The debut episode of the new early morning program, “CNN This Morning,” bombed in ratings after airing Tuesday.
The show, starring former Daily Caller reporter Kaitlan Collins, Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow, garnered 387,000 viewers and averaged 71,000 in the 25-54 demographic, Nielsen ratings found, according to the New York Post. The program is currently the lowest rated show across CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.
MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” drew in 793,000 total viewers and 114,000 in the 25-54 demo, according to The Wrap. Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” reeled in nearly 1.5 million views.
Surprise. Their morning show is a lemon. “Cable Ratings: ‘CNN This Morning’ Debut Fails to Compete w ‘Morning Joe,’ @foxandfriends‘” https://t.co/hpC3ELIwuj
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) November 3, 2022
The program replaced “New Day” hosted by anchors Brianna Keilar and John Berman in an effort by CNN President Chris Licht to shift the network closer to the center of the political spectrum. The program averaged 413,000 overall daily viewers in 2022 and 86,000 in the 25-54 demo, higher than its successor, according to Fox News. (RELATED: Two More CNN Employees Depart The Network)
The new show has performed badly despite having interviewed noteworthy guests, including Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
A CNN spokesperson told the Daily Caller that the show will gain momentum overtime and that the network is determined to create a “smart, compelling and relevant show.”
“There’s not a morning show on television today that was a ratings success on day one. Reporting on ratings failures or successes of an entirely new program after a single day is absurd and cheap. That’s not the way this works,” the spokesperson told the Daily Caller. “We’re entirely focused on developing a smart, compelling and relevant show that’s already having outsized impact. Anyone pushing an alternative narrative knows what a threat this talent lineup is.”
Licht has worked to reform the network to create a bipartisan balance, leading to the departure of liberal “Reliable Sources” anchor Brian Stelter and former White House correspondent John Harwood.