'He Isn't A Primetime Star': CNN's Jake Tapper Draws LOWEST Ratings Yet, Insiders Fearful Chris Licht's Golden Boy 'Lacks Showman's Spark'
CNN boss Chris Licht's network-saving strategy to bring Jake Tapper over for primetime could be the worst decision yet, with insiders growing fearful of the honcho's move after Tapper brought in his lowest ratings ever last week.
RadarOnline.com has learned that CNN insiders think Tapper "lacks the showman's spark" and can't hold his weight against his primetime competition Alex Wagner or Rachel Maddow.
Tapper is averaging 700,000 total viewers after being moved to CNN's 9 PM timeslot, and last week, he pulled in a measly 523,000, marking his lowest ratings yet. One television executive described the trainwreck as "absolutely brutal."
Network spies claim the talk behind Tapper's back is he's "not a natural performer" and has "no innate instincts as an entertainer or showman," skills that make other primetime hosts successful.
"Maddow was bursting with life and ideas and energy and stories. O’Reilly was bursting with bile and anger and an instinct for mud wrestling and the jugular. Larry King was bursting with schmaltz and showbiz and Sammy Glick and an insider’s love of gossip. … [Tapper] isn’t a primetime star in any sense. He’s not a natural performer. And he has no innate instincts as an entertainer or showman. It’s all an intellectual calculation. You can see the gears grinding. ‘Turn. Look at other camera. Deliver clever line,'" one TV veteran told Puck News.
Other insiders claim that Tapper is "very out of sync" with Licht's goal of restoring the failing news network's reputation as a straightforward, non-biased brand. Tapper's disconnect with his audience was evident when he couldn't even pull in viewers for his exclusive interview with President Joe Biden on the heels of accusations that the feds are closing in on his son, Hunter.
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RadarOnline.com revealed that his show CNN Tonight with Jake Tapper came in LAST place against his competitors. Tapper failed to reach one million viewers, a hard pill to swallow for Licht.
As this outlet exclusively reported, Tapper's primetime debut was highly-promoted for an October 10 launch — but it didn't happen until the next night because CNN was nervous about putting him up against MSNBC's rating goldmine Maddow.
The Rachel Maddow Show moved solely to Monday nights in May.
CNN has been in shambles following a series of behind the scene scandals, with Licht scrambling to shake up his on-air lineup in hopes of saving the tanking network, but insiders all agree that Tapper is not the answer.
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