5 Signs We’re Entering a New Era of Media

Author

Bubba
16 Dec

The era of cable news dominance is dimming, and a new media order is taking shape. (WSJ)

The death of #Resistance TV: The long-term decline of cable news has hit MSNBC and CNN particularly hard, as their anti-Trump strategy seems to be losing steam.

  • Post-election, MSNBC's prime-time viewership fell to 603,000, a decline of more than 50% compared to earlier in the year.

  • CNN’s audience fell 46%.

  • The anti-Trump #Resistance took a symbolic hit last month after "Morning Joe" hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough — among Trump’s harshest cable news critics — met with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago.

Chart: The Wall Street Journal

Superstar anchors lose their sheen: Some of the top talent in cable news — from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow to NBC News’ Hoda Kotb to former CBS “Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell — has reportedly taken significant pay cuts in recent years.

  • What one network agent told Variety earlier this year: “They obviously want to cut costs. … Those $20 million-plus salaries, they just don’t justify themselves anymore.”

New media stars: Stars of new media like podcasters and social media influencers are taking the place of cable hosts at the top of the media food chain.

  • President-elect Trump’s podcast-heavy media strategy has been credited with exposing him to huge swathes of potential new voters.

  • The president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., said last month the incoming administration is floating the idea of replacing some journalists in the White House press briefing room with podcasters.

Punching back: Costly lawsuits — including most recently ABC News’ $15 million defamation settlement with Trump — have been another challenge cable news networks have faced of late.

Consumer habits: Over the past four years, the share of Americans who say they “often” get their news from TV has declined from 40% to 33%.

  • Meanwhile, YouTube is increasingly filling the void left by traditional TV viewers: 9 in 10 U.S. teens report using YouTube, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

  • Last year, streaming overtook cable as the most-watched viewing platform.