CNN has already undergone two major management changes this year — president Jeff Zucker’s installation and managing editor’s Mark Whitaker’s departure — as the network continues to seek a shot in the arm for its ratings. In the first month of 2013, CNN was up slightly in Total Viewers and down in the demo in Total Day, and down double digits across the board in primetime.
The ratings for January 2013:
- Primetime (Mon-Sun): 664,000 Total Viewers / 200,000 A25-54
- Total Day (Mon-Sun): 428,000 Total Viewers / 135,000 A25-54
Compared to January 2012, CNN is +2% in Total Viewers and down -3% in A25-54 viewers in Total Day. In primetime, the declines were steeper: the network is down -22% in Total Viewers and -30% among younger viewers. It should be noted that CNN hosted two GOP primary debates that boosted primetime ratings last January.
CNN’s early evening programming was a bright spot in January. All three hours of “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” are up double digits in both ratings measurements compared to the same month last year. “Erin Burnett OutFront” was also up compared to January 2012, +13% in Total Viewers and +18% in the demo.
In primetime, “Piers Morgan Tonight” is up +10% in Total Viewers but down slightly, -2%, among adults 25-54. The 8pmET edition of “Anderson Cooper 360” is up slightly compared to last year, +5% in Total Viewers and +3% in the demo, but the 10pmET re-air of the program is down -20% and -27%, respectively.
A year after it’s official launch, “Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien” continues to show lackluster growth, +4% in Total Viewers and +1% in the demo year-over-year. This morning, CNN announced Chris Cuomo as the anchor of a revamped CNN morning show that is currently in development.