The viewer plunge at CNN, which just recorded its lowest ratings in 20 years, is presenting a “challenge” to the Cable News Network to fight back against scrappier and more provocative cable networks, according to network anchor John King.
In a revealing moment at the annual Cable Show, this year in Boston, C-SPAN’s Steve Scully, hosting a media panel, asked King: “Who’s your audience John King, who’s watching CNN?” King, to laughter, fessed, “Well, fewer people at the moment, which is part of our challenge. And you can laugh all you want. It’s a challenge.”
The admission by King, who hosts the daily John King, USA, came as he and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews wrestled over the tone and opinions on cable TV, which seems to be benefitting CNN’s competitors. King even said, “We have a challenge to make those conversations (on the news shows) more provocative.”
Matthews argued that seasoned opinion journalism is proper while King said CNN is trying to “be in the middle and have all sides.” He then said that Matthews and MSNBC are “left, and far left,” prompting Matthews to say, “that is not true.” King responded, “how is it not true?” It ended up with King taking a shot at “advocacy” journalism versus CNN’s “more objective style,” though he conceded that MSNBC’s is a good business model.
In the video above, the conversation begins at 1:07:00.
