NEWS > BUSINESS > CNN MAKES PLANS TO BECOME ‘THE MJ’

CNN MAKES PLANS TO BECOME ‘THE MJ’

July 10 2009

Atlanta, GA – In recent years the battles between the cable news networks has not been kind to the granddaddy of them all. With only a handful of ratings spikes during major events, CNN has routinely lagged behind newcomers Fox News and MSNBC and in recent months has even fallen behind sibling station Headline News. Founded in
1980, CNN created the 24 hour cable news format but as rivals move towards extreme journalism the network has found itself in the unenviable position of falling further and further behind its offspring.

The most recent win for the network has been the nonstop coverage of the death of Michael Jackson which has caused a ratings surge they had not seen since last year’s election. With that in mind, and with a seemingly endless number of stories about the deceased singer, the network is reportedly mulling a change to fall more in line with the former ‘King of Pop’. Though far from official, the new name being considered is ‘The MJ’, initials which will not stand for anything, but give the network a standing connection with Jackson and a lasting appeal with a younger audience.

“A lot of people inside the network and Time-Warner have been talking about a drastic change to CNN for a long time. Aside from the decreased revenue, a lot of people feel genuinely embarrassed about the situation and want to do whatever they can to change the situation. They aren’t content to have occasional ratings surges. They feel that they are the big daddy in this game and they really don’t like being put on their heels by competitors,” said an insider familiar with the situation. “There is this feeling that they are losing more and more ground. The final embarrassment came when they started to lose to Headline News. Even though it is a stable mate, HN has always been considered the little brother and for them to be overtaken caused more than a few red faces both at the network and at corporate. They desperately want to change the situation permanently and some feel this might just be the trick.”

Reportedly the network has already been in contact with the Jackson family to try and secure official support but may go ahead with or without consent. Details are scarce at the moment but it is believed that they will offer Jackson-centric programming throughout their regular schedule.

“It’s an interesting move but it remains to be seen how far they will be able to stretch the coverage. The core issue is of course the fact that Jackson is dead and won’t be around to create new stories say a year from now. Once people start to get over their grief they will move back into their normal lives and their interest in Jackson will likely wane,” said Scrape TV Media analyst Sarah Piper. “The real advantage here isn’t in the United States. Jackson’s star has long been much bigger throughout the world than he has been in the U.S. and that could put them in a really enviable position globally.”

All three of the major news networks have seen ratings spikes in the wake of Jackson’s death but none as much as CNN. It’s believed that the name change will also prompt significant changes to the format and to the personalities, bringing the network closer to an MTV style format.

“If they do go ahead with this change it’s an acknowledgement that the other two networks have won the news battle. By populating their channels with extremists and talking heads they have grabbed both sides of the political spectrum. CNN surges when real news happens largely because they are the old stalwart but day to day they are losing. By engaging the audience with a more cohesive vision of entertainment they could surge back permanently,” continued Piper. “With the kind of deification that seems to have happened with Michael Jackson this move could be a massive win for the network. Look at the continued interest in Princess Diana. She is as popular now as she was when she died and I don’t think there’s any doubt that globally at least Jackson was a much bigger star and that could sustain them for the long term.”

Reportedly certain personalities are protesting the proposed changes with Wolf Blitzer in particular upset at the prospect of having to wear a single white glove while on the air.

William Ashford, Business Correspondent

NEWS > BUSINESS > CNN MAKES PLANS TO BECOME ‘THE MJ’