CNN’s ratings have been stuck in the gutter.
That’s why new management was brought in.
And Anderson Cooper shocked network bosses when he made one statement.
After the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery, new board chairman John Malone fired CNN boss Jeff Zucker in one of his first acts.
Malone replaced Zucker with Chris Licht, and his mandate was to restore some semblance of balance after CNN became the “Orange Man Bad” network.
Licht authorized CNN to host a town hall with Donald Trump – which turned out to be a ratings bonanza for the network.
CNN drew 3.1 million viewers and easily won the night over Fox News and MSNBC.
But liberals were furious that CNN would platform Trump at all, even though he was literally president of the United States and arguably the most recognizable person on the planet.
Trump bulldozed CNN town hall moderator Kaitlan Collins, much to the delight of the Republican primary crowd in New Hampshire.
However, some Democrats called for viewers to boycott CNN, and some people within the network were not terribly averse to the idea, at least on the surface.
Host Anderson Cooper said, “Many of you have expressed deep anger and disappointment. Many of you are upset that someone who attempted to destroy our democracy was invited to sit on a stage in front of a crowd of Republican voters to answer questions, and predictably, continued to spew lie after lie after lie…I get it. It was disturbing. It was disturbing to see and hear that person refer to a black law enforcement officer as a thug, an adjective he used many times to describe black men and called Kaitlan Collins, the moderator nasty, which is what he calls any woman who stands up to him…You have every right to be outraged today and angry and never watch this network again.”
It is utterly stunning that a network host would invite his audience to watch a different channel.
Network host Jake Tapper made similar remarks criticizing the decision to have Trump on the network.
Either CNN is undergoing a full-blown mutiny, or the network is attempting to give itself some cover by letting hosts wag their finger in disdain for having Trump on the channel.
CNN desperately needs the ratings, so they have to take all the drama they can get.
Nevertheless, planting the idea that viewers should go elsewhere is mind-blowing.
Cooper added, “But do you think staying in your silo and only listening to people you agree with is going to make that person go away? If we all only listen to those we agree with, it may actually do the opposite. If lies are allowed to go unchecked as imperfect as our ability to check them is on a stage in real-time, those lies continue, and those lies spread. If you’re angry or upset, I understand, but you have the power to do something about it. You can actually get involved.”
This is why the Democrats need Trump.
They have to have a boogeyman to roust voters and scare up donations.