By Stephen Macaulay
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and if you’re Chris Licht, head of CNN, you probably spend your 3 a.m. sleeplessness wishing that things were like they were when people couldn’t take their eyes away from Wolf Blitzer’s reporting.
Let’s consider the demographic numbers in the highly valued 25-54 age group for those watching cable news (and one has to assume that those who are watching linear news on classic television are a diminishing cohort).
TVNewser reports that on May 8, the day before the CNN clown show, CNN shows were hammered by Fox News.
- 4 pm: Cavuto: 166 Tapper: 152
- 5 pm: Five: 298 Tapper: 159
- 6 pm: Baier: 214 Blitzer: 178
- 7 pm: Watters: 191 Burnett: 175
- 8 pm: FN Tonight: 144 Cooper: 165
- 9 pm: Hannity: 200 Primetime: 114
- 10 pm: Ingraham: 187 Tonight: 123
- 11 pm: Gutfeld: 241 Tonight: 116
Although high fives must be being thrown regarding Anderson Cooper’s performance, let’s not kid ourselves: The absence of Tucker Carlson undoubtedly has more to do with that than the earnestness with which Cooper poses his questions.
And if we throw the MSNBC numbers into the mix, CNN is not the powerhouse that it once was, not by a long shot. Wallace beats Tapper; Melber beats Blitzer; Wagner beats Primetime; and O’Donnell beats Tonight. (Joy Reid ought to be updating her resume because her number is subpar.)
Thing is, the Trump Town Hall was simply a desperate hope on behalf of CNN that it could gain viewership.
There was, of course, the beating of the breast and the claim that this was something necessary: Trump is the front-runner and so he deserves coverage. CNN is simply upholding its mantle as a leading news organization.
But why the town hall format packed with people who were either identified as supporters or could-be supporters?
Why not a one-on-one between Kaitlan Collins and the man who is something of a mashup of Rodney Dangerfield and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog?
The answer to that is simple: like Godzilla when getting tangled in high-power electrical lines, Trump feeds off the energy of the adoring crowd. He gets more brazen with his smarminess and outright lies.
What if this was a one-on-one, audience-free Q&A, more of a serious setting?
Licht certainly didn’t want to have a situation like the one where Trump walked off the set of an interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes.
He wanted ratings.
Yes, Trump proved himself to be the disingenuous public figure he’s always been. There was no news made. He kept to the tired script he’s been flogging for years.
Yet the audience ate it up.
And Licht probably had a good night’s sleep last night.
He probably got some numbers. Veracity be damned.
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Calling Citizen Pundits
What are your thoughts about ex-President Donald J. Trump’s appearance on the CNN Town Hall Wednesday? Whether right or left, always- or never-Trumper, we want your civilly stated thoughts.
Go to the Comment section in this column or the one on the right, or email editors@thehustings.news and indicate your political leanings in the subject line.