How to Fix CNN

[TMC1982]

By: Michael Calderone

The future of CNN, never exactly bright the past couple of years, suddenly
looked dire this week when ratings came out showing a 40 percent decline in
prime-time viewers since 2009.

Jon Klein, the network's president, has consistently defended its
down-the-middle news strategy, despite the increasingly large ratings leads
opened up by MSNBC and particularly Fox, with their ideological slants and big
personalities.

So is it time for a radical rethinking of “the most trusted name in news,” the
network of Larry King, Anderson Cooper, Campbell Brown and Wolf Blitzer? We
asked a dozen or so prominent media watchers, former industry executives and
CNN personalities for their recommendations.

Their near consensus: It has to change, get more personality, no longer be —
as one media critic called it — “the view from nowhere.” Exactly how to do
that was not so easy to agree on — and one person we asked, Phil Donahue,
doesn’t think the network needs to change at all. But the responses from
everyone else broke down into five different approaches.

1) Bring back “Crossfire”

2) Forget neutral — create a new identity

3) Bring in big personalities

4) Jazz up the broadcast

5) Mix it up ...

6) But don’t screw it up

 

[vurbano]

Best way to fix CNN is to turn it off.

 

[goaliebob99]

Best way to fix CNN is to turn it off.

Same goes for FOX NEWS! :up:up

 

[SamCdbs]

CNN decided to be just another echo of the condecending liberal elite back when it started. It has maintained that stance.

It got out foxed (no pun intended) by FNC which delivers coverage that millions of people consider "fair and ballanced" (your opinions on FNC, if you do not, are not relevant, anymore than your opinions on some sitcom that millions watch and you dislike are to a discussion about its ratings). Millions feel that the "media" is biased, and FNC is one alternative. CNN, with a 12 year head start, could not see that, or did not care, and blew its shot at being an effective voice.

Then you have MSNBC. It takes out CNN's other flank. Are its political views any different? No, it is just honest about what it thinks, and gives up pretense of being unbiased. Just political commentary that is only thinly veiled as news, on a continious basis. It just plays to the millions of people who, as Reagan said, are not so much ignorant as that they know so much that is not true.

Leaving CNN in the middle. Not "middle" as in moderate, but middle as in out-flanked.

 

[MikeD-C05]

For REAL news I tune to the networks. For unbiased news I tune to CNN. If I want the right slant -Fox, for the left slant- MSNBC. IF Cnn changes its middle of the road view, there will be no cable news channel left that isn't slanted one way or another.

But CNN could change it's format & shorten their news shows to one hour , instead of 3 hours of Wolf Blitzer and the situation room. As for Rick's List, I am really ambivalent . I am not a real fan of all that twitter crap.

I still remember when I was a kid before the 90s and Rush Windbag started. There was the "fairness doctrine" that was enforced. If one side was on the news , the other side was there to represent itself. The viewer then decided who they believed. They weren't Told what to believe by political talking heads hosting a show. I also remember that the country wasn't so divided and in red vs blue state mode. Maybe that is what we need again.

 

[NightRyder]

There is no TV news that isn't slanted, its all tinged with entertainment now. The networks are as biased as any other source, that's the last place I look for news these days. CNN is MSNBC light, they missed the boat, time for them to slip into history.

NightRyder

 

[yaz96]

CNN decided to be just another echo of the condecending liberal elite back when it started. It has maintained that stance.

:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo

 

[satjay]

I guess I am in the minority, I enjoy CNN. MSNBC is way to left and FOX to the right. I think CNN has a middle of the road approach without obnoxious people screaming and yelling at the TV

 

[meStevo]

When I watch CNN it feels like I'm watching the news, rather than having it digested and given to me to serve some kind of means or agenda.

By generally sticking to CNN and local news, I get to avoid the bickering and SNAFUs like this

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9KjQUSZXqE"]YouTube- MSNBCs Rachel Maddow - FOX News, GOP further 'the un-mooring of politics from fact'[/ame]

The only way to get 'fair and balanced' coverage for the average person is to watch both msnbc and fox, not one or the other.

 

[Lkr]

I watch CNN occasionally, but not often. Much better than Faux News, I'll give it that much. I watch national news on the major networks for the most part

 

[mike123abc]

I really never watch any of the news channels unless something big happens. If I want news I usually read the WSJ online, it is faster, fairly neutral and fact based. I can read it in 10 seconds and not have to watch endless droning on when they try to stretch a 30 second story of facts into an hour long segment.

What do you see?

Can you see anything now?

Has anything changed?

What just walked by?

The endless useless questions that they ask the reporters on the scene to try to come up with something to say to fill up the air time.

CNN (which I have not watched enough in the last few years to even know if they are neutral or not) being neutral will fail. People that have the patience to sit through these long breaking news stories want to have at least some entertainment. Something they can agree with on an emotional level right or left.