Get out the defibrillator quick: CNN is dying. What other conclusion can be drawn from the Nielsen ratings from February, which showed the once dominant news network finishing in fifth place for the first time ever- and now trailing CNBC and Headline News as well as its main competitors, FOX and MSNBC?The numbers are, as you can imagine, pretty stark. Wolf Blitzer's show, The Situation Room, was down 44% in total viewers in February. Campbell Brown, Larry King, and Anderson Cooper all posted their lowest ratings ever in February among total viewers, declining 50%, 55%, and 59%, respectively.
The numbers are equally grim among the coveted 25-54 demographic. CNN's share of the market with this group during prime time declined from 21% last February to just 10% this year. Even worse, its market share among viewers 25-54 in day time - what's been seen as the network's bread and butter - declined nine percent in the last year to 14%.
After a good year in 2008 fueled by sharp election coverage, CNN President Jon Klein has stubbornly refused to change course despite the network's epic slide over the last 15 months. The loss of Lou Dobbs last year obviously made things worse. But as CNN continues to fade, the question is whether anything less than a radical makeover can save this once proud, but deeply humbled network.