience of the inaugural 12-team college football playoffs.

The Ohio State-Notre Dame game followed up on the 2025 inauguration of Donald Trump, which brought in an average total viewership of 24.59 million from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET across 15 networks, including in the viewership include ABC, CBS, NBC, Merit Street Media, Telemundo, Univision, CNBC, CNN, CNNe, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation and PBS.

Monday night’s game saw a slightly bigger audience Rose Bowl game between Oregon and Ohio State, which scored 21.1 million viewers. By comparison the delayed Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia drew a viewership of 15.8 million.

On Saturday, the game between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs became ESPN’s most-watched NFL game ever with an average viewership of 32.7 million. The matchup scored the biggest Saturday afternoon kickoff audience in ten seasons since 2016, including all 4:30 p.m. ET kicks across all networks.

Trump Reflects On Return To TWH

President Donald Trump looked back on his historic return to the White House in an interview from the Oval Office, saying his political comeback proves the policies and philosophies of the "radical left" throughout the past four years are "horrible" and "don't work."

Trump sat down with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday for his first sit-down interview since the inauguration. 

The 47th president lamented the Biden administration’s policies, once again targeting inflation, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the onset of the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars. 

In this excerpt from his interview tonight with Sean Hannity, President Trump says that the "funny thing" about President Biden's pardons was that Biden didn't pardon himself.

"(Biden) went around giving everybody pardons.

"And you know the funny thing, maybe the sad thing, is… pic.twitter.com/fZxPJmdnRq

— Paul Villarreal (AKA Vince Manfeld) (@AureliusStoic1) January 22, 2025

Trump added that it will take time, money and effort to fix many of the country’s problems, but he believes they’re all solvable. 

"We can get our country back. But if we didn't win this race, I really believe our country would have been lost forever," he said.

CNN CEO Told Staffers He Wanted Impartial Inauguration Coverage

The day before Donald Trump's Inauguration for a second term in office Mark Thompson, CNN's CEO, held multiple virtual editorial meetings with over 100 journalists, including prominent on-air talents like Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper. 

According to the Status newsletter., he directed them to avoid "pre-judging" President Trump and to steer clear of "expressing any outrage of their own" during coverage of the inauguration. Thompson emphasized focusing on Trump's second-term policies rather than his past legal challenges, including convictions related to the alleged Stormy Daniels "hush money" payment.

Thompson's approach marks a departure from CNN's previous editorial strategy under Jeff Zucker, who led the network to frequently challenge Trump's administration from 2017 to 2021. The shift aligns with CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery’s, directive to adopt a more neutral tone.

CNN’s coverage of Trump’s second inauguration in 2025 recorded 1.135 million total viewers, with a peak of 1.802 million during the Oath of Office. However, Fox News led the ratings, drawing 10.3 million viewers, followed by ABC (4.7 million), NBC (4.4 million), and CBS (4.1 million). Despite the decline in television viewership, CNN’s digital platforms experienced strong engagement, with CNN Max and CNN Digital recording significant activity.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Thompson opened the floor for questions, but no staff members spoke up. This new editorial direction aims to balance rigorous journalism with impartial reporting.

At Home Listening Uptick Continues

Throughout the history of Share of Ear®, Edison Research has tracked the total amount of audio listened to by Americans age 13+. 

While many aspects of listening have changed dramatically, from the platforms consumers are using to the content they listen to, it has consistently held true that the majority of listening takes place in the home.

Historically, it was a small but fairly consistent majority. When the world changed in early 2020, so did audio listening. Suddenly, they're listening to far more audio at home than all other locations (50 minutes more per day, at the peak).

The team at Edison covered this change in real-time, showing the dramatic shift toward at-home listening in the midst of the 2020 pandemic. 

What they couldn’t have predicted at the time is that this trend would continue long past the official lockdowns. In fact, at-home listening did not peak until Q4 2022, two and a half years later. During that year, even as listening in other locations began to slowly rise again, we still listened to over 2 ½ hours of audio at home every day.

Though it was perfectly reasonable to wonder whether the pandemic had permanently supercharged our audio habits, the location differential finally started to show signs of cracking throughout 2023. 

Now, as the dust settles on 2024, what we see in its wake is a return to normalcy in one way: audio consumption.

Karoline Leavitt Is Youngest WH Press Secretary

27-year-old Karoline Leavitt has become the youngest White House press secretary in history. 

Announcing Leavitt as his choice in November, Trump said that he was confident the one-time candidate for Congress - who also served in the White House press office during the first Trump administration - would "excel at the podium and help deliver our message to the American People as we Make America Great Again".

"Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator," Trump said.

A native of New Hampshire, Leavitt studied communications and political science at Saint Anselm College, a Catholic college in her home state.

