Media top headlines July 9
The New York Times getting criticized for defending 'pornography literacy' for first graders, ex-CNN regular Michael Avenatti getting prison time for Nike extortion, and The Lincoln Project's co-founder saying the Capitol riot was worse than 9/11 round out today's top media headlines
Struggling CNN didn’t have a single program surpass the 1-million viewer plateau on Thursday.
"Anderson Cooper 360" came the closest, averaging 992,000, but the scandal-plagued "Cuomo Prime Time" lost 40,000 viewers and "Don Lemon Tonight" managed only 635,000 to drag down CNN’s primetime average.
CNN averaged only 719,000 viewers during the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m. ET, while Fox News averaged 2.08 million during the same time period. CNN has failed to reach more than 1 million total viewers on 16 different days from June 9 through July 8.
![CNN averaged only 719,000 viewers during the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m. ET.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2021/05/1200/675/Cooper-Cuomo-Lemon.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
CNN averaged only 719,000 viewers during the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m. ET. (CNN)
CNN struggled to attract viewers throughout the day, starting with "New Day" attracting an audience of merely 421,000. The liberal network failed to reach even 800,000 viewers until "Erin Burnett OutFront" managed 849,000 at 7 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, every Fox News program from 7 a.m. ET through the conclusion of "Gutfeld!" at midnight ET averaged more than 1 million viewers. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" led the way, averaging 3.2 million viewers to outdraw all of CNN’s primetime programming combined.
CNN has found it difficult to attract an audience during the Biden era as the liberal network searches for a post-Trump identity. During the second quarter of 2021, CNN averaged only 654,000 viewers compared to 1.2 million for Fox News.
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The primetime lineup of Cooper, Cuomo and Lemon averaged only 914,000 for the entire second quarter, while Fox News averaged 2.17 million over the same time period.
The ratings news came the same day former CNN darling Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after being convicted of trying to extort Nike.
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Avenatti gained national prominence by making frequent appearances on CNN and other liberal outlets in 2018 and 2019, as he represented porn star Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against then-President Donald Trump. Avenatti appeared on CNN and MSNBC a combined 230 times over one year, according to a study.