CNN, Fox, And MSNBC Just Told Us A Lot About Their Futures With These Three New Show Announcements

For news industry watchers and reporters on the media beat, Monday brought a flood of announcements from a handful of the top networks. But announcements of the sort that told you as much about the networks themselves — and the respective strategies they’re using to expand their position in the cable news marketplace — as it does about the new talent and on-air personalities themselves.

CNN, for example, revealed that it’s hired ex-NPR host Audie Cornish, recently of NPR’s flagship “All Things Considered” program. She’ll host a new weekly show for the network’s forthcoming CNN+ streaming service, as well as contribute to the streamer’s slate of live programming. She’ll also host a podcast for CNN Audio and cover national, political and breaking news for CNN.

Since the network is building a new streaming service from scratch, part of its strategy seems to be about collecting as many high-profile names as possible to front its programming. Which makes sense, in theory, since big names (like ex-Fox anchor Chris Wallace, actress Eva Longoria, chef Alison Roman, and Cornish, among others) could — again, in theory — mean broad audiences might follow. Of course, one complicating factor is people’s appetite for paying to subscribe to yet another streaming service, in a world already awash with them.

CNN+ head Andrew Morse said Monday of Cornish that “Her voice has been such an important part of the lives of so many people, and the perspective, integrity and grace that have been hallmarks of her career will make her such an important addition to our teams.” Indeed, judging by the outpouring of interest on social media once news spread of the departure of Cornish from NPR, that would tend to suggest this is, indeed, an auspicious hire for the nascent streamer.

CNN viewers will, presumably, see Cornish first, before CNN+ subscribers do. The network said Monday that she’ll start working out of CNN’s Washington DC bureau in February. No launch date has been announced just yet for CNN+, however.

As for Fox News, its contribution to the swirl of announcements on Monday came in the form of a promotion of sorts for Jesse Watters. He’s a co-host of “The Five,” who will remain as such — in addition to pulling double-duty a la Greg Gutfeld, now that the former will also lead Fox’s 7 p.m. ET hour that’s getting a rebrand later this month as “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

As with the network giving Gutfeld a key late-night spot for his new comedy show “Gutfeld!,” the Watters announcement sees Fox also tapping another “The Five” co-host to likewise split his time. And to bring some of the ratings halo of Fox’s panel show at 5 pm ET to another spot on the schedule.

Watters has been with Fox in some form or fashion for almost 20 years now. And his new gig will also now eliminate the question mark that had been hanging over the 7 pm hour for a year now, following Martha MacCallum’s show at that hour getting moved up to 3 pm.

Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott pointed to Watters’ strength as a ratings draw in explaining the reason for his new solo weeknight hour. His “versatility and hosting acumen,” in Scott’s words, also played a part in the decision here. Don’t overlook the fact, either, that Watters’ other show, “The Five,” just hit a big record at the end of 2021.

According to year-end numbers from Nielsen, “The Five” — which airs starting at 5 pm ET — delivered 3,296,000 total viewers (“outpacing every hour across cable news,” per Fox). That also marks the first time that a non-primetime program won the quarter on the basis of total viewers.

A Poynter column on Tuesday about the Watters news, meanwhile, opined that Fox’s evening programming continues to be awash with “propaganda” — which, incidentally, brings us to one final announcement from Monday along these same lines.

MSNBC announced that Symone Sanders, former chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris (as well as a former Biden campaign senior advisor) is getting a new weekend program on MSNBC. As well as airing on the network’s streaming service Peacock, Sanders will also serve as a fill-in anchor for MSNBC.

The Sanders hire continues a trend at the network, whereby NBC/MSNBC has hoovered up at least half a dozen analysts and contributors with some sort of tie to the Biden administration. Connections that in some cases were secret for a time, such as with presidential historian Jon Meacham reportedly failing to disclose that he was also doubling as a speechwriter for then-President-elect Biden.

So, three announcements, signaling three different larger strategies at play. It remains to be seen, however, whether any of this will significantly upend the current order of the cable news landscape. Because on a ratings basis, at least, it remains Fox News’ world — and everyone else is just living in it.