When it comes to “legacy” media, you don’t get more legacy than CNN, at least when it comes to cable news. Launched in 1980, CNN was the first network to offer 24-hour news, a programming strategy seen as risky at the time but now seems to have launched the era of infotainment and given rise to its behemoth competitor, Fox.

CNN has been struggling in recent years, however, and announced layoffs this week, characterizing the cuts as part of a restructuring to focus on digital media.

Per The Associated Press, “It’s the boldest revamp yet in the 18-month tenure of CEO Mark Thompson, a former chief executive at The New York Times and BBC called upon by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery to revive the news outlet’s flagging fortunes.”

About 200 employees are reportedly affected, which amounts to 6% of the network’s staff, Adweek reported.

The layoffs come on the heels of a defamation judgment that will cost the company millions of dollars. A Florida jury awarded Navy veteran Zachary Young $5 million already and punitive damages are yet to be determined. They also come as CNN and MSNBC struggle to compete with Fox News in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s election.

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CNN to pay U.S. Navy veteran $5 million for defamation, punitive damages yet to come

The Associated Press noted that CNN averaged 1.7 million viewers for Trump’s inauguration compared to 8 million when Joe Biden took office in 2021. In fact, total viewership was down across the board from previous inaugurations, Variety reported, but this is at least in part because of people watching on apps and streaming services. As The New York Times put it, “Fox News was far and away the most-watched TV network during President Trump’s inauguration on Monday, a sign of both the channel’s dominance in cable news and the overall drop in Americans who rely on television to keep up on current events.”

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While CNN says there will be new hires in the coming year, the layoffs are being cheered on social media by conservatives who have long complained that the network is part of “corporate media” that is biased against them.

In one exchange that drew attention on social media, CNN anchor Jim Acosta, whose future at the network has been the subject of much speculation, said to Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, “This is not Fox, congressman. You can’t just tell a tale and pull the wool over people’s eyes. This is CNN. This is the news.”

Burchett hit back, saying that more people are watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” reruns than CNN.

According to Variety’s examination of cable networks’ performances in 2024, CNN ranked 15th — trailing Fox News and MSNBC, and also the Hallmark Channel and HGTV.

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