Staff Reports
Former CNN host Don Lemon’s downward spiral hit new lows as his morning show ratings plummeted at the start of the year. Lemon, who had boastfully left his prime-time TV slot for what he claimed was a “promotion,” struggled to attract viewers to his new morning show, CNN This Morning.
CNN in a death spiral. Their distasteful propaganda ruined the brand. Like Bud Lite – there will be no recovery. A sacrifice to wokeness and trump derangement. RIP
2023 Review: CNN’s sour ratings and Lemon drop to shuttering Atlanta headquarters https://t.co/9XIkwzAkpO
— Steve A (@SteveV35B) December 28, 2023
In February, Lemon took aim at GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, making disparaging comments about her age and suggested that she was “past her prime.” The backlash was swift and unforgiving, leading to Lemon being benched and required to undergo “formal training.” Despite offering a half-hearted apology and vowing to “do better,” Lemon was ultimately given the boot by CNN in April.
To add insult to injury, CNN CEO Chris Licht was also shown the door after just over a year in the role, marking another failure in the network’s leadership. Lemon’s former morning show co-host, Kaitlan Collins, however, seemed to have dodged the sinking ship, landing a prime-time slot with her new show, The Source.
The network’s much-anticipated new programming, including King Charles featuring Gayle King and former NBA star Charles Barkley, landed with a thud, delivering CNN’s lowest prime-time debut in a decade. The network shake-ups did little to help CNN regain its footing against its competitors, Fox News and MSNBC.
Despite modest improvements in total prime-time viewership and the key 25-54 demographic, it was nothing to write home about. CNN still found itself lagging behind in the rankings, sitting at No. 8 in total prime-time viewers and No. 10 in the prime-time key demographic, a far cry from its glory days. Meanwhile, Fox News continued to maintain its dominance as the top-rated cable news network, reinforcing CNN’s status as second fiddle.
To make matters worse, CNN had to bid farewell to its original headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, after selling the CNN Center in a cost-cutting move. It’s a fitting metaphor for the network’s decline, as it relocated its operations to Warner Bros. Discovery’s Techwood Turner Broadcasting campus, a sad reminder of its fall from grace.
Lemon’s ego and CNN’s missteps proved to be a lethal combination, and as the dust settled, it was clear that the network’s struggles were far from over. With a long road ahead and no end in sight to its woes, one can’t help but wonder if CNN will ever reclaim its former glory.
