CNN Chief Jeff Zucker: News
Network 'Had a Really Good Year'
by William Bigelow 26 Dec 2013,
2:07 PM PDT
Jeff Zucker, CNN Worldwide chief, wrote a memo to
his employees insisting that “We have had a really good year.”
It may be a CYA maneuver, but his
rose-colored description of CNN’s status is nothing close to reality.
Here’s Zucker in his ivory-tower
obliviousness:
In 2013, CNN was recognized with
three news Emmys, and two first-time Emmys for Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown,
as well as a Peabody Award for our coverage in Syria … And heading into 2014, CNN
Films is on the short list for an Academy Award in the Documentary category for
Blackfish. In our first year of even having a film division!
Zucker did not mention of course,
CNN’s new morning program, or Crossfire, both of which are tanking. And of
course, there’s the elephant in the room: CNN is getting killed in the ratings
by Fox. Even Mediaite admitted:
Of course, while CNN and MSNBC
battled for #2, Fox News maintained its dominance, holding the #1 spot in the
25-54 demo and total viewers for the 12th consecutive year. In total viewers,
Fox beat CNN and MSNBC combined. And it appears that Fox’s new prime-time
line-up, which launched at the beginning of October, has only improved things
for the network … There’s no denying it: When it comes to cable news in America, no one
can touch Fox News.
But Zucker, who was responsible
for the Jay Leno debacle when he ran NBC, has an agenda to follow, and no
amount of hard facts will deter him. Here’s more from the starry-eyed optimist:
Competitively speaking, there is
much to be proud of. CNN moved from
the third-most-watched cable news network in 2012 to second in 2012.
Mediaite begs to differ as to the
importance of CNN’s triumph over MSNBC for also-ran status:
… it’s hard for CNN to spin their
numbers into a victory over MSNBC. While it’s true that MSNBC saw the biggest
drops in viewership compared to 2012, they still beat CNN where it counts in
prime time.
Zucker concluded his memo by
writing, “We have had a really good year. And we have so much more to do. That
is what excites me the most … I can’t wait to see what 2014 brings us.”
Stockholders in CNN may be more in
the mood to wait to see what new outfit the Emperor chooses to don before they
get too excited.
CNN Worldwide
Jeff
Zucker is the president of CNN
Worldwide, and a director at the Robin
Hood Foundation.
Note: CNN Worldwide
is a division of CNN.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Robin Hood Foundation, the Aspen
Institute (think tank), the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think tank), and the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George
Soros is the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society, and a board member for the International Crisis Group.
Walter
Isaacson is the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and was the chairman & CEO for CNN.
Ted
Turner is the founder of CNN,
and a co-chairman for the Nuclear Threat
Initiative (think tank).
Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think tank) was a funder for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank).
Igor
S. Ivanov is a director at the Nuclear
Threat Initiative (think tank), and a board member for the International Crisis Group.
Jessica Tuchman Mathews is a board
member for the International Crisis
Group, a director at the Nuclear
Threat Initiative (think tank), the president of the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace (think tank), a director at the American Friends of
Bilderberg (think tank), was an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference
participant (think tank).
Ed Griffin’s interview with
Norman Dodd in 1982
(The investigation into the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace uncovered the plans for population
control by involving the United
States in war)
No comments:
Post a Comment