The CNN+ train wreck somehow managed to get even more humiliating
Just when you thought that the CNN+ fiasco was dead and not possible of becoming any more embarrassing – it somehow gets even more embarrassing.
CNN+ – the cable news network's streaming service that charged viewers $6 per month – launched on March 29 and was shuttered on April 28. Despite CNN spending an estimated $300 million to launch the trainwreck of a product, plus another $100 to $200 million to promote the doomed venture, CNN+ reportedly only garnered a pathetic 5,000 to 10,000 viewers a day.
"CNN Plus hired about 700 people for its launch," the Washington Post reported last month. "A person at the network said that 350 people will be affected by layoffs, though the company expects many of those employees to find new roles at the company, absorbed back into CNN or into open jobs at Discovery-owned networks such as the HBO Max streaming service."
A former designer for CNN+ – who only worked for the streaming service for a few months – told Insider the experience of being canned by the company, "I remember texting my roommates and telling them I was getting fired. Everyone was utterly shocked."
A week after the workers were fired by the streaming service's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, the laid-off employees were sent welcome baskets from CNN+, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Inside the welcome baskets were items such as CNN-branded pens, food containers, popcorn machines, and headphones.
Adding insult to injury for the laid-off workers of the service that couldn't survive a full month, there was a welcome note that read: "This is an incredible time to be part of CNN. Build relationships and take time to connect with colleagues and learn so that you make the most of your time here."
CNN told the WSJ that the ill-timed welcome baskets were sent by "mistake."
While the network may not have had enough money to keep employees, CNN did have enough money to throw a "Political Hangover” brunch to end White House correspondents’ weekend – which irked an ex-employee.
"The hangover brunch lived up to its name with a bloody Mary station, as well as an Aperol Spritz bar and a coffee bar that served lattes decked out with the CNN logo," The Hill reported.
The event was attended by CNN personalities, including Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, Jim Acosta, Brian Stelter, Don Lemon, Melanie Zanona, Priscilla Álvarez, Daniella Díaz, Melissa Macaya, and Maegan Vázquez.
The event infuriated at least one former CNN employee who told Radar Online, "Here they are spending gobs of money on a ‘hangover’ brunch to close out WHCD weekend. Management is tone-deaf. Then again, frugal spending isn’t really their forte."
The ex-employee added, "It's nuts. The network never ceases to amaze, doesn't it?”
CNN's political hangover brunch earning a thumbs up from @oliverdarcypic.twitter.com/IKgTlvzdIo— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter) 1651426208
Chris Wallace speaks out after sudden collapse of CNN+, says he is unsure of where his career goes next
Anchor Chris Wallace spoke out Sunday about the sudden collapse of CNN+, the streaming platform that survived for just one month before shuttering last week.
What is the background?
After working at Fox News for nearly 20 years, Wallace announced last December that he was leaving the network for CNN+.
However, Wallace will be out of a job at the end of the week because executives at Discovery, which recently merged with CNN's parent company, shuttered the streaming platform just three weeks after it launched. Wallace was perhaps the biggest figure who joined CNN+, a project that cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
What happened?
Speaking in an interview on Sunday, Wallace admitted that he is not sure where he will work next. Instead, his primary concern lies with the majority of CNN+'s employees.
"I am going to be fine. I’m in good shape, whether it’s at CNN or someplace else. Frankly, what I’m mostly concerned about right now — and very — is my team and hundreds of other people," Wallace said.
"There were 300 people, I think, that had jobs at CNN+. Some of them had left CNN to go to streaming, some of them had left other places, moved across the country, and so I think you’re seeing a lot of the anchors at CNN+ doing everything they can to protect the people that were working on their team," he added.
Finding Common Ground on Media, Politics, and Polarization youtu.be
Wallace will, indeed, be in "good shape" no matter what happens next in his career.
Not only was Wallace a high-paid anchor at Fox News, but Wallace was reportedly offered an annual salary of $9 million to bring his services to CNN+, the New York Post reported.
