Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media 2023
35. Ari Melber
2023 might have been Ari Melber’s strongest year yet. His MSNBC show, The Beat, kicked off the year with higher ratings than every other program on the network. Mediaite editor in chief Aidan McLaughlin opined in February that Melber was poised to become the “new face of MSNBC” in the wake of Rachel Maddow rolling back to only one show per week, and The Beat’s ratings throughout the year make a solid case. Melber repeated his ratings wins multiple times throughout the year, often beating CNN and sometimes even Fox News in his time slot — including crucial high spots with the advertiser-coveted 24-54 demo. His show also dominated on YouTube, a good sign for its health among a younger audience. David Bauder, AP’s media reporter, praised Melber for being an opinion host who “brings a methodical, ‘follow the facts’ style to the issues he addresses,” noting that the legal analyst’s reputation drew high enough respect that, despite his criticism of Trump, he was still able to get Trump world figures on his show. On that note, despite Melber’s very memorable clashes with Peter Navarro (some of which helped Melber secure a spot on our 2022 list), the Trump White House economic adviser came back on The Beat this year — along with several other Trump attorneys and associates — giving us 12 months-worth of feisty, headline-generating moments.
34. Margaret Brennan
Margaret Brennan, the moderator of CBS’ Face the Nation, is wrapping another year holding politicians’ feet to the fire with dependable regularity in her Sunday morning timeslot. This year, Face the Nation was recognized with a Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in TV Political Journalism. The judges specifically praised Brennan’s “concerted efforts to combat disinformation” during her interviews, and described her as someone who “pushes back” and “puts guests in the hot seat in a fair and respectful manner,” with a moderating style that was “measured, completely consistent, researched and prepared.” Brennan’s 2023 highlights include confronting then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy about dodging questions about then-Rep. George Santos, calling out Sen. Bernie Sanders for selling $95 tickets to an event denouncing capitalism, a series of tough questions for Vice President Kamala Harris, battling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his comments about refugees from Gaza, and challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell if his health challenges mean he should retire.
33. Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow’s influence is easily quantifiable. When she shows up on MSNBC on Monday nights, after cutting back to one show a week, the network’s numbers surge. Maddow is so big that her rising tide lifts all ships at the network. Her show sometimes even beats Fox News in the ratings, an incredible feat when you consider she’s the only one on cable these days who does it. The only reason Maddow, a mainstay since the 2000s, is not near the top of this list is the simple fact that her show comes just once a week. But she has compensated elsewhere for that loss to MSNBC fans. Maddow now works on everything from books to podcasts to feature films for NBCUniversal, ensuring her position not just as a talker but also as a power-player behind the scenes. Her latest book, Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism, which was based on her podcast, Ultra, dropped in October and debuted atop the New York Times bestseller list. What’s more, Maddow is still the person MSNBC calls to helm a major news night. Maddow might introduce a healthy dose of schadenfreude to her coverage when it comes to Trump and his mounting legal issues. But Maddow also knows how to pull back and see a bigger picture, historical context, and the reality of the law. It won’t stop her from having a laugh at the expense of this chaotic class of Republicans, but Maddow’s coverage is so conversational that it often feels less like an agenda and more like she’s just walking you through the obvious realities of the world. That broadcasting gift makes her that much more powerful.
32. Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin
The View co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin are all stars in their own rights. Some are bigger than others, but together they continue to keep the iconic ABC talk show relevant and buzzy when it comes to politics, social topics, celebrity interviews, and everything in between. The View’s takes have driven public discourse on plenty of occasions, which puts their staying power on full display all by itself. Some Viewers count on the show for the fearless takes of ardent liberals Goldberg and Behar, who reliably tear into Republicans on a daily basis. Farah Griffin, a reformed Trump administration official, has come into her own as the more amicable replacement of Meghan McCain, who ditched the show but remains at war with her former co-hosts. Griffin’s sparring matches with Hostin often make for phenomenal television. Piercing the bubble, The View frequently welcomes conservative guests like Nancy Mace and Tim Scott, often leading to throw-downs that enrapture the audience. The View remains an exciting stage for the day’s “hot topics,” and their influence cannot be denied as we enter into another presidential election year.
31. Ari Emanuel and Jay Sures
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Hollywood super-agents Jay Sures and Ari Emanuel, who boast a fleet of high-profile clients in the news business, hold an extraordinary amount of power. Emanuel, the famed and feared head of Endeavor, is known in the cable industry for cutting Rachel Maddow’s 2022 mega-deal at MSNBC and landing Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski a fourth hour of Morning Joe. Emanuel has so much sway at MSNBC that one top source there once told Puck’s Dylan Byers “it’s Ari Emanuel’s network now.” Sures, meanwhile, is equally powerful at CNN: Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper, Dana Bash, John Berman, Alisyn Camerota, and Kate Bolduan all count as clients. As the head of UTA, Sures also reps ABC News anchor David Muir, CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell and NBC News anchor Chuck Todd, Jen Psaki, and Tom Llamas. Both agents also made their mark this year with political statements – whether it was Ari Emanuel speaking out against Kanye West or Jay Sures denouncing the University of California over the Israel-Hamas war. Some other agents repping cable news industry stars saw their influence rise in 2023 as well, including OManagement chief Olivia Metzger, who expanded on her already impressive roster of cable stars, which boasts the likes of Kristen Welker, Ari Melber and Martha MacCallum. There’s also Mark McGrath of CAA, who counts Greg Gutfeld and Dana Perino as clients, and Bradley Singer of WME.
