CNN Execs In Last-Ditch Bid HALTED Jake Tapper's Primetime Debut Over Fears He'd Lose Ratings War To MSNBC's Rachel Maddow
Oct. 11 2022, Published 4:35 p.m. ET
Jake Tapper’s debut was highly-promoted for an October 10 launch — but it didn't happen last night. RadarOnline.com has learned that CNN was nervous about putting him up against his fierce competitor, MSNBC's rating goldmine Rachel Maddow.
“CNN was worried about him going up against Rachel Maddow on Monday,” a well-placed source told RadarOnline.com. “Talk about being off to a rocky start.”
The ratings history suggests that may have been the case. The 9 PM hour of MSNBC routinely crushes the same timeslot on CNN – especially with Maddow in the chair.
"CNN is hush-hush about the change in debut date and no press this week on the debut has mentioned the delayed start," the network spy spilled regarding Tapper's failed debut.
For the year so far, Maddow averages 2.1 million viewers compared to CNN’s 853K (AC360) and 637K (CNN Tonight). Maddow also dominates CNN in the younger viewers with 243K compared to 238 (AC360) and 161K (CNN Tonight).
Conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity is the leader of the hour with 2.8 million viewers and 430,000 A25-54.
As RadarOnline.com reported, CNN is in shambles with the new boss Chris Licht scrambling to shake up his on-air lineup in hopes of saving the failing network. Licht announced that Tapper would be moving "temporarily” to the 9 PM primetime timeslot ahead of the upcoming midterm elections last month.
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The CNN honcho didn't hesitate to praise Tapper.
“The world has come to rely on Jake’s no-nonsense approach to covering the news, especially during high-stakes election cycles,” Licht said in a statement at the time. “This move will showcase his tough reporting, smart analysis and consequential interviews as our audiences navigate the myriad of issues at stake in the midterms.”
The vacant slot, of course, used to belong to Chris Cuomo. The ex-CNN host was fired from the network in December following a string of other scandals at the network.
Tapper's move to primetime wasn't the only ballsy one Licht made.
He dropped the axe on a number of CNN talents – including Jeffrey Toobin, Brian Stelter, and John Harwood — barely making room for the network's one-time golden boy Don Lemon.
Licht confirmed more changes were coming, indicating that no one at CNN is safe as he works at rebuilding the liberal network.
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