ANDERSON Cooper and other big hitters at CNN are reportedly feeling the strain as the network aims to dramatically slash the wage bill.
Two sources have told The U.S. Sun the likes of popular anchor Cooper, who rakes in a whopping $20 million a year, are fearful of the future.
GettyCNN staff are said to be feeling the tension after low ratings[/caption]
GettyAnderson Cooper, pictured in 2022, is among the stars a source said is feeling the tension[/caption]
Hordes of production staff are also allegedly “scared” of losing their jobs.
According to a report in Puck, plummeting ratings, which continued to dip during last week’s Presidential elections, have forced the top brass to consider axing Cooper and other top talent like Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Jake Tapper, and Kaitlan Collins.
All have been raking in multi-million dollar deals but now fear that CNN, who cut 100 jobs this summer, will wield the ax again.
CNN, however, is going through a massive crisis as viewership numbers are at an all-time low.
According to the insiders, another round of massive layoffs is “inevitable” in the next weeks.
The sources also claim journalists and production workers expect bad news to be announced soon and are already planning their next move.
“We know that the numbers have been going down a lot, and the tensions have been very high for long months now, as we are getting many signs that people are gonna be fired and axed very soon,” a journalist on the network told the U.S Sun.
“We have been talking a lot lately, and the result of the elections, as we haven’t had great numbers, is pretty much putting the last nail in the coffin for many workers.
“Some of us have already been approached by some media outlets, like Al Jazeera or even Fox News, and some platforms in the USA and abroad.”
While Cooper and the other CNN stars are confident that they can find work elsewhere, many production team members are less hopeful.
The source says that the big stars are already thinking about their next moves.
“There are a lot of other media and platforms or TV channels, so the situation is easier for the big stars compared to the other journalists and the production workers,” an 18-year veteran of the network told The U.S. Sun.
“I have been feeling frustration and tensions in the star hosts, like Anderson Cooper, Jack Tapper, and Erin Burnett, for example, and some of them have been fed up with the situation for a bit now.”
CNN’s ratings have dropped drastically since 2016.
They averaged 13.3 million primetime viewers, but now that number has fallen to just 800,000.
It’s a sinking ship, and we know many of us will be out of here in the next few weeks or months
Rivals like Fox, meanwhile, which appeal to a more right-wing audience, have been enjoying a healthy resurgence—they average around 2.8 million viewers for their most popular time slots.
“Many journalists, including some star ones, are working on some platforms using their reputation and creating their own media, where they could hire some of the workers and keep working with their own company and project,” continued one CNN journalist who has worked for the company for the last 16 years.
“Some guys see how Don Lemon and other guys are doing and are ready to jump off the sinking ship and do their own thing.”
FOX NEWS IS MOST-WATCHED NETWORK DURING ELECTION WEEK
During the week of the election, November 4-10, FOX News Channel was the number one network in all of television with weekday primetime viewers defeating the broadcast competition.
Throughout weekday primetime, FNC commanded 5.4 million viewers, trouncing ABC’s 4.9 million viewers, as well as CBS and NBC, which saw just 4.1 million viewers.
Commanding 61% of the cable news audience share, FNC blew CNN and MSNBC out of the water across the total day and primetime as the competition saw just 17% and 22% viewership share, respectively.
Additionally, FNC’s ratings skyrocketed for the week, delivering the most growth in cable news week-over-week and year-over-year in all categories.
On Election Day, FOX News Media’s primetime coverage of election night across FNC, FOX Network, FOX Business Network (FBN), and FOX News Digital topped all television networks with nearly 13.6 million viewers and 4.4 million in the 25-54 demo.
FNC’s Democracy 2024 primetime coverage averaged nearly 10.3 million in total viewers and 3.1 million in the 25-54 younger demographic, dominating the competition in both categories and beating ABC, NBC, CBS, and all cable news networks for the second election in a row.
FNC’s Decision Desk was the first major network to call the race for former President Donald Trump and the channel commanded over 7.4 million viewers and 2.4 million in the 25-54 demo, leading CNN and MSNBC combined.
In terms of cable news share, FNC occupied 48% of viewers in primetime and 50% across total day.
“It’s been a peculiar environment for quite a bit now,” added the other insider.
“A lot of us got denied any raise lately, and we see some of our perks being lowered, and we get told all the time to be ‘smart on the expenses’ when we go do reports or travel.”
“We feel that many of us are under the threat of being fired before the end of the year.
“From the journalists and the production workers, everyone is scared and trying to see what could happen next, to anticipate the inevitable.
“It’s a sinking ship, and we know many of us will be out of here in the next few weeks or months.
“It’s a very tough situation; everyone is trying to see what Plan B is and what’s next in their careers. I have been here for 18 years and never experienced so much tension.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to CNN for comment.
GettyJake Tapper, pictured in 2019, was also named by the source[/caption]
GettyErin Burnett, pictured in 2017, is among the network’s biggest names as it faces pressure from its declining audience numbers[/caption]
https://www.the-sun.com/news/12889172/anderson-cooper-cnn-stars-feeling-tension-poor-ratings/