In total, CNN+ reportedly spent $300 million launching the streaming platform and several hundred million additional dollars on advertising. However, CNN+ only managed to net 150,000 subscribers during its launch, the New York Times reported. Executives reportedly hoped the platform could amass between 15 to 18 million subscribers within four years.
The final day of operations for CNN+ will be April 30.
Demise of CNN+ lampooned by former CNN employee, Kristi Noem, Meghan McCain, and Joe Rogan: 'Do you want to watch 'The Mandalorian' or extra Brian Stelter?'
Warner Bros. Discovery shuttered CNN+ last week – only three weeks after the failed streaming service launched. There were reports that CNN+ was only attracting 10,000 daily viewers despite the network having spent an estimated $300 million to launch the service and another $100 to $200 million to promote the doomed venture. Many reactions to the demise of CNN+ lampooned the network's disastrous streaming service.
Former CNN producer and network insider doubted the success of CNN+
A former CNN employee tore into the management of the ill-fated streaming service.
"I defy you to find any reasonable person who ever believed that viewers would pay extra money for the dregs of CNN when it was competing for their wallets with Netflix and Disney Plus," a former CNN producer told Fox News. "Do you want to watch ‘The Mandalorian’ or extra Brian Stelter?"
A CNN insider informed the outlet, "I didn't get this whole thing from day one. I'm not commenting on the content here. I mean – the basic product itself. I didn't get why the massive money was spent after a merger had been announced. It was like, 'Wheee! AT&T gave us the money, let's burn it!' I don't understand it."
Another CNN insider told the New York Post that the "big people will likely be saved," but the producers and showrunners face six months in severance or nothing at all.
"Everyone is aghast and furious," the insider told the Post.
Meghan McCain and Joe Rogan dance on the grave of CNN+
Meghan McCain wrote in the Daily Mail, "Keep in mind, these are also the same people who told coal miners who lost their jobs to go back to college and 'learn to code.'"
McCain pointed out that CNN's cable TV network lost 70% of its total audience between February 2021 and February 2022.
She asked, "Why would anyone at CNN believe that the American public would pay extra for content from a brand that is already struggling to bring in audiences?"
"If someone pitched this idea to me, I would have said that they had been spending too much time in the Hamptons with Chris Cuomo and not enough time in the real world where Tik Tok stars, Joe Rogan, and Fox News primetime are the dominating media forces," McCain added,
Speaking of Joe Rogan, the premiere podcast host also mocked the failed streaming service during a recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience."
"They spent $300 million. They got 10,000 subscribers," Rogan gleefully razzed CNN+. "Imagine the hubris of thinking that something that people don't want for free? That you're going to charge money for it."
Rogan parodied a possible CNN+ executive meeting about programming, "'We're gonna have a Jake Tapper book club.'"
Rogan added, "Jake Tapper seems like a great guy. But I mean, I feel like I don't have to pay for his book club. I feel like you should put that on Twitter."
During the podcast, British author and political commentator Douglas Murray jokingly disparaged the streaming service as "CNN Minus" instead of "CNN Plus."
Kristi Noem takes a shot at President Joe Biden
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem utilized the abrupt demise of CNN+ to bash President Joe Biden's decision to shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline.
CNN producer Ellie Smith urged people not to revel in the death of CNN+ because it left hundreds of people without jobs.
“PSA if you’re going to tweet something snarky about CNN+, hundreds of journalists and technicians who did nothing but work their tails off just had the rug pulled out from under them. So be kind," Smith wrote on Twitter.
The Republican governor of South Dakota shot back, "Now you know how the Keystone XL Pipeline workers feel."
Noem was referencing President Biden canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline – which cost at least 11,000 direct jobs.
Now you know how the Keystone XL Pipeline workers feel.https://twitter.com/elliekaysmith_/status/1517187599030538240\u00a0\u2026— Kristi Noem (@Kristi Noem) 1650572917
Greg Gutfeld used an entire show to ruthlessly ridicule Chris Wallace over the meteoric collapse of CNN+
Greg Gutfeld utilized an entire show to gleefully lampoon former Fox News colleague Chris Wallace over the meteoric collapse of the CNN+ streaming service.
In December, Wallace announced his sudden departure from Fox News – where he had been the anchor of "Fox News Sunday" since 2003. Wallace proclaimed that he was "thrilled to join CNN+."
Last month, Wallace explained why he left Fox News for CNN.
"I just no longer felt comfortable with the programming at Fox," Wallace told the New York Times. "But when people start to question the truth — Who won the 2020 election? Was Jan. 6 an insurrection? — I found that unsustainable."
"Before, I found it was an environment in which I could do my job and feel good about my involvement at Fox," Wallace said. "And since November of 2020, that just became unsustainable, increasingly unsustainable as time went on."
Earlier this week, news broke that Warner Bros. Discovery was pulling the plug on CNN+ less than a month after launching the subscription streaming news service that costs $5.99 a month. A CNBC report released on April 12 stated that CNN's failed streaming service was only receiving 10,000 viewers a day.
Gutfeld basked in the sudden downfall of CNN+ during a recent episode of his Fox News TV show, while also taking potshots at Wallace.
"Okay, so you see Hillary was supposed to come back, you got Bernie, you got Mitt – the Democratic bench is thinner than Chris Wallace's demo reel from CNN+," Gutfeld said on Thursday's episode of "The Five." "I just needed to get that in there."
During the show, co-host Judge Jeanine Pirro recounted how she was "sitting next to a guy who was drunk on a plane and he vomited all over me." Gutfeld jokingly interjected, "Oh my God, was it Chris Wallace?"
Judge Jeanine: "I was sitting next to a guy who was drunk on a plane and he vomited all over me."\n\nGutfeld: "Was it Chris Wallace?"pic.twitter.com/USiBI8CYuf— Kevin Tober (@Kevin Tober) 1650580480
Gutfeld ridiculed Wallace during a segment about Black Lives Matter New York chapter co-founder Hawk Newsome’s derogatory remarks about Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
"BLM has done to black people what Chris Wallace did to CNN+: entice them with a promise and then ditch them on the side of the road," Gutfeld quipped, then informed the television audience, "I'm going to do this every segment, so get used to it!”
Greg Gutfeld: "BLM has done to Black people what Chris Wallace did to CNN+. Entice them with a promise and then ditch them on the side of the road. I'm going to do this every segment, so get used to it!"pic.twitter.com/tcMPTjPckU— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1650576467
Gutfeld used Wallace's own words to criticize him, "Well, to quote Chris Wallace, I don’t think the credibility of this initiative is sustainable."
Gutfeld continued his ruthless verbal assault on Wallace, “Look for independent voices with free time, so I guess that eliminates Chris Wallace."
The rising Fox News star slammed Wallace, "A lot of these solutions coming from the left are unreliable, whether it’s solar panels or windmills. I mean, look at CNN+ and how much money they invested in wind power by hiring Chris Wallace."
Gutfeld has razzed Wallace in the past.
In January 2021, Wallace proclaimed that President Joe Biden delivered "the best inaugural address I've ever heard." Gutfeld reacted by performing an over-the-top parody of Wallace.
"An amazing inauguration, I agree with Chris Wallace," Gutfeld declared. "The greatest inauguration I have ever seen in my entire life! And you know what, I'll even go further than Chris Wallace, it's the greatest inauguration I will ever see! Ever see! I think we should stop the inaugurations! Stop the inaugurations! This is it!"
Greg Gutfeld mocks colleague Chris Wallace for calling Biden's speech the "best" he ever heard:\n\n"I agree with Chris Wallace, the greatest inauguration I\u2019ve ever seen in my entire life! And I'll go further than Chris Wallace. It\u2019s the greatest inauguration I will ever see!"pic.twitter.com/HhqPREWlSa— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1611180935
Whitlock: CNN+ another casualty of Donald Trump’s ‘Dead Dems Society’
The left needs Donald Trump more than we do. That’s the takeaway from the rapid and shocking collapse of CNN+, the stillborn streaming service Cable News Network birthed three weeks ago and pronounced dead on Thursday.
Donald Trump is the sun that fuels the left. He is the source of their energy, the god they worship, the justification for their retention of power, the wind beneath their wings.
