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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Your Views on the News 1/10/13

We're not sure if we've just gotten lazy about posting CNN news or that there's little to report while we wait for the Zucker era to begin.  We do have news about the John King disappearance, TVN reported that he's on an extended vacation with his family. Seems an odd time to take an extended vacation with a new boss coming on board but who are we to argue with TVN and their sources? And then there's Piers and his anti-gun programming, which has helped him to top the ratings for CNN primetime. Good for CNN or just for Piers?  Speaking of ratings you may have noticed our weekly ratings post has gone missing for a while now.  Again it could be sheer laziness or could it be Groundhog Day syndrome?  Now it's your turn to tell us what your thinking or what's caught your attention at CNN. 

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29 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am not hopeful about CNN at all, They seem to be
tripling down on talking heads, Look at the ratings
so far this year, they are trending down for all 3.

Anonymous said...

360 was really good last night. I'm impressed with Gen. Stanley McChrystal. He appears to be well read and a knowledgeable man. This is the type of contributor that CNN really needs. However, I did have to hit the mute button with the 3 pundit panel. Do we really need the bickering , where was the sound from Joe Biden ?

360 had a good mix of stories : flu. a former FBI agent being held in Iran, Lance Armstrong. Think it would be cool if Anderson opened 360 like he does on his daytime show Anderson. Isha Sesay could help him pull this off.

A lot of interesting topics. Most nights there will not be a major news story. Not being predictable each night will increase viewers. Fox and MSNBC are getting old fast. CNN could carve a niche as the
news alternative. Look at what David Rhodes is doing at CBS. Their news shows are growing. What's
their motif : original reporting. Same thing goes for World News and Nightline. IMHO the morning show
should be more like World News Now, the overnight ABC news show. Today and NBC Nightly have gotten stale as well.

Anonymous said...

CNN is suppose to have journalists from all around
the world. An unbelievable photo has surfaced from
Japan. Someone actually captured an A-Bomb cloud
over Hiroshima . Somehow the photograph survived
all of these years and was discovered in a school in
Japan. It's an unbelievable moment of history that
was captured vividly. CNN has to be more real time.
CNN is very much a day or 2 way behind with the
news. If CNN is constantly behind, that means the
news is old to viewers. Click. Too much air time is
being given to annoying pundits. It is like watching
news at a snail's pace. Boring.

On Facebook, there are amazing pics of a dust
storm in Australia.It is a massive dust storm. CNN
has to think more visually. There is no excuse for
poor news content anymore in cable news.

Anonymous said...

CNN what are you going to do about your lack of diversity. When CNN announced prime time shows for Elliot Spitzer and Piers Morgan, they were criticized by
women and minority organizations. Yet CNN has the audacity to talk about diversity in the White House. read the words accompany
the picture in the NYT. It contains the words so far at the end. That means it is a work in progress. When
I see a group of female journalists with a prime time show on CNN at 9 Pm. CNN' has nothing to say. Look at the cable news landscape. OVerwhelmingly white males. The only minorities are white females who are not even journalists. It is no secret that cable news will never have any other minorities other than white females. No one else need apply. CNN is on record saying minorities can't get ratings. WHen you walk the walk then you can talk about diversity.
That picture is being taken out of context.

CNN has some serious issues when it comes to minorities and women. CNN should be banned from ever talking about diversity. If you live in a glass house, don't throw stnes. Also, CNN trashed Susan Rice by letting right wingers com on the network to falsely claim the UN Ambassador was
responsible for the Benghazi attack.

Anonymous said...

I hope Anderson talks with the kid in Beast Of The
Wild. There is huge sentiment building for that kid
Quvenzhane Wallis. At 9 she is the youngest oscar
nominee ever. The kid was 5/6 during filming and
had to carry the movie. Amazing bright kid.

Make a clean break away from the tired old formulas
that CNN should have retired years ago. Fix show
formats, content, writing, story-telling, presentation,
delivery,editing add more video and story count and
interviews with interesting people,add some positive
stories into the mix. CNN ;has a very nasty tone.
Have conversations/discussions that make viewers
think. Give us something to walk away with and
find ways to make the news appealing .

Perhaps the Strombo guy and a ladies news show
would help. It would likely generate some positive
buzz for CNN. The CNN brand is taking a beating.

Anonymous said...

CNN is stuck on stupid. Even after Obama was
re-elected CNN continues to bring people on who do
nothing but bash Obama. They seem to think that
right wing media is real news and Americans hate the
President. CNN is now TEANN. That's why the ratings
continue to plummet. They don't get it. Why is it so
easy to get CNN to subscribe to this type of thinking ?
We would not get this crap if top management at
CNN did not support it. 360 just had Newt Gingrich
to do more Obama bashing. The man said some of
the most vile things about Obama during the campaign. That is how you gain relevancy at CNN.
The network is run by idiots. There is no excuse
for CNN's behavior.

