Trump’s Landslide Victory Proves the Establishment Media Is Officially Dead
The 2024 election victory for Donald Trump marked a major shift in media influence.
Traditional outlets like CNN and MSNBC lost significant ground to media platforms such as podcasts and social media influencers. “Trump’s decisive victory demonstrated that the left-wing cable news networks have lost their influence,” OutKick’s Bobby Burack said.
Corporate media struggled to make an impact as CNN faced declining viewership and financial woes. The outlet is reportedly planning layoffs, and Comcast is allegedly considering selling MSNBC.
MSNBC’s viewership has plummeted by 54% in primetime since Election Day. The network averaged 736,000 viewers post-election, down from 1.1 million in October.
MSNBC’s primetime audience fell 51% from year-to-date totals.
MSNBC’s audience, especially adults 25-54, decreased 57% during primetime. Shows including “The ReidOut” and “All in with Chris Hayes” hit their lowest ratings, reflecting a shift in viewer preferences.
“As its poor post-election night ratings show, MSNBC should not expect a ‘Trump Bump’ this time around.
Even liberals are rejecting its condescending tone and the divisive rhetoric of its new standard-bearer, Joy Reid,” one TV news executive stated.
TheWrap CEO Sharon Waxman said,
“If you’re like me, you haven’t turned on the news since last Tuesday when Donald Trump won the election. Personally, I can’t bear to listen to another minute of wisdom from Joy Reid, my friend Lawrence O’Donnell or the admirable Rachel Maddow.”
“I can’t do it,” Waxman added. “I’m not saying I’ll never watch or listen again. But – am I alone here? – my entire body recoils from listening to more claptrap from the same claptrapping apparatus.”
The
Washington Post also faced internal issues, and critics of WaPo argued they had alienated moderate readers.
MSNBC personalities struggled with Harris’ loss, blaming factors like misogyny and racism. The network, once reliant on anti-Trump rhetoric, has since faced criticism for its failure to adapt.
“While MSNBC thought they may have struck gold with the election night ratings,
they should have realized by now that Americans only tuned in so they could see the meltdowns, not that they viewed it as consistently and intellectually stimulating television,” NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck said.
“The somber excuses blaming everyone from working-class women to Hispanic men to conservative media seem to be serving as only temporary balms to the scorching results. Chris Hayes and Alex Wagner have
a brand to commit to where the only change the left will have to do is go even further left, so it’s a stale product no one will want to listen to going forward,” Houck concluded.
