Billionaire Elon Musk has declared that "CNN is dying."
Musk, according to Fox News, did so this past week, after he canceled X's partnership with Don Lemon.
The outlet reports:
X owner Elon Musk declared "CNN is dying" this week during a social media spat with former host Don Lemon, fueling questions about whether the network's years-long struggle to attract viewers means it's on life support.
Musk, as will be demonstrated, definitely has a point here, and, if CNN is dying, then so are its stars, including Anderson Cooper, Chris Wallace, Wolf Blitzer, and all the rest. In fact, their days really could be numbered.
It is no secret that CNN is really struggling these days. According to Fox, 2023, was CNN's "lowest-rated year of all time."
The outlet reports, "In 2023, CNN had its lowest-rated year of all time, going back more than three decades, across multiple categories. CNN averaged only 582,000 primetime viewers to finish No. 12 among cable networks, with a smaller audience than networks such as TLC, Hallmark, and HGTV."
CNN is under new management, but things do not really seem to be improving. Now, State of the Union reports that new CNN CEO Mark Thompson is looking to make some significant changes.
Per the outlet:
According to reports, CNN’s new CEO Mark Thompson is planning significant cuts and changes at the network to address falling ratings, potentially putting several high profile anchors on the “chopping block.”
The "high profile anchors" who are at risk could reportedly include Anderson Cooper, Chris Wallace, Wolf Blitzer, and Jake Tapper.
Musk's declaration - that "CNN is dying" - came after a recent "spat" with Deon Lemon. The spat was actually an interview of Musk conducted by Lemon that went really wrong.
Musk, during the interview, appeared to take particular exception to some of the questions that Lemon asked him, and things got combative, to say the least.
The spat ended with Musk canceling X's partnership with Lemon.
Musk, afterward, defended his decision, writing:
[Lemon's] approach was basically just "CNN, but on social media", which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying. And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity. All this said, Lemon/Zucker are of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else.
Lemon has since threatened to take Musk to court if Musk does not pay Lemon for their deal.
