No one asked me, but...
THROW THE RATINGS BOOK AWAY!
This is so easy. Go back to your roots of all news, all the time. Forget about those hideous talk and interview shows. Stop trying to copy the other guys. Stop pandering to the lowest common denominator.
I will never forget when CNN was first added to my cable system in the early 80's. It was like crack. Television news, any time you wanted it, was an awesome concept. You couldn't turn away.
But then, competitors arrived. CNN regularly gets its clock cleaned by FOX News. MSNBC has shown some recent strength. CNN gets a bump when there's big news, like a national disaster or a major political story. Clearly, and thankfully, that doesn't happen every day.
Just hire some good people and do news the right way. It's just that simple. You won't draw a huge audience every night, and that's okay. You can still make money. NBC kept the medical drama "St. Elsewhere" on the air for many years, in spite of it never being a ratings hit. Research showed "St. Elsewhere" drew an affluent audience, one that was an easy sell to advertisers. You see, when it comes to television, it's not just the numbers. It's the type of people you draw to the screen. You don't have to be number one to turn a nice profit.
CBS finally figured it out. In January, CBS revamped its morning show-- again. Network suits reasoned there's not enough room for three similar network morning shows, so it abandoned the happy talk thing and went for serious news. They know it will be a long time before "CBS This Morning" becomes a ratings player, but at least they're trying something different, and it's a broadcast of which they can be proud.
All CNN has to do is stop playing the game.