While still in school, she interned at Fox News and in Trump's White House press office. She told Politico in 2020 that she gained her "first glimpse into the world of press" through these experiences. They led to her decision to pursue a career in press relations, she said.

Leavitt began working for the first Trump White House shortly after graduating in 2019, first as presidential speechwriter and later as assistant press secretary, according to the website for her 2022 run for Congress.

"I helped prepare Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany for high-pressure briefings [and] fought against the biased mainstream media," her website stated.

After leaving the White House, Leavitt served as the communications director for Elise Stefanik, a senior Republican congresswoman whom President-elect Trump has nominated to serve as United Nations ambassador.

Leavitt departed that role to run for Congress, winning the Republican nomination for New Hampshire's first congressional district in 2022, only to lose in the general election to Democrat Chris Pappas.

The policy positions she listed on her campaign website largely align with many of Trump's priorities. On the economy, she pledged to "CUT taxes" and "champion pro-growth, free market policies".

She presented herself as a strong backer of law enforcement and strong borders, including "ZERO tolerance for illegal immigration" and said she would work to ensure the completion of the border wall.

In January 2024, she joined Trump's third bid for the US presidency as his campaign press secretary.

Now, she's been chosen to serve as the youngest White House press secretary in US history. Ron Ziegler was the previous record holder. In 1969, he was appointed to the position by Richard Nixon when he was 29.

Prince Harry Wins Murdoch Apology, Settlement

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, reached a settlement yesterday with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers after accusing the company of unlawful gathering of private information. The decision to settle—which includes NGN's first-ever admission of wrongdoing on behalf of The Sun tabloid—concludes a six-year battle and avoids a lengthy court trial. 

Prince Harry filed the initial lawsuit in 2019 and vowed to take the case to trial to hold British media accountable for their alleged invasive practices, including hacking phones, hiring private detectives, and using deceptive methods. For years, NGN denied the allegations, which included intrusions into the prince's private life from 1996 to 2011. The apology also admitted to unlawful behavior by The Sun toward his late mother, Princess Diana, who died in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi.

Murdoch's NGN has previously averted trials with lucrative payoffs in around 1,300 cases, spending over $1.2B on previous claims.

This was, in essence, what Prince Harry had said he wanted: “Truth and accountability” for the phone hacking scandal that shocked the United Kingdom more than a decade ago.

The wide-ranging scandal centered on private investigators who illegally hacked into the voicemails of news subjects and gathered information for Murdoch’s tabloids.

Cumulus Media Promotes Pete Mundo To VP/NewsTalk

Cumulus Media announces that it has promoted Pete Mundo to Vice President of News/Talk for the company. Mundo will provide content counsel for Cumulus Media’s 43 News/Talk-formatted radio brands across the U.S.

In his new role, Mundo will report to Brian Philips, Chief Content Officer, Cumulus Media. He takes the reins as Vice President of News/Talk from Bill Hess, who has held the position since 2015 and continues as Operations Manager, Cumulus Washington, D.C. and Program Director, WMAL-AM/FM in Washington, D.C.

Pete Mundo

Mundo is based in Kansas City, MO, and will continue as Program Director and On-Air Host, Mornings, KCMO Talk Radio in Kansas City, positions he has held for Cumulus Media since 2018. Mundo previously hosted national shows on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio Network and was an on-air analyst for Sports Illustrated. He holds a BBA degree in Finance and Real Estate from Villanova University.

Brian Philips, Chief Content Officer, Cumulus Media, said: “Pete has risen to stardom quickly with his on-air performance and innovative program architecture in Kansas City. Pete is among our most dynamic leaders, in ANY format. It also matters that Pete is Bill Hess’s hand-chosen successor, as Bill returns to oversight of our News/Talk flagship WMAL, in the nation's capital. Bill has served with distinction in this corporate role, and Cumulus News/Talk is positioned for continued success under Pete’s leadership.”

Pete Mundo commented: "I'm thrilled for the opportunity to join the content leadership team at Cumulus and am grateful for the confidence that the company has shown in me. Learning from Bill Hess in recent years has been a terrific way to make the transition seamless. The News/Talk format is changing rapidly but remains dominant in the audio industry. The format has exceptional upside during this transitional political period, as people continue to seek news and information about their cities, states, and country. I am eager to work with my fellow News/Talk programmers across the nation to make our brands stronger."

Shreveport Radio: Paul Farnham Jr. Named VP/MM For Cumulus

Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed Paul Farnham, Jr. as Vice President/Market Manager for Cumulus Shreveport/Bossier City. A native of Bossier City, the appointment marks a homecoming for Farnham, who joined Cumulus Media in 2003 and held positions of increasing responsibility during his 11-year tenure, including Key Account Manager, Local Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, and Director of Sales for the five-station cluster. Farnham rejoins Cumulus Media from Townsquare Media-Lafayette, where he has been General Sales Manager since 2015.

