Background:

Cable News Network (CNN) is an American basic cable and television news channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner. CNN was created in 1980 by Ted Turner as a 24 hour cable news channel, the first to do so.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is an American media conglomerate that manages the collection of cable television networks/properties owned by Ted Turner. These include HLN, TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, Adult Swim, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, and TruTV.

Time Warner, Inc. is also an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It is currently the world’s third largest entertainment company revenue wise (Comcast and Walt Disney are larger). Founded in 1990 as a merger between Time, Inc. and Warner Communications, the company today consists mostly of the former assets of Warner and Turner (acquired in 1996). Among its major assets are HBO, Turner Broadcasting System, The CW, Warner Bros., DC Comics, and 10% of Hulu.

Broadcast coverage of CNN extends to over 890,000 American hotel rooms, and as of July 2015, is available to 96,374,000 cable, satellite, and Telco television households (82.8% of households with at least one television set) in the United States. Globally, CNN programming airs through CNN International, which can be seen by viewers in over 212 countries and territories. CNN has a team of nearly 4,000 news professionals. CNN.com is the web component of CNN and is staffed 24 hours/day and based in Atlanta, Georgia.

CNN is split into CNN.com (aka CNN Digital), CNN US, and CNN Worldwide. CNN Worldwide is a collection of 24+ news/ information sources across cable, satellite, mobile, and the internet. CNN reaches almost 354 million households around the globe. CNN Digital is the #1 online news destination across all platforms in unique visits and video starts.

Fiscal:

Market Share

According to an article on Variety, CNN had 1.06 million viewers in 2017, a 10% increase over 2016, with 370,000 in 25-54 year olds which accounted for a 19% increase over 2016. CNN’s largest first quarter in 14 years was Q1 of 2017 for both key demographics and in total viewers.

According to Time Warner’s 2017 Financials, “CNN was the #1 news network in both primetime and total day among adults 18-34 and was also the #1 digital news destination for the second consecutive year in 2017.” You can check out their year end release here, and their MorningStar profile here.

Retrieved on 2/23/2018 from MarketWatch

Ad Sponsorship

According to an article on TVNewser as of 2010, a solid half of CNN’s revenue comes from subscription fees, advertising and ancillary streams make up the other half. Currently, it costs $5,467 per 30 seconds of ad time.

Political Spending

Time Warner spent $2,943,000 lobbying in 2016. You can look at their lobbying record here. You can check out their PAC data here, here, and here.

Social:

Audience Views

With one of the largest audiences in the survey (44% use it in a typical week), CNN draws significant portions of its audience from across the ideological spectrum. But conservatives are somewhat underrepresented in its audience relative to their share of all respondents.

Image from Pew Research

Diversity of Guest Correspondents

A study conducted by Media matters in 2013 found that 24% of CNN’s guests were women, and only 18% of its correspondents were an ethnicity that is not white or Caucasian.

Diversity

CNN has had issues with diversity in the past. In 2014, the Congressional Black Caucus expressed concerns about CNN layoffs disproportionately affecting diversity within their organization, with CBC Chairwoman Marcia D. Fudge saying

“In a nation growing increasingly more diverse, it is imperative that the organizations tasked with keeping us informed reflect the same diversity. Ethnic sensitivity both on-camera and behind it demonstrates a corporate understanding of the benefits of diversity, and a genuine respect for the audiences’ needs. Any staffing changes that disproportionately cut the number of African Americans at CNN — intentionally or otherwise — are an affront to the African American journalism community and to the African American community as a whole. It is my sincere hope that these reports are not true, and that Time Warner works to ensure that the diversity of its viewers across the country, and the world, is reflected and protected in all areas of its organization.”

In October of 2014, the CBC posted the statement “The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is concerned about the atmosphere for African Americans at CNN,” on its website. The statement also mentioned a $5 million discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit against CNN, filed by Stanley Wilson, a field producer and writer for CNN for 17 years.

CNN responded by withdrawing financial support of the group’s 2015 Convention and Career Fair. Several prominent African Americans anchors have left the anchor desk and/or CNN altogether including Soledad O’Brien, TJ Holmes and Suzanne Malveaux.

Scandals

In 2016, CNN was embroiled in a scandal over contributor Donna Brazile (at the time the interim Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee) sharing debate questions with presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. CNN released a statement saying they were “completely uncomfortable” in regards to the hacked emails showing Brazile sharing questions with Clinton and thanking Brazile for her service when she resigned.

CNN spokeswoman Lauren Pratapas released the following statement on her resignation, “On October 14th, CNN accepted Donna Brazile’s resignation as a CNN contributor. [Her deal had previously been suspended in July when she became the interim head of the DNC.] CNN never gave Brazile access to any questions, prep material, attendee list, background information or meetings in advance of a town hall or debate. We are completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor,”.

Most of their other controversies accuse them of left leaning bias. You can check them out here.

CSR Rating

CSRWire gives Time Warner a 54 out of 100. Their highest score is 55 in Community Involvement. You can read through their CSR report here.

Governance: