NEW YORK CITY, New York: Despite intense interest and engagement with news outlets in 2020 due to the presidential election, the COVID-19 pandemic and racial tensions, 2021 represented the inevitable hangover.
Various metrics illustrate the dwindling popularity of news content during that year.
In 2021, cable news networks were the main form of evening entertainment for millions of Americans, but weekday prime-time viewership has since dropped 38 percent at CNN, 34 percent at Fox News and 25 percent at MSNBC, according to the Nielsen rating company.
The Trump era witnessed a surge in subscribers for some digital news sites, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, though readers actually spent less time reading news on their sites. Comscore said the number of unique visitors to the Washington Post’s site dropped 44 percent in November, compared to November 2020, and down 34 percent at the New York Times.
Many news executives were aware that the peaks of 2020 were not sustainable. “It was entirely predictable,” said news media analyst Ken Doctor, as quoted by ABC News.
In particular, cable news networks created a prime-time model almost entirely focused on political combat during the Trump era, which made it difficult for them to pivot to something different, said Tom Rosenstiel, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland.
“You become, to some extent, a prisoner of the audience you built,” he told ABC News.
“These networks remain focused on politics, even as viewers’ interest decreases.”
The media monitoring company NewsWhip looked at 14 million political articles online last year and found they had an average of 924 engagements, or social media interactions.
Fox News directed fans to its Fox Nation streaming service, in light of perceived threats from outlets such as Newsmax and OANN, and CNN and MSNBC face key programming decisions in 2022.
CNN must replace its most popular host, Chris Cuomo, who was dismissed due to his helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, through a political scandal, while MSNBC must replace Brian Williams in its lineup and will most likely see its most popular personality, Rachel Maddow, reduce her on-camera hours.
After passing 8 million subscriptions and being on pace to grow further, Doctor said the NYT has done well to diversify beyond politics, most notably with its Wirecutter service for consumer recommendations.
According to the Wall Street Journal, leaders at the Washington Post have debated how to address their readers’ dependence on political fare. It is also looking internationally for growth opportunities, Doctor said, a focus that plays to the strength of Sally Buzbee, its new executive editor.
“People, to some degree, have focused inward. They are getting the news that they need, but it is not as much news as it was a year ago,” Rosenstiel said, as reported by ABC News.
Some 100 to 120 local newspapers shut down in 2021, on pace with the declines of the past two decades, said Penelope Muse Abernathy, professor at Northwestern University.
According to research firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, local news outlets are expected to see their lowest number of job cuts in 14 years, which comes after 2020 saw the highest number of newsroom job cuts since 2008.
Local news outlets witnessed a rise in digital subscriptions, as people sought information in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Abernathy added that she believes outlets have done well in retaining many new subscribers.