CNN has re-branded itself in the months following the 2016 election. Under Obama, the network acted like palace guards, promoting the president’s agenda and attacking those who stood in the way. Under Trump, they have become a one stop shop for Trump Derangement Syndrome. Now it’s starting to affect their bottom line.
Vanity Fair reports:
CNN, DESPITE TRUMP BUMP, PREPARES FOR DOZENS OF LAYOFFS
Besides the occasional Twitter-issued invective from the president and the errant journalism scandal, CNN has seemed largely indomitable during the last couple of years. Since taking over the flagging network in 2013, President Jeff Zucker has championed original documentary programming, enhanced the brand’s journalistic efforts, and moved away from some of the more promiscuous tactics of cable news that defined his early tenure—such as the occasionally breathless coverage of a tragically marooned cruise ship. He’s adroitly leveraged the daily rapture of the Donald Trump White House into the network’s highest revenues and ratings in its history…
But despite the so-called Trump Bump, CNN appears to be re-thinking at least some elements of its digital strategy. I’ve learned that CNN, a key property in AT&T’s planned takeover of CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, is targeting big savings on the digital side, with as many as 50 jobs around the globe scheduled to be eliminated this week, according to people familiar with the matter, who noted the exact number could still be in flux.
The network has become nearly unwatchable for anyone who isn’t on the far left, so this isn’t very surprising.
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