On a regular hour of CNN last week, viewers might have been greeted by the “Global Report: War with Iran” title card and a group of correspondents spread across the Middle East — from Tel Aviv to Doha — speaking with Anderson Cooper on CNN last week. AC360. Or they saw Jake Tapper multitasking as usual Leadquestioning interviewees, and following up on breaking news such as the scarcity of TSA workers at airports due to the government shutdown. The material was the same. The pattern was not like that.
It was the crisp, buttoned-down trappings of a stereotypical Cable News studio set. There were podcast-style audio setups and a chaotic production atmosphere at the center of the newsroom more in keeping with the indie influencer aesthetic. The connections disappeared (or loosened) and a map of Iran was printed on the surface of a table that included a deliberately chaotic arrangement of objects. New York Times Sections (and this, perhaps, is more Morning Joe From TikTok).
“Here we go, giving it a try,” Tapper told viewers, a dry welcome to his office with a note explaining that this is where his team plans the press day-to-day, so it might allow everyone a little transparency. (His office was decorated with presidential campaign trinkets, especially for the losing candidates.) Meanwhile, Cooper was camped out in the middle of the newsroom at a table once frequently used by data expert Harry Enten, and which has now been repurposed by arranging podcast microphones for guest anchors and analysts.
The stylistic changes are a small cosmetic tweak – but they’re interesting considering it seems like every video is a “YouTube square” in digital media these days. (Tapper himself may have been on the fence about the change: “Are we going to do it again?” the broadcaster asked Friday. “Stay tuned.”)
Does it work? two Hollywood Reporter The editors have varying views:
No no
Alex Weprin: Old, low-fi, and reminiscent of Larry King…who of course was directing the oldies late night radio shows he once hosted before moving to TV.
There’s clearly a desire to be more “authentic” in the same way that a lot of podcast stars are, and Tapper at least shows character. In Cooper’s case, they just took a table in the middle of the 18th floor newsroom (I assume Harry Enten found another place to do his data analysis in the office).
I don’t like it, it seems fake to me. These are wealthy celebrities, with a small army of producers, crew and support staff trying to appear low-key. A lot of people who have found success in podcasting really started from scratch, and even some of the most successful people (like Piers Morgan and Megyn Kelly) have employees in the low 10s.
While I think CNN (and all news channels) should seek to help viewers with how they “get” the news in the name of transparency, we weren’t watching Tapper working the phones or Cooper pulling up an Excel spreadsheet, these programs looked like their regular programming in a casual setting. Surely there is a way to get some reports into the show? This may require bringing in producers who do a lot of the legal work.
However, there is clearly something going on here. MS NOW is adding some Crooked Media files, while Fox News has emulated Will Cain for its radio and podcast look… I think we’ll see more of these, especially with the proliferation of actual audio video files on TVs through YouTube and Netflix. After all, 20 years ago, anyone with access to a TV at 10am or 2pm was likely to be turning on a news channel. Now they can turn on Netflix or YouTube and watch a talk show there, and that’s a new competition. It’s not like CNN vs Fox News vs MS NOW anymore, the universe is bigger.
yes it is
Eric Hayden: I will say that I thought of “Summer Fridays” in it Newsnight with Abby Phillip Films from the Food Network Kitchen While the typical panelists engage in arguments about key CNN topics, it’s also an interesting experience. It is very easy for reporters typing on keyboards to take pictures. Stylistically, there must be some way to change the feel of a Cable News Studio that has suddenly become less real — and perhaps less trustworthy? -For viewers now. And for all the headlines during the short-lived Chris Licht era about what a veteran he was Late show The product was shaking things up – remember King Charles? – Programmatically and visually (do you remember the modified Kiron design?). Mark Thompson’s CNN has yet to make many wild swings. But in small ways like this, it was more experimental about what CNN programming could look like, what it should look like.
For Alex, yes, these are “millionaire celebrities, with a small army of producers, crew and support staff” but I would say it’s increasingly difficult knowing that there is a small army of producers, crew and support staff on a lot of TV shows, which can sometimes seem as cheap as a dedicated journalist who knows how to produce his own videos for the web. But what sets CNN apart from many of these independent countries is its vast support network. So I’m all for wandering the halls of CNN’s studios in New York and Atlanta, or taking a tour of Jake Tapper’s office (maybe next time he interviews Trump by phone), or heading to the podcast studio with Anderson Cooper, or going to the control room to check out the broadcast from a remote location that matters to viewership.
By all means pile it on printed newspapers – waving around New York Post or times As a backup, print out some maps, and head to the actual newsroom cubicles where CNN’s digital reporters or producers sit, usually inconspicuous in the background, to check on sources or when there’s breaking news. No one is asking CNN to be TMZ on TV, with Anderson Cooper as mob boss Harvey Levin in the newsroom. But it’s also a reminder of where all our breaking news updates come from (or how about a “day in the life” of a CNN writer?). Podcast microphones themselves might be an easy target for a joke, but take those microphones and wrap them around the cameras and viewers might see just how much work goes into maintaining a live stream for hours during the day. It could be more interesting and unpredictable as well. It is television, after all.