The left needs President Trump far more than we do.
Let me define my use of the word “we.” It represents those of us who are grateful to live in the most free, most fair, and most successful country on the planet. It represents those of us who recognize that our founding documents, the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, were biblically inspired and have been the force rooting out the unfairness of man’s nature.
My use of the word “we” in this instance isn’t intended to be politically partisan. It does not connote the political right. It signifies people in their right minds, people who are rational, objective, and believers in truth. We no longer need Donald Trump.
That is not written to denigrate and/or criticize America’s 45th president. It’s written to convey how far we’ve come and what he taught us. There was clearly a time, even if some of us failed to recognize it, that we desperately needed President Trump. We needed him to open our eyes to the depth and pervasiveness of America’s political corruption. We needed him to expose corporate media’s hostility toward the average American. We needed him to inspire us to stand up to the establishment.
Donald Trump was actor Robin Williams in the movie "Dead Poets Society," the eccentric teacher shouting “carpe diem” to teenagers who couldn’t resist the force of his personality. At the film's climax, Williams’ character, teacher John Keating, was wrongfully blamed for the suicide of one his students, Neil Perry. Perry’s parents forced the school to fire Keating, devastating the flock of boys inspired by Keating’s teachings. The boys staged an impromptu classroom insurrection, shouting “O captain! My captain!” when Keating briefly returned to class to collect his belongings.
Donald Trump is the star of "Dead Dems Society." His final lesson focused on election integrity. It reached its climax on January 6, when the establishment assassinated Ashli Babbitt for shouting “O captain! My captain!” inside the Capitol. The establishment blames Trump for Babbitt’s death. The truth is that corrupt politicians put Babbitt in harm’s way and an inept cop acted incompetently.
My point is we have graduated from Welton Academy, the fictional prep school in "Dead Poets Society." Keating taught his students well. He sent arrows into the world. His students no longer needed him. They knew how to seize the day.
That’s where we are with Donald Trump. We know what to do. The left doesn’t. The left is collapsing now that it is being forced to live without orbiting around Trump, the source of its power.
“Everybody profited from the ratings and the clicks with the anti-Trump vitriol,” Fox News media expert Joe Concha told me. “And now that Trump is gone, everybody’s struggling.”
Everybody on the left. CNN+ folded. Netflix is hemorrhaging subscribers. Spotify declined to renew its deal with the Obamas. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow suddenly only wants to host her show once a week. Comedian Bill Maher now regularly cracks just as many jokes on liberals as conservatives. Jack Dorsey gave up his Twitter CEO chair, is a critic of the Twitter board, and claims CNN was staging conflict in Ferguson, Missouri, during the Michael Brown controversy.
When the left has to actually defend its agenda rather than just shout “Trump,” its insanity takes center stage.
Disney is insane. The California-based company wants to dictate political policy in Florida. The Sunshine State enacted a law prohibiting teachers from teaching sexuality and gender to kindergartners through third grade. It’s a rational law. It empowers parents, leaving them as the primary “groomers” of their kids. Disney joined the leftists fighting against the law and the empowerment of parents.
Disney and the left want public schoolteachers to groom the sexuality and gender of 5-year-olds.
The absence of Trump from the White House makes the left’s agenda the star of the reality show corporate media broadcasts. The show is an absolute train wreck. It’s satanic.
The left’s “Defund the Police” sitcom has led to a dramatic increase in crime and violence. It has now turned extreme leftists against their political allies. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is engaged in a feud with Black Lives Matter. Adams has recently criticized BLM for ignoring the deaths of black people not killed by police.
Hank Newsome, the head of BLM New York, called Adams, who is black, a “white man in blackface.”
Now that they can’t fight Trump, the left is fighting each other. The modern left isn’t about building back better. It’s about tearing down everything in sight.
The left needs Donald Trump back in the White House more than we do. His existence on the political stage lets Democrats pretend they’re a force for good. Without Trump, all the Democrats have left is climate change. Speculating about Mother Nature isn’t nearly as profitable or interesting as calling Trump the next Adolf Hitler.
