Fmr. CNN Exec Dishes on Network’s Future if Biden Wins: The ‘Relevance of CNN for Better or Worse is Tied to Donald Trump’
In the event that former Vice President Joe Biden wins the 2020 election, network operatives are wondering what will happen to TV ratings once President Donald Trump is out of office.
Digiday released an article on the “Trump Bump” — the phenomenon by which Trump’s presidency gave news outlets so much content and investigative reporting subjects over the years, causing their viewership to soar to new heights. The piece also explores how news publishers changed their business models to account for breaking news, digital subscribers, and new sources of revenue.
The article includes conversations with former CNN reporters and executives who reflected on the network’s confrontational approach to covering Trump, and how often that became the story over the last 3.5 years. One former CNN executive, who wished to remain anonymous, said the end of the Trump era could cause a ratings and identity crisis for the network and beyond.
“I don’t think it was any more complicated than that Trump was good for ratings,” the former executive said. “Make no mistake, it’s a symbiotic relationship. The dramatic rise and relevance of CNN for better or worse is tied to Donald Trump.”
Since the article points out that many political observers think Biden’s presidency would be “boring” compared to Trump’s, former CNN president Jonathan Klein said the network’s ratings might dip if audiences no longer have the same “urgency” to tune in.
“What would go away is the bad guy in the story. There’s no antagonist. So what are we tuning in for?” Klein asked. “Grandpa is a nice guy. Everybody might be relieved to not watch as much cable news anymore and go find a book to read, a garden to plant, or a socially-distanced walk to take.”
Klein offered a caveat about possible viewer fatigue, however, saying “you’re still going to be in the midst of an economic calamity, this wrenching social debate over inequality, and have a disease that may be killing tens of thousands of people a week” if Biden wins.
