The Hollywood Reporter - 31.07.2019

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The Report


THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 12 JULY 31, 2019


HARRIS: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES. SANDERS: SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES. WARREN: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES. BUTTIGIEG: JOHN

LAMPARSKI/GETTY IMAGES. KLOBUCHAR: PAUL MORIGI/GETTY IMAGES. SCHULTZ: STEVEN FERDMAN/GETTY IMAGES.

network to where Republicans
wouldn’t immediately turn the
channel,” one prominent GOPer
claims. “I think he accomplished
that, and now he’s alienated
them all again. There have been
several people who have told me,
‘I’m not coming on CNN. There’s
no upside.’ ”
Former CBS News president
Andrew Heyward says CNN is
“programming for political junk-
ies,” delivering a serving of
news and analysis to an audience
that is “almost insatiably hun-
gry” for it. Heyward adds, “They
have a great array of experts
across the spectrum. If it looks
to some extent like it’s a sporting
event, that’s how the candidates
treat it too.”
Zucker, Heyward says, already
has answered for criticism about
the network’s 2016 coverage.
“They will not be glomming on to
a candidate and giving him or her
the kind of ride that Trump got,”
he says. “They’re aware that that

was excessive. That isn’t going to
happen again.”
While the network is still mired
in third place in primetime and
total viewers, it remains profit-
able. AT&T’s Turner division — a
segment that includes TNT, TBS
and CNN — posted $6.98 billion
in revenue in 2018 on the strength
of ad sales and carriage fees. The
network committed to bringing
about 500 staffers (including
programmers, hosts, journalists
and analysts) to Michigan ahead
of the network’s first debate of the
2020 presidential cycle.
Smolkin, who oversees CNN’s
digital political coverage, says
this cycle will be different from


  1. “This is our first full elec-
    tion cycle as the CNN Politics
    team,” she says. “Last cycle, we
    were brand new and just getting
    started. That was a huge chal-
    lenge and a steep learning curve
    for a brand-new team, and we
    were focused on — honestly —
    the basics of coverage. Now,


we’re in a vastly different place
as a team.”
Detroit presents a hard-fought,
high-stakes chance for the entire
CNN apparatus — linear and digi-
tal — to set the tone for the rest of
the election cycle, observers say.
“This is a real opportunity for us
to introduce these candidates to
our audiences and to offer smart
coverage about these candidates
and where they stand on these
issues,” Smolkin says. But, notes
former NBC News executive Mark
Lukasiewicz, “A 20-candidate
event is an enormous challenge,
logistically and technologically.”
Candidate Delaney, who
complained about the number
of questions he received in NBC
News’ first debate, says CNN has
run an “on-the-level process.”
But Sanders’ campaign manager,
Shakir, adds bluntly, “Let’s not
fool ourselves into thinking that
these two-hour debates as they
stand are helping move a policy
conversation.”

campaigns will be substan-
tive, despite what critics fear.
In September, CNN will host a
town hall focused exclusively
on climate change, an issue that
progressive Democrats feel has
gotten short shrift so far.
Democratic presidential
candidates such as former con-
gressman John Delaney praise
CNN for hosting some 25 town
hall events to date, far more than
rivals MSNBC and Fox News.
“They’ve given everyone a town
hall, and what more can you ask?”
Delaney says. “Other networks
have done town halls for just a
small number of candidates, and I
think that’s terrible.”
CNN perpetually faces charges
of “both sideserism” for hiring
contributors to defend the presi-
dent and fight with designated
liberals, though conservatives
who know the network say they’re
disappointed that their ilk slowly
has been disappearing from
the airwaves. Through churn,
controversies and presidential
appointments, the stable of
pro-Trump commentators has
thinned considerably, with Steve
Cortes, lobbyist David Urban and
former Sen. Rick Santorum seen
as the predominant warriors
remaining. “When Jeff came
in, he was trying to change the


U.S. adults are split on stars’ campaigning for Democrats, and many aren’t swayed by celebrity causes, a new survey finds

How Americans See Hollywood’s Political Donor Class


Source: THR/Morning Consult poll conducted July 19-21 from a national sample of 2,200 adults. Responses don’t add up to 100 percent.

THR/
Morning
Consult
Poll

CNN’s Top-Rated Democratic Candidate Town Halls


Kamala
Harris
(Jan. 28)

1.95M

Howard
Schultz
(Feb. 12)

1.02M

Amy
Klobuchar
(Feb. 18)

1.15M

Bernie
Sanders
(Feb. 25)

1.35M

Elizabeth
Warren
(March 22)

1.09M

Kamala
Harris
(March 22)

1.44M

Bernie
Sanders
(Feb. 22)

1.34M

Elizabeth
Warren
(Feb. 22)

1.18M

Pete
Buttigieg
(Feb. 22)

1.179M

Source: Nielsen (live + same day)

Would you keep buying
products from an entertainment
company if you found out that
its executives had political opinions
that differ from your own?
YES NO APPROPRIATE INAPPROPRIATE YES NO APPROPRIATE INAPPROPRIATE

Have you ever donated or
volunteered for a cause because a
celebrity encouraged you to?

How appropriate is it for
a celebrity to campaign for a
Democratic politician?

Do you think it is appropriate
for an actor or musician to criticize
Donald Trump publicly?

18-29 30-44 45-54 55-64 65+

66%

22%

47%

13%

72%

50%
39%38%37%41% 40%35%
26%27%31%

76%76%

85%88%

28%

44%

12%

31%

45%

11%

36%

47%

4%

33%

64%
53%
38%

50%

5%

39%
25%31%30%

55%55%
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