CNN fades in prime-time picture

By: Michael Calderone
Politico
May 30, 2009

On day one, CNN ruled cable news.

But while viewers may flock to the network for election day or the Inauguration, day 130 is a different story.

CNN, which just took home a Peabody Award for its 2008 election coverage, and dominated cable-news ratings on days when politics took center stage, is having trouble getting those viewers back on other nights.

Since Obama took office, CNN’s prime-time audience has dropped sharply, raising doubts about whether the network’s middle-of-the-road strategy can be effective against more opinionated programming on Fox News and MSNBC.

CNN President Jon Klein is quick to brush aside concerns about specific ratings metrics, and chatter online about the network’s prime-time decline.

(More here.)