Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media 2022
35. Shimon Prokupecz
The heartbreak of the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas was compounded by what we learned about the egregious failures by law enforcement to confront the gunman. CNN correspondent Shimon Prokupecz has been a driving force at uncovering the truth about this tragic story. Prokupecz has spent countless hours on the ground in Uvalde, bringing both his skills as an investigative journalist and his empathy when he has interviewed the grieving families. He’s covered everything from the shocking footage from the police body cameras, confronted the school district’s police chief and the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, and was threatened with trespass by the school district over his reporting. He’s broken numerous stories amid his Uvalde coverage, including the Uvalde school district hiring — and then firing — one of the state troopers who was being investigated for failures during the shooting. When CNN announced in November that Prokupecz was being promoted to the network’s senior crime and justice correspondent, it was obvious why. He earned it in 2022.
34. Harris Faulkner
There are only a handful of hosts on cable news who host multiple shows every weekday. And of that select group, even fewer are no. 1 in their slot for those hours. That small club includes Harris Faulkner. The Fox News anchor had another big year in the Nielsens, as The Faulkner Focus and Outnumbered — which she co-hosts — led the ratings in the 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. ET weekday cable slots respectively. In the latter role, she often sets up her cohorts to shine. But as solo host of The Faulkner Focus, she shows she can be the star too. Faulkner cut through the noise this year with some surprising takes — including her praising Biden White House comms director Kate Bedingfield, and her refusal to pile on staffers of Stephen Colbert’s show after they got arrested on Capitol Hill. And if finishing no. 1 in the ratings for two separate shows isn’t enough to make Faulkner a media influencer, Faulkner broke through in the book world as well, penning a New York Times bestseller.
33. Ari Melber
Ari Melber kicked off the year with a heckuva headline-grabbing moment in his explosive Jan. 4 interview with Peter Navarro, in which he grilled the former Trump White House economic adviser about the plans to challenge the results of the 2020 election. “Do you realize you are describing a coup?” Melber bluntly asked at one point. Navarro shockingly agreed to a second appearance on The Beat later that month, and Melber threw down with him again, and then again in February as the MSNBC host brought the receipts challenging Navarro’s claim of “privilege” to avoid testifying before the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. The wild footage from Melber’s interviews was cited by the Jan. 6 committee as evidence of Navarro’s complicity in the plot to overturn the election. Other notable Melber segments include a montage of clips to illustrate hypocrisy from Trump’s defenders regarding the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, a memorable clash with CPAC head Matt Schlapp, and yet another Navarro interview in which Melber bluntly pointed out, “You do realize these investigators can hear you when you talk on TV?” The fact that Melber is regularly MSNBC’s top rated host, both in terms of total viewers and in the advertiser-beloved 25-54 demo, is just icing on the cake.
32. Bill Maher
In 2021, Bill Maher became the king of Saturday Twitter, and that continued in 2022, with his name routinely trending for hours and clips from Real Time showing up not just all over social media, but across most news websites. The power of his show to influence opinion is still massive, and his uncanny knack for zeroing in on buzzy topics before they break big always has him in front. The powerhouse guests, the polarizing topics, and Maher’s often contrarian takes on “culture war” issues are guaranteed to generate ire as much as interest, and it’s a toss-up which side of the aisle will be irked each week. He cheered the Democrat wins in November — a week after explaining they’d lose big because they’re too far left. He praised Ron DeSantis’s political savvy on education issues — after trashing Ron DeSantis demagoguing on education. But while that may sound bipolar, much of his audience sees that willingness to call things what they are, as allegiance to truth rather than politics. His is a rare voice, love it or hate it, and one that continues to make a difference on issues Americans care about.
31. Ari Emanuel and Jay Sures
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In an industry where talent reigns supreme, often overpowering the wills of hapless executives, agents serve as generals of an army of correspondents, high profile reporters, anchors and show hosts seeking to muscle their way into the best time slots and the biggest contracts. Two super agents, more than anyone, run the news media industry: Ari Emanuel, the famed CEO of Endeavor, and Jay Sures, the vice chairman of UTA. Ari is responsible for this year’s biggest deals in cable news, including Morning Joe’s remarkable expansion and the potential for huge bucks for its married co-hosts when their next contract is up. Even more stunning was Rachel Maddow’s reported $30 million annual deal which allowed her to give up her five day a week gig and instead only host once a week. But in terms of number of clients and sheer influence in the news industry, there is probably no agent who rivals Sures over at UTA. Jay’s client list covers a huge swath of the news industry. In addition to counting the likes of Norah O’Donnell, Bret Baier, and David Muir as clients, he reps almost every major player at CNN — meaning it’s likely Chris Licht has to check in with Jay more often than his own CNN deputies… or even bosses.
