Is CNN Ready For Donald Trump?
Issue #122 — All eyes will be on CNN and its ability to manage the former president in one of his first forays outside of his media safe zones.
Is CNN Ready For Donald Trump?
The adage goes, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, and you can sense that seems to be the theme this week as the former president and current GOP front-runner Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in a CNN town hall moderated by Kaitaln Collins.
This will be Trump’s first CNN appearance in more than four years, and during his time as president, he had a very hostile relationship with the network. So, why would these two parties want to be together in the same room again?
For CNN, one answer is that Trump is the current GOP front-runner, so it makes sense to have him on the network. This thinking was also supported by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who reiterated the same points in a CNBC interview.
Secondly, selfishly, CNN is seeking a ratings boost. It knows that having Trump, despite vowing not to put people who peddle misinformation on its air, will bring in tons of viewers, and this would be a chance to reacclimate those viewers who it lost after the Trump presidency to its programming and its rising talent, hence the use of Collins.
As for Trump, his venture on CNN would be one of his first forays outside his media safe zones. His campaign said that CNN executives made a compelling pitch and that “Going outside the traditional Republican' comfort zone’ was a key to President Trump’s success in 2016. Some other candidates are too afraid to take this step in their quest to defeat Joe Biden and are afraid to do anything other than Fox News.”
Trump will need to be ready for some serious questioning, the kind that he has not been used to getting as this time around, unlike in 2016, he comes with a lot of baggage. He is the first president to be indicted; he has to answer for his actions leading to and on January 6; he has other cases against him on a federal and state level; and he has an ongoing civil rape case.
Pressure will be on CNN as it will need to be at its best — it will have to present all this information while dealing with a former president known for his quick inaccurate answers and promotion of misinformation.
Should Trump perceive to have had a rough going during the town hall, he could again use that to galvanize his base against CNN and try to discredit the media.
CNN, which has received criticism for the Trump town hall, will have to walk a tightrope during the town hall as it will have to ensure that it can quickly fact-check and challenge the president's assertions.
CNN’s iteration under the helm of Chris Licht, its chairman, and CEO, will face its first major political test during Wednesday’s town hall. A lot is banking on CNN properly executing this event.
Success will show that CNN has learned from its prior mistakes; failure would be very embarrassing as it would have shown that it has not adequately learned how to deal with Trump and his petulance for dealing with misinformation.
By the look of things, CNN needs Trump, and Trump needs CNN. They need each other to fuel the other. The playbook hasn’t changed much, and it seems you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
(CNN Press Room, Vanity Fair, TVNewser, CNBC)
RECAP
Kayleigh McEnany Named This Week’s Host of Fox News Tonight
With Tucker Carlson gone, Fox News has to decide what to do with the 8 pm hole it created, now renamed Fox News Tonight. Looking to take a page from Comedy Central's The Daily Show and its use of guest hosts, Fox News is employing a similar strategy as it searches for a permanent host. First up was Brian Kilmeade, who filled in the first week after Carlson was let go; the weekend host Lawrence Jones filled in on the second week, and now the turn falls on Kayleigh McEnany, former President Donald Trump’s press secretary. McEnany is currently the co-host of Fox News’ midday show Outnumbered and has already gotten herself involved in some controversy, which seems like a prerequisite for hosting that particular time slot. McEnany joked about the mixed-race crowd that was drum-beating chants in protest following the death of Jordan Neely in New York City.(Mediaite, Los Angeles Times)
Media Matters Receives Cease And Desist Letter From Fox Corp.
Fox Corp., the parent company of Fox News, has sent Media Matters, a liberal media watchdog, a cease and desist letter due to the media organization’s divulging of leaked off-air footage involving its former primetime host Tucker Carlson. The California-based law firm Wilson Sonsini sent the letter on behalf of the media company as a result of Media Matters this past week obtaining and publishing leaked footage of Carlson making off-the-air comments on a variety of topics, including his deposition during the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit, his feelings towards the Fox Nation streaming service, sex, and what happens in the women’s bathroom. Media Matters responded to the letter by saying, “Reporting on newsworthy leaked material is a cornerstone of journalism. For Fox to argue otherwise is absurd and further dispels any pretense that they’re a news operation." (Deadline, Media Matters)
Weather Channel And Carhartt Announce Apparel Partnership
During the next weather crisis, if you happen to be watching the Weather Channel, you may notice that its reporters may be decked out in some fresh gear. The weather news channel has struck a deal with clothing apparel company Carhartt, which will see its meteorologists in Carhartt apparel that, ahem, matches the weather condition they are in, ranging from rain, snow, sleet, and high temperatures. “As America's most trusted news brand, our meteorologists are often out in extreme weather conditions, delivering life-saving reporting. This new collaboration between The Weather Channel and Carhartt brings together two brands that know how to tough it out in difficult conditions to keep Americans safe and comfortable,” said Nora Zimmett, president of news and original series for Weather Group.
