Looming Layoffs Sapping Morale At CNN

Since the election, CNN has seen a 45 percent drop in prime-time viewership, down to only 394,000 total viewers. Overall, this year CNN has had its worst-ever performance among viewers in the key demographic, reports The Washington Post.

In some ways, it’s unfair to pick on one particular network. Television viewership is down across the board, as viewers unsubscribe from pricey cable packages and opt either for cheaper streaming packages or free content on YouTube or social media platforms.

MSNBC has also lost a large chunk of a viewership that was likely disappointed by the election results. It started with a larger audience, and it still trails CNN among the 25-to-54 age demographic valued by advertisers across the daily lineup.

A CNN executive, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly, said it’s wrong to compare the network’s audience to that of Fox News and MSNBC, which are more ideologically oriented. The better comparison, this person said, is to the BBC, which similarly has a large global newsgathering operation and a worldwide audience.

Ratings do matter, though. A larger audience nets CNN more money from advertisers and makes the channel a more desirable option for cable companies when deciding how much they are willing to pay to include it in their lineup.

“Ratings control everything,” said a former senior producer who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly. “It controls the money, it controls the influence, and it’s a huge morale issue. You can worry about the future all you want, but right now TV is where the money is and where the reputation is.”

Also sapping morale is the specter of layoffs on the horizon. CNN laid off hundreds of employees at the end of 2022 and, officially, the network has declined to address speculation that more cuts await.

“Everyone is concerned, but there is no clear indication when or how significant layoffs will be, or even if they are coming at all,” said a senior producer who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment. “Everyone’s on edge,” the CNN political journalist said.