CNN to focus on actual news, back away from liberal advocacy, limit personalities opinions

[Melensdad]

When new boss Chris Licht took over at CNN one of the first announcements he made was that the network would focus on reporting. That was a month or more ago. Today we see another announcement that his intent is still in the works. It will be interesting to see if CNN can return to being a news station rather than a leftist icon that literally spreads Democratic Party propaganda.

It will take a lot of work to earn the trust of views again. Personally I wish them luck and hope they can do it.

CNN evaluating partisan talent as part of push to make coverage more neutral

The network's new boss, Chris Licht, could oust individual CNN contributors who don't embrace the new approach, sources say.

www.axios.com

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Scoop: CNN evaluating partisan talent​

Sara Fischer​

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images​

CNN's new boss Chris Licht is evaluating whether personalities and programming that grew polarizing during the Trump era can adapt to the network's new priority to be less partisan.​

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Why it matters: If talent cannot adjust to a less partisan tone and strategy, they could be ousted, three sources familiar with the matter tell Axios.​

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Details: Licht wants to give personalities that may appear polarizing a chance to prove they're willing to uphold the network's values so that they don't tarnish CNN's journalism brand.​

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• For on-air talent, that includes engaging in respectful interviews that don't feel like PR stunts. For producers and bookers, that includes making programming decisions that are focused on nuance, not noise.

Between the lines: CNN's tone became more partisan and combative during the Trump era and under the leadership of former CNN president Jeff Zucker. ​

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• Some on-air personalities, like Jim Acosta and Brian Stelter, have become the face of the network's liberal shift to conservative critics.

Be smart: Licht doesn't want to necessarily shy away from personality programming, especially in prime time, but he wants to ensure that partisan voices don't dominate in a way that harms CNN, a source notes. ​

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• Licht took the helm at CNN last month, shortly after longtime CNN president Jeff Zucker exited the network in scandal.
• His priorities are widely seen as aligned with the leadership of CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery.
• CNN did not comment.

Catch up quick: Licht and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav haven't been shy about their goal of dialing back on partisan and alarmist programming in favor of traditional journalism.​

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• Last week, Licht told employees in a memo that the network has added a "Breaking News” guideline to its stylebook, to address overuse of the breaking news banner across its network and cable news writ large.
• Licht said he agrees with complaints from "people both inside and outside the organization" that the network overuses the "Breaking News" banner.
• “We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers,” he said in the note obtained by Axios.

The big picture: Zaslav and mentor and investor John Malone have been public about their push to pull CNN away from progressive commentary.​

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• "I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with, and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing,” Malone told CNBC last year.

 

[Lenny]

I wonder if they want is to drop our guard and then start lying to us again during the next election cycle.

 

[Melensdad]

I wonder if they want is to drop our guard and then start lying to us again during the next election cycle.

I think they are the bottom ranked network in terms of viewers and need to do something to get viewers.

I think the old chief left because of hypocritical scandals.

Investors want a return on their capital not continued revenue drops.

They literally need to try something new. MSNBC moved to the far extreme left and took the radical viewers with them. CNN moved to left but wasn't leftists enough to compete with MSNBC. But by moving to the left, they lost the great middle of the nation, which is center-right. To survive long term they have to change.

Does that mean they won't retain a leftist lean? No. But they will probably move to the center and fight FOX News for a share of the middle, with FOX on the right. CNN close to the middle and MSNBC on the left. BUT TIME WILL TELL.

 

[Melensdad]

Looks like the NY Times, with all its past but currently tainted glory, is pontificating on the reformation of CNN's tarnished image.

See the NY Times for the full story, here is a small portion below:

CNN Enters the Post-Jeff Zucker Era. Bye-Bye ‘Breaking News’ Banners.

Chris Licht, the new CNN chairman, is encouraging a more nuanced approach to coverage. Some at the network are skeptical.

www.nytimes.com

CNN Enters the Post-Jeff Zucker Era. Bye-Bye ‘Breaking News’ Banners.​

Chris Licht, the new CNN chairman, is encouraging a more nuanced approach to coverage. Some at the network are skeptical.​

June 5, 2022​

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CNN’s ubiquitous “Breaking News” banner is gone, now reserved for instances of truly urgent events. Snarky on-screen captions — “Angry Trump Turns Briefing Into Propaganda Session,” for instance — are discouraged. Political shows are trying to book more conservative voices, and producers have been urged to ignore Twitter backlash from the far right and the far left.​

. . .​

Running a network is a new challenge for Mr. Licht. . . in April, the network’s new owners, Warner Bros. Discovery, shut down the streaming platform CNN+ weeks after its $300 million debut. On the same day, Mr. Licht announced the prospect of hundreds of layoffs in his first formal address to staff.​

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Under Mr. Zucker, a micromanager who dictated headlines and whispered in anchors’ ears during interviews, the network developed an “Audience of One” culture. “What Jeff Wants” was the mantra, and that often meant spectacle and drama. Mr. Licht is now tearing up that playbook with a management style notably different from his predecessor.​

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“I’m not here to get into the weeds of day-to-day editorial decision making,” Mr. Licht told employees on his first day. His more hands-off approach to coverage, and his sweeping pronouncements that CNN will “challenge the traditional philosophy of cable news,” have left his skeptics wishing for more specific direction from the top, not less.​

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Mr. Licht’s early moves, and the mood inside the network, were described by several people with knowledge of the internal dynamics at CNN who would speak only on the condition on anonymity.​

Mr. Licht is aware of the criticism. “I am going to make decisions slower than some would like,” he wrote in a newsroom-wide memo on Thursday. . . .​

 

[echo]

Now the immigrants will do the voting.

