Cable News’ Podcast Envy

On Friday, Jake Tapper ditched the CNN studio for the first hour of “The Lead,” instead anchoring from his poorly-lit office, taking the opportunity to walk viewers through his extensive collection of presidential campaign posters. “So you’re probably wondering what’s going on,” Tapper said, explaining that the venue change was a network “experiment.”

“We thought we would bring you into the space where me and my team do our actual journalism and plan the show every day,” Tapper continued. “So here we are giving it a shot.”

As cable news networks scramble to adapt to a saturated media ecosystem increasingly dominated by YouTube, podcasts, and independent creators, experimentation with format and digital offerings has become more common. In the process, traditional television networks are beginning to borrow from those platforms in a bid to maintain relevance in a digital-first future. But as those efforts accelerate, they are also exposing the awkwardness of that experimentation, appearing to pander to a younger audience that seemingly has little interest in what they’re offering, and raising questions about whether those strategies actually will yield any benefits.

“It’s kinda like rearranging furniture in a burning house,” independent YouTuber Keith Edwards told Status, adding that while it’s promising that networks are testing new approaches, “It shows they fundamentally don’t understand why audiences are leaving.” What viewers are actually looking for, he argued, is authenticity—something that isn’t solved by sitting behind a “big podcast mic.”

Indeed, one veteran television executive told Status that the moves serve as “perceived acknowledgement of a different format existing,” which they called the “least authentic thing you could do.” Meanwhile, the format of cable news is “nowhere on the list of people’s problems with mainstream media,” they added.

CNN’s new wrinkles didn’t stop with Tapper. Earlier in the week, “AC360” engendered some social media mockery by featuring a more casual Anderson Cooper, who, alongside his guests, spoke into oversized desk microphones, a setup that leaned into his experience in podcasting. A person familiar with CNN’s thinking told Status the podcast format has become a “natural environment” for Cooper, and with the network in special programming since the Iran war started, there was an opportunity to experiment with “different deliveries” for news. The person did insist that all the formats were in flux, as the network determines the best strategy for their talent and audience alike.

Multiple news veterans who spoke to Status expressed doubt that such digital-friendly trappings would play well with CNN’s aging audience. “I’m not convinced that podcast microphones and behind-the-scenes shots are enough to move the needle,” one former television executive told Status. “It’s a little late to the party,” another said, adding that the recent experiments gave off a sense of “desperation.”

But others warned that innovative thinking is necessary in cable news as the broader industry struggles to adapt. “You experiment and fail, but you’re learning each time,” one executive said, referencing how The New York Times’ “The Daily” was born out of experimentation and trying out different iterations until it found its footing.

It’s natural that network executives would rethink their coverage as linear audiences continue to fragment and the future of the business becomes increasingly tied to a network’s digital reach. But as cable networks test out formats to engage digital-native audiences, their approaches have been distinct. CNN chief executive Mark Thompson continues to push to monetize those efforts, attempting to bring in subscribers directly to their digital and streaming products. The company has said publicly that it is pacing ahead of its subscription goals for the year, though it has not detailed what that goal is.

Elsewhere, MS NOW has bet on YouTube’s growing dominance in the streaming space, building out a robust slate of video podcasts and posting clips of on-air content quickly, before online clippers can reap the engagement. The network has also begun to tweak its packaging, leaning into all-caps and algorithm-friendly captions, similar in style to independent creators like the MeidasTouch collective, which has amassed more than six million subscribers. Last week, MS NOW posted a clip from “The Beat” with the caption: “Trump BOWS to Ticketmaster monopoly, BETRAYING MAGA, Kid Rock, Swifties & nation: Ari Melber report.” A person familiar with the network’s strategy told Status these tactics date back to before its rebrand from MSNBC, underscoring a long-running effort to better understand what actually performs on the platform.

The network is also experimenting with how their slate of podcasts, including “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace,” Chris Hayes’ “Why Is This Happening?,” and more, translates back to linear viewership. In recent months, MS NOW has aired episodes of its own podcasts on the linear channel more than three dozen times. The network’s recent Crooked Media partnership takes that approach a step further, bringing established digital hits like “Pod Save America” into the audio portfolio, and filling a Saturday-morning timeslot with “Crooked on MS NOW,” featuring a round-up of the best moments from the podcast network.

Fox News, meanwhile, has also leaned into personalities already fluent in the podcast ecosystem. Will Cain’s show features an exposed microphone and conversational format, taking over the more news-oriented hour occupied by Neil Cavuto. The Murdochs have also made broader investments in the space, including Fox Corporation’s acquisition of Red Seat Ventures, which produces Megyn Kelly’s show, and more recently, a licensing deal with the “Ruthless” podcast. Meanwhile, long-time radio and cable host Sean Hannity recently launched his own podcast.

Collectively, these new flourishes underscore an industry searching for answers in a rapidly shifting media landscape, and sometimes weathering the derision that goes with the related stumbles. Certainly, there will be many variations on these strategies before networks land—hopefully not too late—on what actually works. But along the way, there promise to be more uncomfortable moments like those witnessed in recent weeks, where the experiment yields more scorn than sparks.

