“MSM” Implosion Continues, CNN Will Cut Top “Talent”

The mainstream media continues to fall apart before our eyes, with CNN now announcing that they will be cutting “top talent” in a series of sweeping layoffs.

This news follows dismal ratings from Election Night.

After 2020, who would have thought that nobody would want to tune in to CNN for election results?

Take a look at what’s happening:

JUST IN: CNN 'will ax top stars in layoffs that'll see hundreds fired as ratings continue to tank' – Daily Mail

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 12, 2024

JUST IN: CNN will be firing hundreds of employees including some of their top stars according to Puck News.

The news comes as CNN's Chris Wallace says he is not returning after his contract expires.

"In the next few months, I’m told, CNN will implement another round of layoffs… pic.twitter.com/oHn9uJVNL9

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 12, 2024

CNN 'will ax top stars in layoffs that'll see hundreds fired'

CNN is reportedly set to fire some of its top talent in a round of post-election layoffs.

The rumblings, first reported by Puck News, come as high-paid personalities like Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer were reportedly… pic.twitter.com/UIqhnUQxaa

— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) November 12, 2024

The Daily Mail reports:

CNN is planning to wield the axe on some of its high-paid staff after dismal election ratings that cap off a disastrous period for the cable news network.

According to an explosive new report from Puck, network executives will unleash sweeping lay-offs in a bid to save the network’s flailing reputation.

It comes after the departure of stalwart Chris Wallace, and amid reports senior stars like Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper have both been denied raises.

There is no mention of who may be on the chopping block.

The highest paid stars include Anderson Cooper – who rakes in $20million a year – Erin Burnett ($6million) and rising star Kaitlan Collins ($3million).

‘In the next few months, I’m told, CNN will implement another round of layoffs that will impact hundreds of employees across the organization,’ reporter Dylan Byers wrote Friday, referencing CNN’s recent 100-person layoff seen over the summer.

The fresh round of firings, the insiders said, will be more geared toward the production side of things.

As a result, reporters and correspondents will be required to cover their slack, they said – describing how on-air workers will be ‘asked to assume more of the responsibilities once handled by teams of producers and production assistants.’

Byers wrote: ‘Redundant assignments will be nixed, and various divisions will be reduced or even eliminated.

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‘Some of the on-air talent are also likely to be affected,’ he went on to reveal.

Sources who spoke to the reporter, who worked at CNN for three years before founding Puck, added how the looming layoffs are part of an overarching plan – one that puts a premium on the station’s digital platforms.

The man behind it, they said, is none other than new CEO Mark Thompson – the former New York Times boss brought in to overhaul the network under its Warner Bros. Discovery parent.

The old BBC boss filled the position left by then-languishing leader Chris Licht this past August, and since then, ratings have fallen more than 20 percent.

The Western Journal added some more insight:

CNN reportedly will be making more cuts in the near future, including to its highly paid on-air personalities, following poor election ratings.

The New York Post reported that Fox News crushed all comers on election night last week, with an average of 10.3 million viewers from 8 to 11 p.m. Eastern, based on Nielsen data.

CNN, which had the highest number of viewers during 2016’s election night (with 13.3 million), came in third last Tuesday, with just 5.1 million tuning in, falling behind rival MSNBC with 6 million watching.

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“Warner Bros. Discovery-owned CNN lost nearly half of the 9.6 million people who watched during the 2020 presidential election,” the Post noted.

In July, CNN announced it was laying off approximately 100 employees, or about 2.9 percent of its 3,500-employee workforce, according to Deadline.

Puck News co-founder and previous CNN journalist Dylan Byers reported last week, “In the next few months, I’m told, CNN will implement another round of layoffs that will impact hundreds of employees across the organization, including those whose TV production talents won’t necessarily be needed in the new digital-first landscape.”

“Reporters and correspondents will be asked to assume more of the responsibilities once handled by teams of producers and production assistants, redundant assignments will be nixed, and various divisions will be reduced or even eliminated. Some of the on-air talent are also likely to be affected,” he added.

In the last week, CNN has already axed Chris Wallace, refusing to renew his $8.5 million annual contract.

Who’s next?

Anderson Cooper?

I mean, how can they afford his $20 million+ salary, with ratings having fallen 20% since this August?

Maybe they should take a page from Elon’s playbook:

Fire 80%, it worked for Elon! pic.twitter.com/RvnMPlkjuz

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) November 12, 2024

RELATED REPORT:

BREAKING: Chris Wallace Out At CNN! Will Pursue Strange New Career….

BREAKING: Chris Wallace Out At CNN! Will Pursue Strange New Career....

In a surprise breaking news alert, Chris Wallace is OUT at CNN.

But according to the official story, he hasn't been fired...

He's leaving on his own accord voluntarily, walking away from 7-figure salary negotiations because....he wants to try podcasting!

Anyone else think something strange is going on?

It reminds me of when an NFL head coach is fired but they claim they quit because they just want to "spend more time with their family".

Yeah, I'm not buying it.

