Chris Wallace Breaks Silence On The Implosion Of His CNN+ Job

 

CNN recently called halt to its fiasco of a streaming service, CNN+, after less than a month. The service will be shut down at the end of April. 

 

The staff of CNN+ is not happy that the service has been axed so quickly, despite its massive failure.

 

CNN’s chief digital officer and the streaming platform’s officer, Andrew Morse, jumped ship and announced his departure from the network ahead of the platform’s end.

 

The service was launched on March 29, 2022 and will be shut down at the end of April 2022. It claimed to be unique in that it would be a news streaming service to compete with cable news. 

 

Many questioned the wisdom of setting up the streaming service, which required a monthly streaming fee, as subscriptions in general that soared during the last two years are now declining. the high-profile folding of the service has prompted comments from many, including former President Trump. 

 

This past week, the newly merged company, Warner Bros. Discovery, reportedly laid off 300 junior CNN+ staffers as they cut investments and projections from the platform. CNN executives spent $300 million on the service, losing $9,375,000 a day, Axios reported. 

 

CNN’s upcoming president Chris Licht said in a statement Thursday that employees will continue to receive payments and benefits for the next 90 days, then be handed a six-month severance.

 

CNN+ staffers have reportedly expressed their anger and “utter shock” at the announcement that the company will end the streaming service’s operations, reported Daily Caller.

 

“This is f*cking nuts,” a staffer told the New York Post.

 

“Many people left their stable jobs at CNN to go to CNN+ and then they pull it right after launch? Everyone is aghast and furious,” a source said, while another reportedly said, “This literally rivals the epic disaster of Quibi.”

 

“The big people will likely be saved, but what about everybody else, the people who do the real work?” the insider told the NY Post.

 

One of, if not the highest-profile recruits for the new streaming service is Chris Wallace. When Wallace announced in December 2021 that he was joining CNN+, he announced on-air, “I want to try something new, to go beyond politics to all the things I’m interested in. I’m ready for a new adventure. And I hope you’ll check it out.” 

 

It seems Chris is getting an adventure, maybe not the one he wanted. The New York Times reported that Wallace said staying at Fox was “unsustainable” but it seems his new job isn’t sustainable either.

 

In December 2021, Wallace said he was “thrilled” to be joining the talent lineup at CNN+. “After decades in broadcast and cable news, I am excited to explore the world of streaming,” Wallace said in a news release from CNN at the time. 

 

“I look forward to the new freedom and flexibility streaming affords in interviewing major figures across the news landscape – and finding new ways to tell stories,” USA TODAY reported. 

 

When news of the canceling of CNN+ broke, reported that Wallace was “having daily breakdowns” over the “miserable launch” according to News Cycle Media founder Jon Nicosia, as reported by mixdexhq.com. The New York Post reported that sources had revealed Wallace was being paid $9 million a year for his place at CNN+.

 

In the last week, Wallace has been quiet about the situation but finally spoke on the situation.

 

Wallace broke his silence during a “Finding Common Ground” interview late Sunday after the streaming service announced it will cease operations by April 30. Wallace hosted the program “Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace?” on CNN+ after its launch on March 29. The host left his previous employer, Fox News, in December to host the show on the new platform.

 

“I am going to be fine,” Wallace said at the Common Ground Committee event. “I’m in good shape, whether it’s at CNN or someplace else. Frankly, what I’m mostly concerned about right now – and very – is my team and hundreds of other people because, you know, there were 300 people, I think, that had jobs at CNN+, some of them had left CNN to go to streaming, some of them had left other places, moved across the country.”

 

“And so I think you’re seeing a lot of the anchors at CNN+ doing everything they can to protect the people that were working on their team and to make sure they either get a safe landing at CNN or someplace else.”

 

WATCH:

 

 

Source:  The Republic Brief