More of the same crap.

 

[FrancSevin]

Should not this be posted in the "Humor and Jokes" section?

 

[Melensdad]

Should not this be posted in the "Humor and Jokes" section?

Only time will tell.

But let's hope not.

CNN and MSNBC are currently "enemy" networks.

It would be nice if CNN moved into 'neutral territory' or maybe just moved a few steps closer to that. FOX has been moving left lately so if CNN moves farther to the right of MSNBC toward the middle ground we will have fewer shrill voices fighting us.

 

[Melensdad]

And now CNN announces a "departure" of their 'talent' leader. Talent being their term for their 'personalities' who host shows. And those have been left wingers for the most part over the past 20 years. There has been serious talk about cutting back on the opinions and getting back to reporting actual news.

This might be a good sign that CNN is slowly transforming to an actual news outlet. CNN has been, at least since the Obama era, an 'advocacy' channel that simply mimics talking points of the Democratic party. Any move toward the political "center" would be welcome, as it would decrease bias and increase actual factual reporting. Still looking at this with the eye of a skeptic but certainly hopeful that it might happen.


From Variety, full article at link: https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/rebecca-kutler-cnn-departure-1235296153/

Key CNN Talent Executive, Will Depart​

Brian SteinbergJun 16, 2022 6:49am PT​

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Morgan Ramberg for Varietynone​

Rebecca Kutler, a longtime CNN talent and development executive who had had a hand in the success of anchors and contributors including Abby Phillip and Van Jones, is leaving the news outlet, a move that is said to be raising eyebrows among some of the Warner Bros. Discovery outlet’s team of journalists.​

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Kutler had most recently been senior vice president and head of programming for CNN+, the much-promoted streaming video hub that was scuttled by CNN’s new corporate parent quickly after the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia. But her influence at CNN spans well beyond a new streaming effort. She also oversees all analysts, contributors and commentators for CNN. . . ​

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Her departure was announced at a morning editorial meeting on Thursday. . .​

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Her exit is just the latest in a short line of senior CNN staffers who have left in recent weeks. Andrew Morse, who was overseeing the launch of CNN+, announced he would leave when CNN”s parent scuttled the site. Meredith Artley, editor in chief of CNN Digital, who had been with the company for more than a decade, announced in late May that she had chosen to depart. Alex MacCallum, who had been named interim chief of CNN’s digital operations, is leaving on June 30. And Robyn Peterson, CNN Digital’s chief technology officer, is also leaving.​

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With new CNN CEO Chris Licht running operations, Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to scale back some of the excesses that developed at CNN during the leadership of Jeff Zucker. . . ​

 

[pirate_girl]

It would be a miracle if the long ago most trusted name in news, did a complete turnaround.
Long gone are the days of 24 hr trusted reporting with the likes of Lynne Russell and Bobbie Battista.

 

[Melensdad]

I believe the new boss, Chris Licht, hopes to get CNN back to the news reporting with very minimal personalities. At least that is what I am reading in various articles from various sources.

The fact is that he has been in power for almost 2 months and there are minimal visible changes on the network. I would have thought there would have been a bit more impact a bit quicker. So I am VERY SKEPTICAL that he wall actually make real changes. But that said, the departure of the Ms Kutler, who was critical to the development of the personality shows, offers us all a ray of sunshine that perhaps there are some serious reforms happening that we simply don't see.

 

[Melensdad]

Looks like at least 1 hyper-partisan CNN personality may be on the chopping block. And low ratings are certainly not helping him.


FULL STORY at Breitbart, but this gives you the gist of it, follow the link for more:

Report: Brian Stelter to Exit CNN in 'Weeks if Not Days'

CNN's Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter will reportedly be fired at CNN within "weeks if not days" amid the network's new management.

www.breitbart.com

CNN’s Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter will reportedly be fired at CNN within “weeks if not days” amid the network’s management shakeup.

CNN’s new chief Chris Licht “is ready to boot on-air personalities who have destroyed the brand by becoming irredeemable partisan hacks,” which means Brian Stelter is reportedly on the hot seat after the fresh rebranding tactics have been put forward, Breitbart News reported.

CNN’s new management suggested the network’s employees need to distance themselves from Democrat talking points and slogans in “hopes to rein in partisanship” to increase ratings and revenue, Vanity Fair reported Thursday. . .