30. Andrew Ross Sorkin
If you thought the annual New York Times’ DealBook Summit reached its peak when Andrew Ross Sorkin grilled a soon-to-be-indicted Sam Bankman-Fried about his FTX’s fraudulent finances in 2022, this year’s installment proved you wrong. Somehow each year the Sorkin-led Summit becomes more relevant each year. In an exchange for the ages, Sorkin interrogated Elon Musk about his madcap ownership of X/Twitter, prompting the billionaire to tell skittish advertisers, “Go fuck yourself!” The conversation was a fitting albeit profane exclamation mark on the year for Sorkin, who interviewed a litany of business bigwigs, powerful politicians, the occasional NBA superstar, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons because why not? Sorkin also continued his dual roles as a New York Times columnist and co-host of CNBC’s SquawkBox, where he greets market junkies each morning ahead of the opening bell. As the 2024 election nears, the economy will be front and center in the national discussion, and Sorkin will be in the middle of it all.
29. Anderson Cooper
In a year of tremendous turmoil for CNN, Anderson Cooper continued his run as CNN’s most popular news anchor, largely due to a simple formula: he’s both seriously trustworthy and extremely likable. Cooper often leaves the safety of the anchor desk to report on assignments in war-torn regions such as Ukraine and Gaza, and continues to score interviews with heads of state and other top newsmakers. Nor is he afraid to share personal stories that have helped mold him, like the death of his mother, or becoming a father through surrogacy at the age of 52. The silly, giggling Cooper continues to win audiences over with his New Year’s Eve coverage each year live from Times Square. His nightly primetime show, Anderson Cooper 360, was honored with three Emmy Awards in 2023, which bodes well for the future of the program. Cooper is also a regular contributor to CBS News’ 60 Minutes, where he’s able to indulge in long-form storytelling on the day’s pressing topics.
28. Steve Bannon
When Steve Bannon was dumped from the White House by then-President Donald Trump, many assumed it was the end of his unlikely career in politics (we will leave the story of how the movie producer ended up as a White House chief of staff to the history books). They were mistaken. Bannon spent the next few years embarking on an ill-fated tour through Europe, was convicted of contempt of Congress in relation to the Jan. 6 attack and sentenced to four months in prison (he’s currently appealing), and launched a podcast that is called War Room (of course.) It’s that last venture that earned Bannon a spot on this list. The show has proved a hit amongst the far right: with nearly one million subscribers on Rumble, it’s a destination for the biggest names in the Trump movement and has turned Bannon into one of the most influential voices on the pro-Trump right. Bannon still feeds off the relentless hate he gets from the media. “I hope they say I’m a devil,” he told a recent profile writer. “I hope they say I’m a fucking demon. I could give a fuck less. All I want to do is win.” People have long tried to decipher Bannon’s power, sought to figure out what makes him tick, analyze the master puppeteer. They’re reading too much into it. Bannon is a guy who, thanks to Trump, got a lot of power and now has a lot of influence. He bellows into a microphone about how the forces of darkness are prevailing against the forces of light. It can be hard to take seriously. But with Trump taking another run at the White House, underestimate Steve Bannon at your own peril.
27. Wendy McMahon, Kim Godwin, and Rebecca Blumenstein
NBC News tapped Rebecca Blumenstein to be its new president of editorial this year after wooing her away from The New York Times where she was its highly-respected deputy managing editor. Her nascent tenure has seen closer collaboration among the outlet’s television and digital correspondents. The results have been encouraging for both. NBC News remains a ratings juggernaut — with an impressive streaming operation to boot — while NBCNews.com topped the Times in visitors during the third quarter.
At ABC News, Kimberly Godwin continues to oversee editorial and business operations of ABC News programming which remains some of the most-watched programming in television news — such as This Week, World News Tonight, and Good Morning America.
Over at CBS News, with the departure of Co-President Neeraj Khemlani in August, Wendy McMahon became the sole president of CBS News and Stations divisions, in addition to heading up CBS Ventures. She oversees all of the outlet’s broadcast and streaming operations, in addition to 27 local affiliates and 14 local news streaming channels. Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, meanwhile, was named president of CBS News.
With the network news programs still flexing their rating prowess and national influence, these three continue to be some of the most important people in all of the news media.
26. Tucker Carlson
When Mediaite reported in April that Fox prime time host Tucker Carlson had established “his own fiefdom at the network, unaccountable to leadership,” he seemed untouchable. Indeed, in that piece our own editor cited insiders predicting that in a fight between Carlson and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, Tucker would come out on top. Exactly one month later, Scott called up Carlson to fire him. The reasons for his ouster are myriad: was it offensive private messages unearthed by the Dominion discovery? Was it his long habit of airing wacky conspiracy theories and commentary that earned his show the distinction of being labeled “the most racist in the history of cable news” by The New York Times? Fox never explained. The shocking firing was doubly major because it came within minutes of another high-profile defenestration: Don Lemon at CNN. Yet while Lemon took his newfound unemployment to embark on an extended sabbatical, Carlson swiftly re-entered the game by launching his own interview show on Twitter, now X. The show, thanks to Carlson’s fame, rabid audience and promotion from Elon Musk, drew a large audience. That said, there is a reason Tucker is no longer in the top 10 most influential on this list: claims about his reach have been overstated. Carlson’s old home at Fox News draws a far larger audience than he does on X, despite claims to the contrary. While some former Fox hosts are able to carve out a sizable audience on their own (see: Megyn Kelly), few ever attain the level of influence they wielded when they boasted the power of the biggest network in cable news behind them. Tucker ended the year by announcing the launch of his own digital service, called the Tucker Carlson Network. It had an inauspicious launch, coming on the heels of a splashy (and gooey) interview with notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. That came after another thoroughly unserious interview with a man claiming to have had drug-fueled sex with Barack Obama. Time will tell if Carlson is able to build his platform into something as mighty, or mightier, than his former perch as the most watched (and most polarizing) host on cable news.
