CNN+ coverage ignores news of its own demise

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CNN+ was oddly silent about the news of its own demise the day it made headlines.

“Reliable Sources Daily,” which airs live at 11 a.m. eastern, covers the media industry as a whole and it would have looked particularly awkward if it didn’t cover news of the closure — but it aired roughly an hour before news of the shutdown was announced to staffers midday April 21, 2022.

Host Brian Stelter said on Twitter that he and his team were already at work on the Friday, April 22, 2022 edition but it was not immediately clear if the closure of CNN+ would be covered.

Meanwhile, “The Source with Kasie Hunt” spent most of its April 21 broadcast featuring an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci centered on coronavirus and vaccines — and made no mention of the closure, though Hunt arguably appeared to have a fleeting air of dejection when she opened the broadcast.

Hunt’s show is centered around political news, so news of the closure wouldn’t necessarily be the best fit for the show, especially one built around the lengthy, pre-taped interview with Fauci that was interspersed with panel discussions.

“The Newscast with Wolf Blitzer,” billed as a hard news show, also did not mention the closure April 21, though it did find time to cover bitcoin mining and the Johnny Depp trial.

On “5 Things” the following morning, the closure was also not covered. In addition to Ukraine, COVID and the Florida government’s effort to remove Disney’s special self-governing status and rising mortgage rates, the broadcast did cover the story of a junior baseball player who allegedly attacked a baserunner and a hammerhead worm “invasion” in some southern states.

When CNN+ first launched, executives were quick to point out that, unlike linear TV, shows on the service aren’t restricted by time constraints, so their runtimes would vary — but that also means that, even on the busiest news day, some of its more traditional newscasts on the service could have slipped in at least a mention.

In fairness, the news of the streamer’s demise was not covered on the “big three” evening newscasts April 21.