Anonymous said...

@10:46AM: I totally disagree with three of your views.
No, Anderson should not, IMHO, copy anything from his dayshow.
Had it proven to be popular or appealing, he wouldn't have been canceled.
And viewers like predictability.
That is why MSNBC continues to stand out and CNN has already tried being the alternative network. That's their problem. They stand for nothing.
DUH?

Anonymous said...

CNN has a problem with facts. The network falsely
reported that Sen. Jeff Sessions was on the cmte
that has to confirm Jack Lew for Treasury. Wrong.
You can't believe anything you see on CNN. Get
the facts right.

Anonymous said...

I personally find it hard to watch MSNBC or Fox News on any regular basis. I feel that I am being lectured to. I really like AC360, but I think they need better story selection. I also would like to watch news on Saturday, but it is unbearable to watch Don Lemon. Does anyone else feel that way. I wish CNN would get rid of him.

Anonymous said...

360 needs to retire that dancing blue background.
There definitely needs to be camera movement. Why
do they have a problem with full screen video ? it is
not HD friendly. The production value looks like TV
market 150. No zoom in or zoom out , no starting
at the giant screen and pulling out to AC at the desk.
Why not show Anderson walking into the studio
talking to us about what is coming up in the show.
You can roll video for each topic. Then you can go
to a brand new 360 open. Bring back the music.
Ever hear about information visualization or data
visualization. 360 is failing to modernize. How
is that CNN is so bad at communicating with
viewers. Stop it with the pundit props. Give me
more video and talk with people who have a
real connection to the story or segment being
featured. Right now there is no connection. It's
a complete lack of substance. Will Jeff Zucker
let people experiment and see what they can
come up with to make CNN better because as
of right now CNN seems to have only one game
plan. We've got pundits. The big problem for
CNN right now is that there is no need to turn
to the channel daily. Who looks forward to
watching shows on CNN ? Zucker needs a
visionary to modernize CNN. Severely outdated
and bad story selection.He has to find someone
to change the culture at CNN. Why is Ken Jautz
still at CNN ?

Anonymous said...

Anon !0 AM. I'm with you. CNN should be doing something to set itself apart from the typical cable news network. I think CNN is making a huge mistake
by embracing the right wing media. it is for a niche
audience not the masses. Honestly, it is making CNN look ignorant. The Hitler and Stalin talk, the offensive
rhetoric,the language will never connect with viewers. It is a shame that the crazies get a platform on CNN. There needs to be a correction and intervention before it is too late.

Yes, Jeff Zucker is new but this can't continue and he needs to act now. The train wreck continues on CNN. The network looks completely insane. Trust me if a network boss tells you to stop booking crazies you will. It is disturbing that CNN is resorting to this. I'm at a breaking point with CNN. This is ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, CNN looks to Huffington Post, Daily Beast and
Mediate, talk radio, Drudge, Beritbart, Blaze,etc. Not
exactly good sources for news content. Anyone who
uses/tracks news sharing on the internet/mobile
knows these are manipulated by internet trolls. Just
read a couple of comments. They spend all day long
hijacking these websites. That is why millions go to
legit news sharing sites and avoid those websites.
You find more real news on Twitter, Face Book, You
Tube, Vimeo, etc daily than you get for an entire
month on CNN. All weeklong CNN is taking a huge
PR hit. The word lunatic is used to describe CNN.
CNN you have a problem and it's worldwide. CNN
management needs to block, Huff Po, Daily Beast,
Drudge,etc to force people to do their jobs. Find
real news and quit being lazy. They should be
digging for news. It's not very hard to do. CNN
has to fix their on air product fast. You make
choices.

Anonymous said...

CNN is done. The suits waited too long to try and fix
things. CNN is not getting better it is getting worse.
CNN owes viewers an apology for having a moron
come on a make outrageous claims about Martin
Luther King. This man was assassinated for fighting
for the rights of others. CNN is sickening. A backlash
is coming and CNN deserves what it has coming. You
can't write off women and minorities. No sympathy
from me. CNN should be out of business for being
irresponsible. Not watching CNN again . Participating
in a boycott.

Anonymous said...

I find it very interesting how Kate Bolduan is slowly disappearing from the 6PM hour of The Situation Room. I'm assuming it's because the program will revert back to 2 hours soon (5-7PM) once Jake Tapper begins with his new show at 4PM. Wolf wouldn't really need a co-host anymore. I do feel Kate has potential, so she should co-host an afternoon news broadcast with someone.

Anonymous said...

360 is the only show I watch on CNN and that is with the DVR so I can skip the parts of the show I don/t care for. I do miss the Nth Degree and the hipness of the original 360. The original 360 moved at a faster pace and was truly unique. It has the potential to be unique again being it's the closest thing to a news show on cable news in primetime. When you take a close look at the ratings the only show with a built in audience is Bill O'Reilly. No other program has a viewership that loyal. That means there are channel changers and opportunities for CNN but they have to be smarter by offering alternative programming. A women's news show in primttime is a really good idea for CNN. Women consume news and tend to be loyal viewers to shows they like and will spread the word. When you look at the changing demographics in the United States, it makes a lot of sense but do network executives who understand the big picture. Are there any women who are in power roles at CNN.

Anonymous said...

The only show I watch on CNN is
AC360. If Anderson leaves CNN, I will follow him to his next network and not watch CNN.

Anonymous said...

OK.
I like Don Lemon and I don't feel he's "unbearable' to watch.
"women consume the news."
Not really. Most women watch shows like Bravo.
Men consume more news than women.
That is not being sexist. It is a fact.
And if Anderson Cooper is "keeping them honest," which he's not, why promote a conspiracy theory that is totally out of touch, like the one this Friday....that Newton was stagged by the media.
Really...and the children aren't really dead? And the parents were actors and Anderson gives this looney air time and shows his pix because he's a professor from Florida and THIS was his lead story?
Sorry, but conspiracy theories that are crazy from the get go shouldn't be aired...and by the way, it was anti government or anti Obama.
Not that President Obama is going to give Anderson Cooper an interview any time soon.

Anonymous said...

@2:08 wrote that CNN is supposed to have journalists from all over the world.

Ummmm .... not anymore.

CNN has been closing bureaus, laying off overseas staff and reducing the amount of international coverage.

CNN is very thin in terms of overseas staff.

This has been the clear strategy of VP for Newsgathering Parisa Khosravi. She is directly responsible for the decline in international news by CNN.

Walton allowed this strategy, so he shares some of the blame. But the fault rests on the shoulders of Parisa Khosravi.

Her strategy was to get rid of staff, and simply take local TV station footage for free and have an anchor talk about it in Atlanta.

Gone are the days when CNN covered world events.

Anonymous said...

@11:02pm
Actually, according to media studies by Pew Research, CNN's audience is split 50/50 men and women. Men slightly outnumber women for FNC viewers and MSNBC is also split rather evenly. So, since you are talking based upon your own bias instead of fact, that is indeed sexist. If you want to argue more men watch CNBC, well you would be right. Still, doesn't prove your point. I'm a woman and I don't watch garbage on Bravo, but thanks for the stereotyping.

That being said, I totally agree with your comments about AC the other night. Why does CNN keep brining on kooks? I never heard of this conspiracy theory until CNN brought it up. Between Piers and AC leading the wacko brigade, who needs to watch Fox? This is getting stupid - its not news and it certainly isn't smart.

Anonymous said...

It's not true that women don't consume news. According to Nielsen,women watch more TV
than males. Nielsen released their findings 2
months ago. Nielsen has also released date
showing that women consume news on multiple
platforms. Tables & smartphones. With women
being the majority population , if cable news
wants to survive attracting female viewers is
a must. Outdated thinking for the 21st century
to say that women don't watch news. Bravo,
really ? You could not be more wrong. Men
own game consoles so they watch less TV.

Anonymous said...

"Women consume news and watch more TV."
First of all it all depends what you mean by 'consume.' And secondly, yes, women do watch more TV because there are more women than men population wise.
Men, on the other hand, actually watch news for the news content.
There are more men viewers who watch and read Bill O'Reilly.
HE said this himself.
And probably there are more women who watch Anderson Cooper.
And notice I said the word 'watch.'

Anonymous said...

Women ARE major consumers, but that only means they shop and buy
more than men.
It has not one thing to do with understanding and watching the news for its depth, and quality.
As a woman, women of a certain age, will speak about politics, and nothing about foreign policy or diplomacy.
Often it will include economic news that is related to their age bracket, like social security and pensions, which implies a certain level of stability in later stages of life.
But very few Americans are interested in world affairs, and that includes both genders.

Anonymous said...