30. Stephen A. Smith
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Sports media produces thousands of takes daily, but sometimes it seems like Stephen A. Smith’s First Take is the only one that matters. Smith has long been a sports media giant, but in 2022, he spread his wings and became a player on the cable news scene as well — making frequent stops on Fox News and NewsNation, among other outlets. He’s the rare guest on Hannity who has the ability to challenge the host in his own house. But Smith is now building a house of his own in the broader talk space, with the launch of a new podcast that seems likely to be a smash. But even as Smith spent so much of the year focused on side projects, his primary endeavor flourished as well. Smith’s addition of famed sports talk radio host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo to the First Take ensemble has proved to be a smashing success — as the two produce debate fireworks on a weekly basis. First Take posted its highest monthly ratings in three years in October — which hardly seems a surprise. ESPN viewers just can’t get enough of him and now the news world is getting a taste of what has made Smith’s takes so influential.
29. Laura Ingraham
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It was another year of ratings dominance for the Fox News 10 p.m. stalwart. And she did it with a formula that differed slightly, but crucially, from her Fox News prime time colleagues. Where Hannity and Carlson’s takes set what the country now considers GOP orthodoxy, Ingraham charts a more iconoclastic path. She is clearly grappling with where to cast her lot in the Republican Party right now, and trying to convince her teammates to reflect on their positions as well. Time and again in 2022, she did what is considered heresy in much of the rest of the Fox News opinion lineup: She spoke about Trump with something less than glowing praise. Her scathing critique of the Republican party after Herschel Walker’s defeat ranks as one of the most memorable cable news rants of the year and is likely to resonate. Trump is reportedly worried that Ingraham will flip on him. And that puts Ingraham in a very powerful position. Right now, Ingraham feels like a weather vane that will indicate where many Republicans will go in 2024.
28. Chris Wallace
Chris Wallace remained in the top 30 on our list this year, which is no small feat given how his 2022 started. After ostentatiously departing Fox News to become the high-priced tentpole for CNN’s new streaming platform CNN+, that entire enterprise imploded faster than you can say “Scaramucci.” The veteran journalist remained a sage presence in CNN’s political coverage, however, and the re-launch of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace has become a ratings success, as well as an exemplar of eclectic interview storytelling. While still dropping words of political wisdom in occasional CNN spots, his interviews with political, entertainment, and other figures often produce surprising moments that make for great television — like his grilling of Quentin Tarantino over Harvey Weinstein’s decades of abusive behavior. Although his role has changed, Wallace derives his influence from where he always has: a deep reservoir of credibility built on a reputation as a guy who plays it straight and tough.
27. Rachel Maddow
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2022 marked a major turning point in the career of MSNBC’s longtime prime time star Rachel Maddow, as she decreased her on-air appearances from nightly to once a week. The drawback was seen as a blow to MSNBC – and not only from a ratings perspective. Not only did Maddow play the part of intellectual spirit leader of the left-leaning network, but in many ways she has filled a vacuum of leadership on the left as thought leader for the Democratic Party, bringing together the centrist and progressive ends of the coalition. To quantify Maddow’s influence, just look at the fact she was reportedly rewarded a lucrative $30 million annual contract to stick around despite cutting her weekly time spent on air by 80 percent. Nonetheless, she remains the star of the show when she appears on air Monday nights, still delivering the network’s highest ratings. Her omnipresence during major news events like elections, and of course her foray into podcasts, docuseries and other specials, ensures that even with fewer hours on air, Maddow remains the face of MSNBC.
26. Bret Baier
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Bret Baier is still at the top of his game. Special Report remains a prestige show on a network where opinion programs mop the floor with regular news in the ratings. The show is running behind Hannity and ahead of Ingraham in total viewers, with 2.5 million — an increase over last year, and an impressive feat for a show that skews straight. In fact, Baier’s program is the fifth-highest rated in all of cable news this year to-date, despite the ratings dominance of opinion programming across all networks. Since the departure of Chris Wallace from Fox News, Baier has taken up the mantle as the network’s most respected news anchor. Baier is the journalist who will deliver news… news his audience won’t like and a lot that they will. His show scores big names from across the political spectrum, with interviews that make headlines. He is a big fish at the biggest pond in cable news.
