CNN’s Primetime Ratings Hit 33-Year Low as Insiders Brace for Staff Cuts

“Thompson and his digital growth chief Alex MacCallum are just weeks away from unveiling their plan to transform the network into a multi-platform company,” said media watcher Dylan Byersa correspondent Puck news and former CNN contributor.

“That plan requires the implementation of a new round of staff cuts across the organization. These layoffs, which will be announced in July, will certainly be far more strategic than the hundreds of exits Chris Licht implemented in late 2022 — and as uncomfortable as they may be, they represent meaningful forward momentum. But they will still be substantial and painful.

Beyers said that after the debate, CNN would inevitably return to “exactly the same circumstances it is in now”: averaging half a million viewers on any given night, and “struggling to assert its value in a crowded news environment.”