By Ray Cardello for September 19, 2022 Season 13 / Post 15

CNN was revolutionary when it was turned on by Ted Turner in 1980. It was the television channel to provide 24-hour news coverage and the first all-news television channel in the United States. Initially, CNN was respected as a go-to news source in America and Internationally. It reached its peak market penetration in 2018 when CNN had 90.1 million households with access to its programming. That was 98% of all households with cable access, and you could not find a TV in any American airport that was not airing CNN.

Once called “The Most Trusted Name in News,” the network has turned to a more dramatic interpretation of the facts and has developed a definite liberal bias that peaked during the Trump term and became its demise during the 2020 Election. As the CNN ratings and market share continued to drop, changes were made in content and on-air personalities. The three Prime-time leaders for CNN have all been toppled from their spots in 2022. Chris Cuomo was first to be removed when it came to light his participation in his brother’s Governorship and his resignation before his removal from office. Brian Stelter was next as his ratings fell to embarrassing lows. The one celebrity that they cannot seem to dismiss is Don Lemon. Being Black and gay are two elements that make outright removal impossible. He had been demoted from his Prime-Time slot to a late-night hour, and just this week, he has been further demoted to an early morning slot. It is obvious that the network is trying to get him to resign to save them the trouble they will encounter should they force him out.

CNN Streaming was touted as a brainstorm offshoot of the parent CNN. It was considered a coup of sorts when they signed Chris Wallace away from FOX News. The idea did not last thirty days, a subscription service that attracted very few customers. It costs CNN millions, and the costs may be ongoing as contracts are honored or bought out. This debacle had to have been a total embarrassment for CNN and may have marked the low point in its existence. It has been a revolving door since with the cleaning house of the Prime-Time talent.

We have yet to see what the future is of the slipping network. MSNBC continues to sign new hosts, but how many can be pulled from the ranks of the White House? In the meantime, CNN seems to be taking a slow approach to its restructuring. They can fill the time slots but regaining credibility will be their biggest challenge. Having dropped to the bottom of the rating battle, CNN has a steep hill ahead. They may never return to a respectable position and have no one to blame but themselves. They opted to hitch their wagon to the Left bound train when its true purpose of being the watchman was to keep that train on the straight and narrow. They have all lost their way; if they have to call it a day, they will not be missed. Most think they are gone already.