But here's the official report:

CNN host Chris Wallace leaving network after 3 years to explore possible full-time podcasting career https://t.co/afeo2OZplE pic.twitter.com/yjQTWR2H91

— New York Post (@nypost) November 12, 2024

From the NY Post:

CNN host Chris Wallace is leaving the cable television network to work on an independent platform in a shocking move that was reported Monday.

The 77-year-old broadcaster revealed his future plans in an interview with the Daily Beast after spending the past three years at CNN.

He said he wants to pivot to streaming or podcasting, claiming that’s “where the action seems to be,” according to the outlet.

We broke Chris Wallace and we broke CNN:

77-year-old Chris Wallace will quit CNN and walk away from a seven-figure salary rather than renegotiate his contract. His plan is to go into independent streaming or podcasting, pointing to Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God's reach as inspiration.

Legacy news outlets are losing… pic.twitter.com/W8osi6V1q1

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 12, 2024

For a walk down memory lane, let's all remember how biased he was during the 2020 debates:

Chris Wallace is extremely biased.

Remember when he derailed the first presidential debate in 2020?

Here’s a flashback of me calling out Wallace to his face…pic.twitter.com/iQu7PUYBjA https://t.co/nMglmPQTCu

— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) November 12, 2024

So Wallace thinks he will be more successful at podcasting, huh?

Fancies himself the new Joe Rogan?

How hilarious is that!

Almost no one watched Chris Wallace even when he was on CNN and CNN was playing in every airport out there for some reason, but he thinks people will voluntarily tune in to find him on some streaming platform?

That's hilarious!

MEMO TO CHRIS: the issue is not with the platform, the issue is with you.  No one likes you.  No one trusts you.  No one cares what you have to say.  No one likes how you inject your bias into the Presidential Debates.  We don't want to watch you in a house, we don't want to watch you with a mouse.  We don't want you here or there, we don't want you....ANYWHERE!

Wallace should ask his buddy Don Lemon how "podcasting" is going for him....

I don't think Don has turned into the next Joe Rogan yet, but I'm sure he will very soon! 🤣

The Daily Beast had more details around the STRANGE story:

Chris Wallace is quitting CNN after three years as one of its biggest stars, he exclusively told the Daily Beast Monday.

The 77-year-old broadcaster said he will instead find a new home on an independent platform such as streaming or podcasting, which he described as “where the action seems to be.” He highlighted how podcasters including Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God had set the agenda during the presidential election, but added, “I don’t flatter myself to think I will have that sort of reach.”

The stunning decision by Wallace to walk away from CNN at the end of his three-year, seven-figure contract, rather than to renegotiate it, is a watershed moment for cable TV. It comes as other anchors face being fired or having salaries cut as declining ratings and cord-cutting hit the industry’s bottom line.

Chris Wallace seemed bearish on Kamala Harris’ chances given exit polls that suggested widespread dissatisfaction in the Biden Administration. “In conventional terms, it would be a miracle that Kamala Harris could win with that kind of headwind.”

Wallace spent 12 hours on air on election night last week, making him one of the key faces of CNN's coverage.
Wallace was one of the main faces of CNN’s election night coverage last week, correctly forecasting that Kamala Harris would need a “miracle” to win as the first exit polls showed the depths of her electoral difficulty. He came to CNN in 2021 after 18 years at Fox News, where he had interviewed Donald Trump repeatedly and earned praise for his handling of the fiery 2020 presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden.

But he told the Daily Beast that his career in broadcast television–which began on local TV in Chicago in 1973 and spanned NBC’s The Today Show and Meet The Press, ABC’s PrimeTime Live and Fox News Sunday before he joined CNN–will be over when his contract lapses at the end of the year, describing it as “quite liberating.”

“This is the first time in 55 years I‘ve been between jobs,” he said. “I am actually excited and liberated by that.”

Dana Bash and Jim Jordan on "State of the Union."
Wallace is considering what streaming or podcast format would work for him, and added, “Not knowing is part of the challenge. I‘m waiting to see what comes over the transom. It might be something that I haven’t thought of at all.”

CNN wanted to retain Wallace but his decision to quit ahead of contract talks will be seen as a sign of CNN’s waning influence in the media landscape. Its ratings have been consistently down, with its election night coverage falling far behind Fox News. In relative terms, it has slid further and faster than its competitors, Fox and MSNBC, leading to pressure to cut costs.

Wallace emphasized that his decision was not a criticism of his employers. “I have nothing but positive things to say. CNN has been very good to me,” he said. He joined to be one of the key faces of the CNN+ streaming network, only for it to be closed by the new CNN CEO, Chris Licht, a month after going live in March 2022. Wallace anchors The Chris Wallace Show on Saturday mornings and Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, which streams on Max.

Wallace joined CNN after 18 years at Fox News. That had included moderating the Trump-Biden debate in 2020 in which the then-president sparred with Wallace as well as his presidential rival.

CNN CEO and Chairman Mark Thompson said in a statement: “Chris Wallace is one of the most respected political journalists in the news business with a unique track record across radio, print, broadcast television, cable television and streaming. We want to thank him for the dedication and wisdom he’s brought to all his work at CNN and to wish him the very best for the future.”

What do you think?

Do you take this story at face value?