Paul Farnham Jr

Mark Sullivan, Senior Vice President, Operations, Cumulus Media, said: “I am so pleased to work with Paul again as he returns home to both the market and the company. We’ve enjoyed many successes together and I look forward to many more in the years to come!”

Paul Farnham, Jr. commented: "Returning to Cumulus Shreveport is an incredible opportunity. The properties here are truly outstanding, and I'm excited to build on the remarkable success already established in this vibrant market. Our listeners and advertisers are the heart of our community, and I look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional value and engagement for them. Together, we'll elevate our presence and make a lasting impact."

📻Cumulus Media owns and operates five popular radio stations in Shreveport/Bossier City, including: 99.7 FM/KMJJ-FM (Urban); Q97.3/KQHN-FM (CHR); Lite Rock 100.7/KRMD-AM (Adult Contemporary); KRMD Country 101.1 FM/KRMD-FM (Country); and Magic 102.9/KVMA-FM (Urban AC).

Carr Reinstates Dismissed FCC Complaints

The new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Republican Brendan Carr, will reverse the 11th hour decision by the former Democrat chair to reject three complaints against major media outlets, sources tell Newsmax.

With days left in her term under the Biden administration, Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, last week announced she was dismissing four pending petitions and complaints before the FCC that she believed sought "to curtail freedom of the press."

Three of the petitions related to coverage of the presidential campaign while one was a complaint about Fox News Channel.

Carr, appointed Monday by President Donald Trump, plans to reverse the dismissal of presidential election complaints against ABC, NBC and CBS, but not the one against Fox.

A source told Newsmax that Carr will put the ABC, NBC, and CBS cases back into pending or active status. The move means the complaints against the three networks can be adjudicated on their merits.

The source added that Rosenworcel could have prevented the FCC from reversing course had she acted a few weeks earlier. That could have prevented Carr from overturning his predecessor's decision.

Three of the complaints were filed by the Center of American Rights, a conservative nonprofit. One complaint said ABC News favored Vice President Kamala Harris during the presidential debate, another was about how CBS News' "60 Minutes" edited an interview with Harris, and the third complained about Harris' appearance on "Saturday Night Live" because Trump didn't get equal time.

Radio History: Jan 23

➦In 1941...WOR-AM moved from Newark NJ to NYC.

WOR began broadcasting on February 22, 1922, using a 500-watt transmitter on 360 meters (833 kc.) from Bamberger's Department Store in Newark, NJ. The station's first broadcast was made with a home made microphone which was a megaphone attached to a telephone transmitter, while Al Jolson's "April Showers" was played. Louis Bamberger's sale of radio sets to consumers explained their affiliation with the station.

The WOR call sign was reissued from the U.S. maritime radio service. The station initially operated limited hours, sharing time with two other stations, WDT and WJY, which also operated on 833 kc.

WOR changed frequency to 740 kc. in June 1923 and shared time with WJY until July 1926, when WJY signed off for good and WOR received full use of the frequency. In December 1924, WOR acquired a studio in Manhattan. On June 17, 1927, as a result of General Order 40, WOR moved to 710 kc., the channel it currently occupies (unlike most stations, it was not affected by NARBA).

Later in 1926, WOR moved from its New York City studio on the 9th floor of Chickering Hall at 27 West 57th Street to 1440 Broadway, two blocks from Times Square.

➦In 1954...WNBC 660 AM NYC switched from classical to pop

WNBC signed on for the first time on March 2, 1922, as WEAF, owned by AT&T Western Electric. It was the first radio station in New York City.

The calls are popularly thought to have stood for Western Electric AT&T Fone or Water, Earth, Air, and Fire (the 4 classical elements). However, records suggest that the call letters were assigned from an alphabetical sequence. The first assigned call was actually WDAM; it was quickly dropped, but presumably came from the same alphabetical sequence.

➦In 1969.. in Memphis, Elvis Presley recorded what would be his last #1 song, “Suspicious Minds.” During the 8th take, the producer used a premature fade-out and fade back in near the end of the track. He felt the fade out, fade in reflected the way Elvis performed the song during his Las Vegas acts.

➦In 1969...working at the Apple studios in London, The Beatles (with Billy Preston on keyboards) recorded ten takes of ‘Get Back.’ However, Preston performances were never used. Four days later, 14 more takes of the song were recorded and eventually Take 11 was spliced together with the best take recorded a day later.

➦In 1977... Carole King‘s landmark album, “Tapestry”, became the longest-running album to hit the charts, as it reached its 302nd week on the album lists. In 2020 it remains #5 on the longevity list.

➦In 1978....founder and guitarist Terry Kath of the band Chicago died after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a pistol he didn’t think was loaded. He was a week short of his 32nd birthday.

➦In 1984...In NYC....Country WKHK 106.7 FM in became WLTW "Lite FM".