"Don’t Look Up," the Leonardo DiCaprio-fronted climate-change movie, couldn’t bail out Netflix.
"Dead Dems Society" is still America’s No. 1 movie.
CNN Plus Falling Apart After One Month Is A Symptom Of The Network’s Identity Crisis
Where the network will really go remains an open question, but CNN Plus's part in that future is nothing more than a $300 million blunder.
BREAKING: Warner Bros. Discovery shuttering CNN+ amid reports of dismal subscriber numbers
Warner Bros. Discovery is shutting down the newly launched CNN+ and is expected to address the closure with staffers on Thursday, Variety reported Thursday morning.
What are the details?
Variety first reported that incoming CNN CEO Chris Licht told staffers on Thursday morning that an "important meeting" was scheduled for noon.
The meeting, according to the report, is "expected to inform employees about the decision." Licht is said to have already notified CNN executive vice president Andrew Morse, who oversees all programming of the newly launched outlet.
Of the news, CNN's Brian Stelter tweeted, "Breaking: CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most signifiant [sic] developments in the history of CNN, will shut down on April 30, just one month after it launched."
Breaking: CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most signifiant developments in the history of CNN, will shut down on April 30, just one month after it launched. Here's our initial story \u2013 more to comehttps://www.cnn.com/2022/04/21/media/cnn-shutting-down/index.html\u00a0\u2026— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter) 1650556558
Stelter's tweet cited a CNN report that confirmed the news.
"CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most significant developments in the history of CNN, will shut down on April 30, just one month after it launched," the outlet reported. "The decision was made by new management after CNN's former parent company, WarnerMedia, merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery. David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, has said that he wants to house all of the company's brands under one streaming service. Some CNN+ programming may eventually live on through that service."
What else?
CNN+, the premium news subscription service headlined by former longtime Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, garnered only about 150,000 subscribers, according to a Tuesday report. A previous report claimed the streaming service saw a mere 10,000 viewers on a daily basis.
The service launched on March 29 and charged subscribers $5.99 per month, or $59.99 annually, for its content.
Just days after the launch, Fox Business senior correspondent Charles Gasparino reported that CNN+ employees could soon see mass layoffs.
Gasparino at the time said that the company failed to drive subscriptions and may be hemorrhaging cash.
"@CNNplus employees bracing for layoffs possibly as soon as May amid projections of lackluster sales of new streaming channel," Gasparino reported on Twitter. "CNN employees say new streaming channel could be merged into larger @discoveryplus as early as May unless subscriptions pick up."
This is a breaking story and will be updated as events warrant.
Collapse of CNN+ continues after Warner Bros reportedly cuts marketing spending
A report in Axios detailed the collapse of CNN+, the premium news subscription service headlined by former longtime Fox News anchor Chris Wallace.
The report said that Warner Bros. Discovery had pulled external marketing spending for the service, according to five separate sources. They also reportedly cut CNN's longtime chief financial officer over the debacle.
The report said that CNN executives believed the launch of the premium service was a success, but those at Warner Bros. disagreed with that assessment.
CNN+ has garnered only 150,000 subscribers, while a previous report claimed the service only saw 10,000 viewers on a daily basis, falling far short of expectations.
CNN+ executives reportedly hoped to see 2 million subscribers in the first year and as many as 15 to 18 million over four years. The service officially launched on March 29 and charges subscribers $5.99 a month, or $59.99 annually to stream its news content.
Discovery executives were said to be upset that CNN+ launched early before it could be aligned with the goals of the parent company.
A separate report in May claimed that CNN+ was already heading towards employee layoffs in May.
In December, radio host Howard Stern was among many who mocked the news that Wallace had left Fox to join CNN+.
"People don't want CNN, who the hell's gonna pay for CNN+? I mean are they outta their minds?" Stern joked. "Good luck bein' seen on that thing!"
Later reports surfaced that Wallace was growing frustrated that plans for the subscription channel were imploding due to the resignation of Jeff Zucker in the wake of revelations about an inappropriate relationship with an underling.
Here's the trailer for the CNN+ service:
World-class storytellers | Now Streaming | CNN+www.youtube.com
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