Survey: Viewers Detect Centrist Shift at CNN
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It hasn’t been very long since new leadership took control at CNN, but cable news consumers already seem to be noticing a difference, according to an exclusive new survey — and they like what they’re seeing.
Fifty-eight percent of CNN viewers think the network has become more critical of President Biden, per the results of a survey taken earlier this month by Variety Intelligence Platform in partnership with consumer insights experts Maru. Nearly half of respondents also say CNN has softened how it covers former President Trump, while a majority (60%) think CNN has upped its inclusion of conservative viewpoints.
The survey comes after months of tumult at the network, which began in February when CEO Jeff Zucker resigned. He had been credited with re-repositioning CNN as an aggressive counterpoint to the Trump administration.
He was replaced with Chris Licht by CNN’s new parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, which counts media mogul John Malone as a major shareholder. Malone had publicly expressed his interest in CNN moving away from its left-leaning tone, though he and network brass have long denied any such re-repositioning was orchestrated.
Nevertheless, a number of moves Licht made in recent months have invited widespread speculation that CNN is returning to the political center, including his removal of several on-air personalities well known for agitating conservatives, including Brian Stelter and John Harwood. The network has also undergone other changes that have raised eyebrows, as in some CNN personalities making sharply critical remarks about President Biden.
Yet these changes have not hurt how viewers consider its reporting, with 80% saying CNN covers the news fairly and 77% agreeing it can be relied upon for the truth. This is important, as it shows that the move to the center is not alienating its audience base — in other words, not harming the brand or its audience.
VIP+/Maru’s survey found that close to half of CNN viewers thought there had been a change in CNN’s reporting stance. The most common response was that it had shifted to the center (22%), followed by a move to the right (16%) and that it was now more left (11%). That adds up to 38% of CNN viewers thinking coverage had moved more either to the right or center.
A sizable minority (43%) said they had heard CNN was moving to a more centrist stance when presented with this. (Note: It is a coincidence that this figure matches the total cable-news viewer figure.)
The net effect of the tonal shift is positive. More CNN viewers say the change would make them watch more (35%) primetime CNN content than watch less (17%). The changes are also positive among Fox News viewers — which includes some viewers who also watch CNN, as it isn’t mutually exclusive — with 39% saying they’d watch more CNN in primetime and 11% less. 31% of Fox News viewers would not consider watching CNN at all.
With the midterm elections coming up, followed by the road for presidential nominations beginning in 2023, this is good news for the network. Viewers should continue to turn up for these events, with the centrist stance likely to attract some independent voters tired of the partisan coverage on TV.