• After a judge sided with The NYT and ruled the Pentagon’s press restrictions unconstitutional, the newspaper is seeking to have its press passes restored, a spokesperson for the paper told Status.
  • “Our legal department sent a letter to Pentagon counsel today asking for restoration on Monday,” the spokesperson said on Saturday. As of Sunday evening, the outlet is “still waiting to hear back.”
  • Status asked the Pentagon, which said it will appeal the case, whether it intends to comply in the meantime with the judge’s ruling. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to answer, only pointing us to a tweet from spokesperson Sean Parnell that said the department will appeal.
• After Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he’s “glad” Robert Mueller died, Fox News initially turned a blind eye and ignored the repugnant comments, Joe DePaolo observed. [Mediaite]
  • On X, Brit Hume criticized the rhetoric, posting, “This is the kind of stuff Trump does that makes people not just oppose him but hate him.” But commentary like that was largely missing from the network’s air all weekend.
  • It’s not hard to imagine how Fox News would have treated the shocking comment if a Democratic president—or even random online commentator—had made a similar remark about the death of a revered conservative figure.
  • Indeed, many progressives pointed to the hypocrisy of those defending Trump in light of their reactions following Charlie Kirk’s murder. [Newsweek]
• Publishing fake news: Fox News retracted an article by OutKick’s Ian Miller on Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton after the Democrat’s campaign office alerted the Fox-owned outlet that the piece was based on an X parody account.
  • The article was initially left online with only an editor’s note saying Acton’s spokesperson had said the account quoted was a parody account. It took a while later for it to be removed from the website and replaced with an editor’s note. The network, quick to put the “liberal media” on blast for pushing supposed “fake news,” declined to comment.
• Savannah Guthrie and her family renewed their plea to Tucson residents for help locating Nancy Guthrie, writing a social media post: “We desperately ask this community for renewed attention to our mom’s case.” [Instagram]
• Iowa radio station 1630 KCJJ, a CBS News affiliate, torched Bari Weiss over shutting down CBS News Radio, calling her an “internet hack” with “no broadcast experience,” and informing listeners that changes for the station will be announced in the coming weeks. [Facebook]
• This should be interesting: Joe Kent said he will appear on Iran war hawk Mark Levin’s show for a full hour on Monday, after the right-wing talk show host asked him to come on his program on X.
• Status Scoop | NOTUS poached Kadia Goba from The WaPo and Igor Bobic from HuffPost.
• Former Reuters Ottawa bureau chief Steve Scherer wrote about his journey of becoming an Uber driver after losing his foreign reporting role due to budget cuts. [The Nation]
• Jim Acosta testified at a congressional hearing about the importance of scrutinizing media mergers and supporting a free press, saying, “This is no time to bow down to a tyrant.” [Instagram]
• “Saturday Night Live UK” opened its first episode with a political sketch, where Keir Starmer attempted to avoid a call from Trump. [YouTube]
  • Tina Fey hosted the debut with appearances from Graham Norton, Michael Cera, and Nicola Coughlan during the monologue. [YouTube]
  • Sky One drew 226,000 viewers for the premiere, beating Channel 4 in its slot. [Variety]
  • Didn’t entirely get the joke? Trump raised eyebrows by recirculating the Starmer sketch on Truth Social. [The Independent]
• ABC “played with fire” in casting Taylor Frankie Paul on “The Bachelorette” and got burned, Mary McNamara wrote. [LAT]
• Vin Diesel wrote a lengthy post indicating the next edition of the 25-year-old “Fast and Furious” franchise will be its finale. [Instagram]

• “Project Hail Mary” soared above expectations with a roughly $80 million opening weekend, a domestic record for a streamer—in this case, Amazon-MGM—and the year’s biggest opening thus far.
• The Ryan Gosling vehicle’s domestic launch ranks behind only the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” among non-franchise movies.
• “Hoppers” bounced to $18 million in its third weekend, bringing the Pixar film’s domestic haul to $120 million.
• It wasn’t all good news for Disney though. A four-hour Bollywood sequel, “Dhurandhar: The Revenge,” landed ahead of the studio’s disappointing Searchlight horror sequel “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” based on preliminary estimates, with $9.6 million and $9.1 million, respectively.

[Data via Box Office Mojo]

The latest episode of our podcast Power Lines is out.

In this week’s episode: We dissect the sliding ratings of Bari Weiss’ revamped “CBS Evening News” and discuss the latest turbulence at the network. Then, we separate fact from fiction as the White House targets Google News for alleged bias, and unpack the reasoning behind MS NOW’s dayside programming shakeup.

Plus, in a new Q&A segment of the show—which we have dubbed Open Lines—we answer your questions about the media industry. If you want to participate, drop us a comment on YouTube.

You can watch on YouTube—or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the program, subscribe so you never miss an episode!