CNN IS slanted whether they are willing to acknowledge it or not.
They do act as if Obama is to be ignored and he didn't win a second term, or they wish he hadn't.
Could be a Time Warner issue, and a business decision, but that decision is related to the way in which they choose to broadcast the news.
Just the other nite, Anderson Cooper lead with a looney, crazy, pro gun activist who said the entire Newton school shooting was staged.
Nowhere else did this story receive publicity as far as I know, so why give this person a legitimate platform?
It's craziness and it was crazier still to make this a lead story.
But even though Cooper played the devil's advocate, this person represented the extreme right in the gun lobby and got air time that shouldn't have seen the light of day.
So goes CNN. Slanted, you bet.

Anonymous said...

Wrong. Women are news consumers and data backs that up. It is way past time for an ethnically diverse group of female journalists hanging out doing the news. You can't deny the changing demographics of America. Put on Isha Sesay, Nicole Liapn, Betty Nguyen, and someone from CNN Espnaol. I mean real prime time, which Nielsen considers to be from 8-11pm. Anything else is lip service. There is a reason why Joe apologized to Mika this morning. Give it a very marketable title that emphasizes the news. I can think of an awesome title, which I will not say. Add the right soundtrack and get the chemistry with the 4 ladies. No pundits allowed. Less scripted. This is long overdue for cable news.
CNN could easily do this. It is simple a matter of leadership and realizing that it is the 21st century.


Also, put on Conor Knighton at 7 PM. Why, He understands data journalism. Quartz news has done it again with a game that plays our all of the scenarios for the dept ceiling. Hello, get the person
who came up with this awesome idea to come on
and take us through it all. That is how you engage your viewers. The pundits are no longer relevant.
For goodness sakes CNN still uses cliches like from the left and right. Liberal/conservative. That is why there is zero creativity at CNN. If you are deep into ideology, you are not thinking out of the box. Data journalism is exploding but it must be done right with information visualization matters. In an effort to get back into the game CNN has to have tangible proof that it is changing their on air product.. Two shows like this at 7 pm and 9 pm would do wonders for CNN.

Anonymous said...

Forgot to mention a daily political satire show. CNN needs this badly. They could hire Brett Erichl, who is really good at this type of thing. There is also Jay Smooth or someone like Aisha Tyler.CNN's political tone is horribly. It is too mean, negative and a big turnoff. You Wolf Blizter, Jon King, Candy Crowley and
soon Jake Tapper. A different type of political show can't hurt. Rceenly, I have been studying a show from back in the day called Laugh IN. It's amazing they went there but it was done in a humorous way to make a point. It makes you see that there were others before Jon Stewart.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Atlantic's new Quartz publication is awesome! Great business news - timely and deep! I didn't know Conor Knighton had anything to do with that?! Also, whoever mentioned Jay Smooth - he is fantastic! He was in Soledad's documentary and he is frequently on MSNBC. Not sure CNN would ever have a show by him but he would be a great contributor.

Anonymous said...

Conor Knighton has nothing to do with Quartz News
but he was actually the first to use data journalism.
When he was with Current, he would match Google and
Yahoo searches with news stories. It was fast paced and
he has the personality to make it work. He also likes
reading magazines for interesting content. On his
Ifomania show, he had a segment called we've got you
covered. Poured through tons of articles.. Right now
I think CBS is grooming him to be the next Andy Rooney. Good communicator.. On the List, he is the
consumer reporter. Take a look on You Tube. He is
good at creating TV and that is what CNN needs badly. Guys like Conor Knight and George Strombo
are really good at television. They know how to
make it work and communicate with viewers. There
were some fascinating articles on Knighton regarding his show Infomania.. Brett Erlich is really
good at political satire. It's true in university you
learn that before Stewart and Colbert. There was
Laugh In and the Smothers Brothers Stewart and
Colbert come off as smart because the way cable
news covers politics is insane. I hope they do
hire the Vanguard journos from Current too.
There are different styles of news and communication.

Anonymous said...

I am confessed CNN junkie, but soon no will longer be if it keeps making decisions like benching a perfectly good anchor to extend the Situation Room another hour. Kate Bolduan instead of John King... Are you kidding me? Bolduan is supposedly a congressional correspondent that you never see reporting from the Hill. I assume she is well-connected or related to someone.
Also, how is that Dana Bash isn't the Chief Congressional Correspondent? Crowley, Gupta, Yellin, King, Borger all have "chief" in their titles. Why not Dana Bash? Inexcusable! She has to be the hardest working "on-air" person at CNN. One day CNN is going to turn around and she will be tapped by another network.
All said....I am holding with CNN to see if Zucker makes needed changes and improvements.

Anonymous said...

To the commenters here:
I personally enjoy reading the comments but if don't keep them brief, you tend to lose the reader.
I always look for the short comment that makes the point.
If you go on for any length of time, most people, like myself, will not bother to read your comment.
Just a suggestion.