Photograph of Cornish and Kutler by T.J. Kirkpatrick/CNN; timeline photos courtesy of Roberto Donna.
With the launch of its new streaming service, CNN is betting that a growing number of viewers will pay to watch Don Lemon via an app rather than on cable TV. But in many ways, the new enterprise, called CNN+, is also a wager on Washington.
The subscription service—which, for $5.99 a month, will provide programs that aren’t available on regular CNN—got a burst of initial attention a few months ago by poaching a pair of DC media stars: Fox News’s Chris Wallace and NPR’s Audie Cornish. And a number of its new shows—such as Jake Tapper’s Book Club, The Source With Kasie Hunt, and The Newscast With Wolf Blitzer—will be hosted by locals. To support the effort, CNN has added more than 35 DC journalists and is building a new studio in Washington. “We’re making a huge investment here,” says Rebecca Kutler, the head of programming for CNN+, who is based in DC.
Will it pay off? When the streaming service launches March 29, it will face a few obstacles. For one thing, CNN+ is debuting without the support of the leader who presided over its development, Jeff Zucker, who unexpectedly departed last month. Kutler says that loss hasn’t slowed or altered the network’s plan, but it’s unclear what changes incoming network head Chris Licht might make—or how excited he’ll be about the project in the first place.
Then there’s the question of who will actually sign up. While companies such as Netflix and Hulu transformed the way viewers watch (and pay for) entertainment content, it’s uncertain whether similar demand exists for news. People will cough up cash for Bridgerton; will they do the same for Blitzer?
Kutler says the app’s combination of top-tier talent, glossy new programming, and older CNN content on demand (Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, for example) will reel in subscribers. It’s certainly worth a try—especially as streaming apps continue to radically remake television viewing. “For the big [TV] companies, it does make sense to stick a toe in the water,” says Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at the Poynter Institute. Of course, he adds, “given the amounts of money involved, this is a little bit more than a toe.” Still, Edmonds says, if CNN+ turns out to be less of a plus than a minus, “CNN is still CNN.”
This article appears in the April 2022 issue of Washingtonian.
Luke Mullins is a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine focusing on the people and institutions that control the city’s levers of power. He has written about the Koch Brothers’ attempt to take over The Cato Institute, David Gregory’s ouster as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, the collapse of Washington’s Metro system, and the conflict that split apart the founders of Politico.
CNN+ Is Betting Big on DC. Will It Connect?
The streaming service is finally launching.
With the launch of its new streaming service, CNN is betting that a growing number of viewers will pay to watch Don Lemon via an app rather than on cable TV. But in many ways, the new enterprise, called CNN+, is also a wager on Washington.
The subscription service—which, for $5.99 a month, will provide programs that aren’t available on regular CNN—got a burst of initial attention a few months ago by poaching a pair of DC media stars: Fox News’s Chris Wallace and NPR’s Audie Cornish. And a number of its new shows—such as Jake Tapper’s Book Club, The Source With Kasie Hunt, and The Newscast With Wolf Blitzer—will be hosted by locals. To support the effort, CNN has added more than 35 DC journalists and is building a new studio in Washington. “We’re making a huge investment here,” says Rebecca Kutler, the head of programming for CNN+, who is based in DC.
Will it pay off? When the streaming service launches March 29, it will face a few obstacles. For one thing, CNN+ is debuting without the support of the leader who presided over its development, Jeff Zucker, who unexpectedly departed last month. Kutler says that loss hasn’t slowed or altered the network’s plan, but it’s unclear what changes incoming network head Chris Licht might make—or how excited he’ll be about the project in the first place.
Then there’s the question of who will actually sign up. While companies such as Netflix and Hulu transformed the way viewers watch (and pay for) entertainment content, it’s uncertain whether similar demand exists for news. People will cough up cash for Bridgerton; will they do the same for Blitzer?
Kutler says the app’s combination of top-tier talent, glossy new programming, and older CNN content on demand (Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, for example) will reel in subscribers. It’s certainly worth a try—especially as streaming apps continue to radically remake television viewing. “For the big [TV] companies, it does make sense to stick a toe in the water,” says Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at the Poynter Institute. Of course, he adds, “given the amounts of money involved, this is a little bit more than a toe.” Still, Edmonds says, if CNN+ turns out to be less of a plus than a minus, “CNN is still CNN.”
This article appears in the April 2022 issue of Washingtonian.
Luke Mullins is a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine focusing on the people and institutions that control the city’s levers of power. He has written about the Koch Brothers’ attempt to take over The Cato Institute, David Gregory’s ouster as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, the collapse of Washington’s Metro system, and the conflict that split apart the founders of Politico.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
These Volunteers Wake Up at Dawn to Collect DC’s Dead—and Injured—Birds
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This May
Democrats and Republicans Pass Balls, Not Bills, at Congressional Soccer Game
3 New Memoirs by Prominent Women
Everything You Wanted to Know About Urban Bear Sightings but Were Afraid to Ask, Because Who Wants to Get That Close to a Bear?
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall