(LATIMES) — With the Democratic and Republican national conventions just days away, there’s already suspense behind the camera: CNN is staring down one of the worst crises in its 32-year existence.
The cable news network that dominated the political discussion during the 1990s has slumped to record ratings lows this year, with its prime-time audience plunging by more than 40% compared with four years ago (No. 1 Fox News and runner-up MSNBC have each posted double-digit increases).
Critics are attacking the Time Warner-owned network’s coverage as dull and rudderless. CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton recently announced he will leave at the end of the year, observing that CNN needs “new thinking.”
