{"id":2582831,"date":"2026-03-23T10:43:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T14:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-tries-to-rebrand-anderson-cooper-as-podcaster-in-sad-grab-for-relevance\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T10:45:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T14:45:32","slug":"cnn-tries-to-rebrand-anderson-cooper-as-podcaster-in-sad-grab-for-relevance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-tries-to-rebrand-anderson-cooper-as-podcaster-in-sad-grab-for-relevance\/","title":{"rendered":"CNN Tries To Rebrand Anderson Cooper As Podcaster In Sad Grab For Relevance"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcnn-tries-to-rebrand-anderson-cooper-as-podcaster-in-sad-grab-for-relevance%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2582831&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>CNN attempted to reposition longtime anchor Anderson Cooper as a podcaster by redesigning his show, Anderson Cooper 360, to resemble a podcast amid a sharp decline in primetime ratings. Through 2025, CNN\u2019s primetime audience fell about 42% in the third quarter and roughly one-third as 2016, with numbers dropping from around 1.3 million in 2016 to about 553,000 in February 2025. Podcasts gained traction during the 2024 election cycle, helping attract younger viewers, but Cooper\u2019s program remained CNN\u2019s top performer, averaging about 616,000 total viewers in Q3 2025 and around 573,000 in July 2025, with occasional spikes above 1 million on certain mondays.In December, Cooper secured a new deal to continue at CNN, shifting more focus to digital content, reportedly earning around $18 million. Nonetheless, CNN\u2019s primetime ratings continued to trail those of Fox News and MSNBC in early march.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>CNN attempted to rebrand longtime host Anderson Cooper as a podcaster Thursday as the network&rsquo;s primetime ratings have plummeted.CNN changed the layout of &ldquo;Anderson Cooper 360&rdquo; to make it appear like a podcast. The reorganization came as CNN&rsquo;s primetime ratings significantly dropped in the past year.<\/p>\n<p>CNN&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-leaves-cnn-grieves-network-suffers-post-impeachment-ratings-dive-fox-news-back-on-top\/\" title=\"Trump Leaves, CNN Grieves: Network Suffers Post-Impeachment ... Dive, ... Back on Top\">primetime viewership<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/tv\/articles\/anderson-cooper-seals-cnn-future-164542746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fell<\/a> by 42 percent in the third quarter of 2025, and the network has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/media\/article-15549985\/cnn-ratings-viewers-decline.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lost<\/a> one-third of its primetime viewership since 2016. The number of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >primetime viewers dropped<\/a> from roughly 1.3 million in 2016 to 553,000 as of February.<\/p>\n<p>Podcasts gained relevance during the 2024 election cycle, particularly when President Donald Trump appeared on &ldquo;The Joe Rogan Experience,&rdquo; &ldquo;This Past Weekend With Theo Von&rdquo; and other prominent podcasts that reached younger viewers.<\/p>\n<p>Cooper&rsquo;s program has remained a top performer for CNN. In the third quarter of 2025, it averaged 616,000 total viewers and 573,000 in July 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adweek.com\/tvnewser\/here-are-the-3rd-quarter-of-2025-cable-news-ratings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to AdWeek. The show garnered over 1 million viewers on Monday, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetvratingsguide.com\/2026\/03\/monday-tv-ratings-31626-fall-and-rise.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to the TV Ratings Guide.<\/p>\n<p>The network changed the set design of Cooper&rsquo;s program over the past two days,<span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/brianstelter\/status\/2034794054458720546\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a><span class=\"gmail-Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span>to CNN&rsquo;s Brian Stelter.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Despite the downfall in primetime ratings, Cooper secured a deal with the network in December to continue his employment, which reportedly surprised many. The deal allowed Cooper to focus more on digital outreach and creating content for viewers who subscribe to online services, <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2025\/tv\/news\/anderson-cooper-cnn-new-contract-1236603476\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to Variety.<\/p>\n<p>Cooper has been with CNN since 2001 and currently earns a salary of $18 million, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/06\/12\/media\/cnns-anderson-cooper-earns-18m-annually-as-networks-faces-spinoff-amid-ratings-freefall-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to The New York Post.<\/p>\n<p>CNN&rsquo;s ratings have consistently remained lower than Fox News and MS NOW. In the first week of March, CNN garnered 1 million average primetime viewers, MS NOW finished with 1.3 million and Fox News came out on top with 3.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/super-bowl-2024-was-most-streamed-telecast-ever-reaching-123-4-million-viewers\/\" title=\"Super Bowl 2024: Record-breaking 123.4 million ... streamed the event\">1 million average viewers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/1252034\/cnn-ms-now-fox-news-ratings-iran-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to TV Insider.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CNN tried to rebrand veteran anchor Anderson Cooper as a podcaster by redesigning his show, Anderson Cooper 360, to look and feel like a podcast. The move came as the network\u2019s primetime ratings slumped: down 42% in the third quarter of 2025 and about one-third since 2016, with primetime viewership sliding from around 1.3 million in 2016 to roughly 553,000 by February. Podcasts gained traction during the 2024 election cycle, helped by high-profile appearances on popular podcasts that drew younger audiences, but Cooper\u2019s program remained CNN\u2019s strongest performer. In the third quarter of 2025 it averaged about 616,000 total viewers (573,000 in July 2025), with at least one outlet noting it exceeded 1 million viewers on a Monday. CNN also refreshed Cooper\u2019s set in the past two days as part of the reshaping.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the ratings decline, Cooper signed a December deal to remain with the network, reportedly shifting more emphasis toward digital outreach and content for online subscribers, according to Variety. He has been with CNN since 2001 and was reported to earn about $18 million a year. CNN\u2019s ratings have typically trailed those of Fox News and MSNBC; in early March, CNN averaged about 1 million primetime viewers, while MSNBC averaged 1.3 million and Fox News led with around 3.1 million, per TV Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2582832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7289.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[73912,50623,73071],"class_list":["post-2582831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-anderson-cooper-2","tag-cnn-2","tag-media-analysis-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7289.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582831"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2582835,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582831\/revisions\/2582835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2582832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}