Year in Review: Shake-ups at CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News
Maria Leaf
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Cable news networks experienced a number of changes in 2022 both on and off the air.
Some of the biggest shake-ups happened at CNN and MSNBC.
At CNN, it was announced in February that network President Jeff Zucker would resign following the revelation he had a relationship with a fellow executive that was not disclosed prior. In May, Chris Licht took over the network and immediately announced he would be leaving Twitter.
“May 2 will be my first official day in the office at CNN & my last day on Twitter. Twitter can be a great journalistic tool, but it can also skew what’s really important in the world. I’m logging off & looking forward to working with the incredible team at CNN,” he tweeted.
Before taking over, Licht announced the network’s foray into its own digital subscription service, CNN+, would fold a month after launching after failing to attract an audience.
“While today’s decision is incredibly difficult, it is the right one for the long-term success of CNN,” Licht said in a memo to staffers at the time. One of the most notable casualties of that decision was Chris Wallace. The former host of Fox News Sunday lost his show on the streaming platform, only to have it resuscitated by HBO Max.
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Licht then went on to clean house when it came to on-air personalities. It was announced in August that Brian Stelter was let go, and his show Reliable Sources was canceled. He was given the chance to say goodbye to his audience in a segment he called “a super strange situation.”
“This show’s going away, but there’s going to be so many more. We need to have room for media criticism and debate and discussion, and we will. So much of the media ecosystem in 2022 is garbage, but so much of it is spectacular. The hard part’s sorting out the treasure from the trash,” Stelter said. “It’s on all of us. We are all members of the media, all helping to make it better.”
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Jeffrey Toobin also left the network in August. “Friends, I’ve decided that, after 20 years, I’m leaving after my vacation. Was great to spend my last day on air with pals Wolf, Anderson and Don. Love all my former colleagues. Watch for my next book, about the Oklahoma City bombing, coming in 2023 from @simonandschuster,” Toobin tweeted.
In September, it was announced Jake Tapper would move to prime time ahead of the midterm elections, while Don Lemon would move to host the network’s revamped morning show co-hosted by Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.
In one of the final changes for the network this year, Licht announced CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve show this year will be hosted by sober anchors in an effort to boost credibility.
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CNN was not the only cable network to undergo changes in 2022.
In May, it was announced that former White House press secretary Jen Psaki would host a show on MSNBC in 2023.
“Thrilled to join the incredible family this fall. Breaking down the facts and getting to the bottom of what’s driving the issues that matter most to people in this country has never been more important,” she tweeted at the time.
Right before the midterm elections, MSNBC host Tiffany Cross was dismissed and her show canceled. Cross, who was approaching the two-year anniversary of The Cross Connection, made controversial comments on Charlamagne Tha God’s program Hell of a Week, where she called Florida the “d**k of the country.”
“Ron DeStupid, Ron DeSantis, whatever you wanna call Florida man, he is so problematic,” Cross said. “He traffics in stupidity and ignorance, and I just think they are a problem for the rest of the country. Let’s get them out.”
Cross has since hired a lawyer to fight her dismissal.
Around the same time Cross’s departure was announced, MSNBC’s sister network, CNBC, canceled Shepard Smith‘s program, The News with Shepard Smith, after two years to “refocus on business and market coverage,” the network said in a statement.
At Fox News, one of the biggest stories was the death of cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and injuries correspondent Benjamin Hall suffered while reporting in Ukraine.
“To sum it up, I’ve lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other,” Hall shared in April, roughly three weeks after the attack. “One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is blown.”
Hall said he felt “pretty damn lucky to be here” and described the people who had gotten him to where he is now as “amazing.” In mid-December, Hall spoke virtually, accepting his 2022 Foreign Press Award from the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents.
“I do think that this is not just an award for myself. It is an award for Pierre and for Sasha, who both died during that attack, and also for every other war correspondent who has been injured or killed covering conflicts,” Hall said.
Meanwhile, Fox News announced at the end of March that Caitlyn Jenner would join the network as a contributor.
“Caitlyn’s story is an inspiration to us all,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said. “She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community and her illustrious career spans a variety of fields that will be a tremendous asset for our audience.”
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In September, Shannon Bream became the new host of Fox News Sunday, which has experienced growth in the months since.
“It’s been an honor to join the tradition of Fox News Sunday, and we’re all about bringing new people to join us in the conversation,” Bream told Washington Secrets. “It’s a privilege to be in folks’ homes every Sunday, and we’re glad they’ve found reasons to keep coming back,” she added.