Saving CNN, Can Zucker Do It

This week's CNN ratings are among the lowest I've ever seen, and I've been watching them for 32 years. It finished third among the three news networks in total audience and in every demographic category in both primetime and total day. That's not unusual, but this week's numbers are a disaster. Last week, the inauguration week, CNN did surprisingly well, especially in the youngest demographic, 18-34s, where CNN beat the other two networks soundly.

This week it was a very different story. CNN lost more than half of its audience week to week in primetime. Its total day audience declined by about 40 percent. Its household ratings seem to be just under a point three in total day, and even in primetime below a point four. That's unheard of. It seems to me that Jeff Zucker is going to have a hard time bringing CNN back to its glory days. After all, Inauguration Day comes only once every four years.