QUICK RECAP
Earnings Reports: Warner Bros. Discovery sees profitability in the streaming business. (The Wall Street Journal)
Earning Reports: AppleTV Plus’ revenue as part of Apple's services business brought in $20.9 billion. (CNN Business)
Earnings Reports: Paramount Global says streaming revenue for Paramount Plus and PlutoTV rose to $1.5 billion. (CNBC)
Tucker Carlson Fallout: Some GOP lawmakers are happy he was let go. (Axios)
Tucker Carlson Fallout: The text alarmed the Fox Corp. board. (New York Times)
Jeff Shell Ouster: CNBC's Hadley Gamble said NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell used his position to ask for sex. (The New York Times)
Jeff Shell Ouster: CNBC executives named in Hadley Gamble complaint. (Axios)
Writers’ Strike: Streaming services parent companies boast of monies they’ve earned while the strike persists. (HuffPost)
Writers Strike: Will streaming networks be affected? (The Current)
Dominion vs. Fox News: Network says it’s opposed to motions seeking the unsealing of redacted material. (CNN Business)
King Charles III Coronation: 18 million viewers recorded across BBC1, BBC2, and ITV. (Jake Kanter/Twitter)
ESPN basketball analyst Lance Blanks passes away. (ESPN)
Wahiga Mwaura named BBC News’ Focus on Africa host. (BBC News Africa/Twitter)
Laura Coates named CNN's chief legal analyst. (CNN Press Room)
Chris Fowler was named play caller for ESPN's No. 2 Monday Night Football team. (New York Post)
Caitriona Perry joins BBC News as a DC-based news presenter. (BBC Media Centre)
Brinley Burton named assistant managing editor for international news for NBC News. (TVNewser)
Leyla Santiago departs from CNN. (Leyla Santiago/Twitter)
Fox News’ Benjamin Hall receives a standing ovation as he returns to the State Department. (Fox News)
Disney layoffs claim ESPN's VP and EP for original content, films, and special projects, John Dahl. (Front Office Sports)
Vice Media nears deal after the threat of bankruptcy. (The Wall Street Journal)
ESPN pulls out of Pac-12 media rights negotiations. (The Streamable)
Fox News could be banned in Canada. (Toronto Star)
The news innovation unit of NBCUniversal has been shut down. (TVNewsCheck)
HBO Max signs up 15 advertisers for its original series. (Broadcasting+Cable)
The NHL's Las Vegas Nights are the latest team to move from cable to local broadcast. (Sports Business Journal)
Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera says there’s a good reason why he is no longer making on-air appearances. (The Daily Beast)
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on his competitive spirit. (Front Office Sports)
Al Roker, Deborah Roberts, Jim Nantz, and Soledad O’Brien were inducted into Broadcasting+Cable's Hall of Fame.
TNT needs to work on its drone camera use during its NBA Playoffs. (Awful Announcing)
ESPN needs to treat Steve Levy better. (Awful Announcing)
Newsmax is launching a new panel primetime show. (TVNewser)
NFL gets good news from the NFL Draft and the Super Bowl. (Sports Media Watch)
NBA gets good news from the NBA Playoffs. (Sports Business Journal)
NFL Films to produce docu-series on Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. (NFL Communications)
Chris Licht marks his first anniversary as head of CNN. (TVNewser)
Diamond Sports Group makes a payment to the Cincinnati Reds. (Awful Announcing)
A direct-to-consumer (DTC) option of ESPN will happen sooner than later. (Bloomberg)
NBCUniversal launches a new linear, streaming ad tools. (MediaPost)
Sinclair introduces The National Desk newscast in five markets. (Broadcasting+Cable)
Dancing with the Stars moves back to ABC after a short sting on Disney Plus. (Vulture)
Will Cain says he wasn’t stifled while at ESPN. (Awful Announcing)
CNN scores with its White House Correspondent’s Dinner coverage. (Mediaite)
NFL Network and RedZone are back on Xfinity. (ProFootballTalk)
ESPN announces its 2023 Premiere League Lacrosse schedule. (ESPN Press Room)
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #122 - 2023