CNN Turns 30, Quietly and Without Fanfare

By Marc Schneider Posted Jun 1st 2010 01:16PM

Does anyone enjoy turning 30? For many people, the milestone brings a sense of dread and that sinking feeling that your best days may be behind you. Well, CNN turns 30 today, and it's hard to imagine they don't feel the same way.

Ted Turner's ambitious Cable News Network aired its first broadcast on June 1, 1980, with a report by co-anchors David Walker and Lois Hart. In 2000, the network threw a huge party to celebrate its 20th birthday, but this time the network is passing the day without much fanfare.

Why so low-key? With viewers craving pundits and blowhards telling them exactly what they want to hear, the straight news-minded CNN has stuck to its guns -- you know, the news -- and lost.

Nonpartisan news reporting has gone the way of the Dodo. Ratings have plunged to new lows this year, with CNN's main hosts, Larry King and Anderson Cooper, shedding nearly half their audiences, according the New York Times.

The exodus of viewers has even cost the network one of its rising stars, Campbell Brown, who announced May 18 that "not enough people want to watch my program, and I owe it to myself and to CNN to get out of the way so that they can try something else."

The 24-hour news channel was a first on television, and for 16 years -- until the emergence of FOX News and MSNBC in 1996 -- it had a monopoly on the genre. In its heyday, viewers were glued to CNN for stories like the first Gulf War, major elections, the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger and, of course, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The network's ratings are bound to improve, but even if they don't, the network's founder promised its survival.

Speaking just before the network's launch, Turner promised, "We won't be signing off until the world ends. We'll be on, and we will cover the end of the world, live, and that will be our last event ... and when the end of the world comes, we'll play 'Nearer My God to Thee' before we sign off."

Inside the company, CNN president Jim Walton announced today that employees will be giving back with a program called Give 30 for 30. Every eligible staffer will be able to give a company-paid donation of $30 to a charity of his or her choice.

Tags: cnn

Comments

(129)

Wednesday 02 June

By freshmurj

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You're brainwashed. There is nothing fair and balanced about Faux News; it's propaganda, pure and simple. CNN is fair and balanced, but America is full of zealots nowadays, so fair and balanced isn't as popular as slanted and partisan. And that's the truth.

By Karla

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Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for telling it like it is!

Tuesday 01 June

By sealtheborder

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CNN is TANKING because 65% of the USA thinks their NUMBER ONE GUY OBIMBO is doing a really CRAPPY job as president!!!!!! CNN is the OBIMBO LOVERS NETWORK......there is nothing fair and balanced about their reporting!!!!!! The only people who think CNN is great are the 35% of remaining Obimbo Lovers!!!!!!!! LOL To survive CNN must start REPORTING THE NEWS! Not their story spinning to make Obimbo look good and the Repubs look bad.....day late and a dollar short CNN!!!!!!!!!!! RIP

By TP

You are soooo right!!!

By moonyou

Maybe if they told whats really going on they would have a better audience like FOX.
They should consider it .

By jaywest71

CNN, Contrived News Network. ZERO credibility

By Ann Brown

So....CNN has stuck to the news, the whole news, and nothing but the news???? Guess I missed all that. Thought it was interpretation and twist there for awhile. You reckon?

By Bob

Who cares? CNN is nothing but the Obama network and no one watches. They can't sell advertising and ratings are in the tank. Thirty may be the life span of CNN and good riddance!

By Mike

CNN is still around?

By d brow

I dont think the reason is becuase of FAUXNEWS..Most people take their news in incriments. Growing up we watched the 5 oclock news faithfully. Now we can watch 24 hours a day.. All news programs are experiencing a low.. FAUX NEW continues to be on the bottom of the ratings as they should be

Who are you kidding.....Fox and ORiely consistantly kick the crap out of MSNBC and CNN......DBROW...put down the Kool Aid....LOL

By biteme

Hey Dope,
Faux News? You must mean Fox...the highest rated cable news network. Check your facts.

By joe

You are so right about FauxNews - they spin whatever they want and never tell the truth much less the news - they are an entertainment network and YES - at the bottom of the ratings - they are only "highest rated" by their lame viewers.

By Soul

CNN..straight news???? CNN is losing ratings just like MSNBC because they have sold their soul to the Progressives. They are no longer watchdogs, they are collaborators. I wouldn't trust them or any of the zombie media to truthfully report the day of the week.

By Joanne

CNN is anything but "nonpartisan". They lean towards the "left" on almost everything. My husband and I used to watch CNN, but got tired of the same slant on "everything". It was pathetic. This is why CNN's ratings are down...the people are tired of the media not investigating and reporting news they should be, especially if it makes Obama look bad...which by the way he is doing more than enough to have the media question him. CNN skirts around him like he's some sort of god...it just wasn't news anymore. It no longer represents what is really going on in America. CNN may be around if Turner has enough money, but it would take more than his money to get us to support CNN again. They lost our respect!

By Brock

'Straight-news'? Don't make me laugh. Christiane Amanpour's agenda reporting of the Yugoslav civil wars? Straight out of 'Front Page'

By justin

Nonpartisan news reporting? Choke ,Choke, Gasp, now THAT’S A GOOD ONE!

By bharlan24

Before Oboma, CNN was know as the Clinton National Network. In the early days maybe they did some news. Campbell Brown is unabashedly liberal a pretty face that maybe MSNBC will employee.

I am a die hard conservative but Morning Joe on MSNBC is the best show on cable.

By Bobby

CNN as straight news? HA! What a joke.

CNN is so left that if Fox was perfectly balanced it would still seem far, far right to a CNN viewer.

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