Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” is the name of Chris Wallace’s CNN program. Perhaps “Who the Heck Is Still Watching Chris Wallace?” would have been a more appropriate title.
To be honest, the response is very obvious: essentially no one.
And that’s only the beginning. In addition to failing to attract viewers to his new network, statistics demonstrate that even CNN supporters actively avoid watching Wallace’s program.
The Western Journal learned from an inside source that not only were the ratings for Wallace’s new program atrocious but that after it ended, CNN’s viewership increased.
This was in spite of a publicity campaign in advance of his weekend interview program, which is a new position for the host since CNN’s digital streaming service, CNN+, crashed in April after less than a month of operation.
Wallace’s attempt at CNN+ was also a fresh start for the veteran Fox News presenter, who had presented “Fox News Sunday” from 2003 until his unannounced departure in December 2021.
Wallace still didn’t reach 500,000 viewers, the source told The Western Journal, despite appearances on late-night television, a story in the Los Angeles Times, and dozens of other items.
In contrast, “Sunday Night in America” with Trey Gowdy on Fox News Channel won the time slot by a triple-digit margin and by double digits in the 25-54 [demographic].
Wallace’s program only got 462,000 people in its 7 p.m.–8 p.m. Eastern time period, compared to 1,279,000 for Fox News, according to Nielsen figures the source provided.
Wallace only attracted 58,000 people in the crucial 25-54 demographic, compared to 72,000 for Gowdy and Fox News, who are notoriously difficult to attract for news networks.
Yet again, the humiliation didn’t end there.
The insider told the Western Journal, “Another noteworthy nugget is that demo watchers substantially fell off from the 6 p.m. hour compared to 7 p.m. hour and tuned back in once the show was ended.
Between 6 and 7 p.m., 78,000 viewers aged 25 to 54 tuned into CNN. That number increased again to 71,000 in the 8 p.m.–9 p.m. hour and 114,000 in the 9 p.m.–10 p.m. hour following the decline for Wallace’s show.
And it’s not like Wallace spent an hour discussing the situation of democracy in East Africa with Pauly Shore. Hugh Jackman was the visitor on Sunday, according to IMDB. Although he isn’t Tom Cruise, this is the actor who starred in “Logan” and “The Greatest Showman.”
Even then, CNN executives seemingly had nothing better to do, at least if they were between the ages of 25 and 54.
The rating letdown also follows a media frenzy after the show’s second-season renewal in December.
“During season one, CNN Anchor Chris Wallace sat down and broke news with CEOs, newsmakers, luminaries, pop music sensations, and Hollywood legends, such as George Clooney, Shania Twain, Tyler Perry, Meghan Trainor, Alex Rodriguez, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Quentin Tarantino and many others,” the network said in a news release.
“Season two will continue to feature guests across the spectrum of news, sports, entertainment, art, and culture.”
There was a puff piece in the Los Angeles Times. Late-night interviews with the likes of Stephen Colbert. Fawning coverage of all sorts.
It turns out people are actively shutting CNN off when Wallace comes on and turning back when his visage has disappeared from the screen. Find the encouragement in that, Chris.
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