CNN may have an opening in its long struggle to close the ratings gap with Fox News, now that Fox chief Roger Ailes is out, Bloomberg reports.
“Even before Ailes resigned last week following sexual-harassment accusations leveled by a former anchor, Time Warner Inc.’s CNN had been eating into his network’s commanding lead,” Bloomberg reports. “Now, Fox News’ dominance of cable news has been thrown into question as it seeks to replace one of the most powerful executives in television history.”
The report quotes Andrew Heyward, former president of CBS News, saying: “You have a charismatic, visionary leader, one of the leading players in television news, who is now departing the scene. That creates a potential opportunity for not only CNN, but MSNBC.”
Bloomberg adds: “The shakeup at the top of Fox News could reshape the cable news landscape and allow CNN to capture a piece of what’s become a major profit center for parent 21st Century Fox Inc. The company’s cable networks, led by the news channel, accounted for as much as half of its revenue last year and more than two-thirds of its operating income.”
Click on the link to Bloomberg near the top of this story to read the full analysis.
Nothing will happen in the short term…by that I mean 6-9 months. But once the dust starts to settle and we see if major news talent STAYS or DEPARTS FNC, then you will get a much better picture. I have to laugh a little at Andrew Heyward mentioning that MSNBC has an opportunity as well as CNN. Nope. That’s going a little bit too far. FNC and CNN can at least be considered division one college football programs from “power conference.” MSNBC is barely division three.