Airports And Cnn: A Profitable Partnership?

The CNN Airport Network was an American out-of-home television network that broadcast news, weather, stock market updates, entertainment, and travel content to airports across the United States. The network ceased operations on March 31, 2021, due to declining airport traffic and the rise of personal mobile devices. While CNN Airport provided a valuable marketing opportunity for the network, it was also the subject of criticism and accusations of monopolization and partisan bias. Notably, CNN Airport was known to pay local airport authorities for the exclusive rights to broadcast its programming on monitors throughout their terminals. This arrangement raised questions about the impact on travellers, particularly regarding the lack of choice in what they watched while waiting for their flights.

CNN Airport Network ceased operations on March 31, 2021

The CNN Airport Network, which was available in 58 airports across the United States, ceased operations on March 31, 2021. The decision to end the network was announced by CNN's president Jeff Zucker on January 12, 2021. Zucker cited several factors for the closure, including the sharp decline in airport traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of streaming video on mobile devices, which made the network's purpose outdated.

The CNN Airport Network was a 24-hour television network that broadcast a mix of live news, sports, lifestyle, travel, and entertainment content to airports across the United States. The network was launched in 1992 and was known for its strict content standards, excluding stories involving aviation incidents, crashes, sexual content, and graphic violence. The network was also unique in that it allowed local airports to insert their own content into the programming, with up to six minutes each hour dedicated to promoting the airport or local attractions.

The closure of the CNN Airport Network marked the end of a 30-year run and was a result of changing consumer behaviour and a decline in airport traffic. The network had become an iconic part of the travelling experience in the United States, with many people associating it with waiting for a flight. However, with the rise of mobile devices and streaming, millions of travellers had also come to view the network negatively, feeling that they were being forced to watch CNN content while waiting for their flights.

The end of the CNN Airport Network also raised questions about the network's monopoly on airport news and the partisan nature of its programming. Despite this, the network's closure was largely seen as a result of changing times and consumer behaviour, with airports and travellers seeking more variety and personalisation in their content choices.

CNN paid airports to air their programming

CNN Airport was an American out-of-home television network that broadcast news, weather, stock market updates, entertainment, and travel content to airports across the United States. The network was available in 58 airports in the United States and was viewed by 323 million people annually.

CNN paid local airport authorities for the exclusive rights to run its programming on monitors throughout their terminals. The network's programming was also available in shops managed by Paradies Lagardère or other vendors, which licensed the names of cable networks such as CNBC and Fox News to brand their shops and screen these channels.

CNN Airport's programming consisted of live news, live sports, lifestyle, travel, and local inserts from airports. The network had stricter content standards than regular CNN, omitting stories involving aviation incidents, sexual content, and graphic violence. It also featured larger-than-standard on-screen graphics for better readability at a distance.

The network's operations were discontinued on March 31, 2021, with CNN's president Jeff Zucker citing changes in consumer behavior, such as the widespread use of streaming video on mobile devices, as reasons for the closure.

While CNN Airport no longer operates, the presence of CNN in airports has been a topic of discussion and scrutiny. Critics have questioned the dominance of CNN in airports, particularly as the network has been accused of becoming more partisan and ideological. There have been calls for airports to change the channel, with some travelers taking to Twitter and starting online petitions.

CNN has been accused of paying airports to maintain its presence on airport televisions, with long-term contracts curating content seen by travelers. Airports also receive promotional time as part of the deal, and CNN covers the costs of TVs and infrastructure. However, some airports have chosen to terminate their relationships with CNN, citing improved mobile technology and airport Wi-Fi as reasons for travelers' changing content preferences.

The programming was censored to remove disturbing content

The CNN Airport Network was a unique network that aired a variety of programming specifically tailored for airports and travellers. The network was available in 58 airports across the United States and was viewed by millions of travellers annually.

The programming was subject to stricter content standards compared to regular CNN due to its prominence in public waiting areas. To ensure that travellers were not exposed to disturbing content, stories involving commercial aviation incidents, crashes, sexual content, and graphic violence were not aired on the network. Instead, these stories were overlaid with automated weather conditions or other filler content.

The network also aired a larger percentage of lifestyle, entertainment, and sports programming, aiming to provide a variety of content suitable for a broad audience of travellers. The CNN Airport Network was mindful of the diverse backgrounds and preferences of its viewers and took steps to ensure that the content aired was appropriate and non-disturbing.

In addition to the programming adjustments, the network's digital on-screen graphics were designed to be larger than industry standards, allowing for better readability of fonts at a distance. This consideration ensured that travellers could easily view and follow the programming from various distances within the airport terminals.

The network was available in 58 US airports

The CNN Airport Network was an American out-of-home television network owned and operated by AT&T's WarnerMedia through CNN. The service broadcast a mix of content, including general news, weather, stock market updates, entertainment, and travel information to 58 airports across the United States. The network was originally test-launched in 1991 at three airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport, and O'Hare International Airport. It then officially debuted in 1992 as the CNN Airport Network.

The CNN Airport Network was unique in that it had a dedicated staff and followed stricter content guidelines than regular CNN. For example, the network avoided broadcasting stories involving commercial aviation incidents and crashes, opting instead to overlay these stories with automated weather conditions. The network also refrained from airing stories involving sexual content and graphic violence. The network's programming consisted of roughly 16% live news, 19% live sports, 24% lifestyle, 24% travel, and 10% local airport inserts.

In addition to its presence in 58 US airports, the CNN Airport Network also had a significant reach through its availability in over 2,400 gates across the country. The network claimed to have an annual viewership of 323 to 329 million people. However, this number has been disputed, with some arguing that it includes everyone in the gate area, regardless of whether they are actively watching.

Despite its widespread presence, the CNN Airport Network faced criticism and scrutiny. Some travellers expressed their desire for alternative programming or no programming at all, citing the loud and repetitive nature of the content. The network's political leanings also came under fire, with critics arguing that its ideological programming was being forced on captive viewers in public spaces.

In 2018, Republican Iowa congressman Steve King accused the network of having a monopoly on partisan grounds and proposed an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 to prohibit a single broadcaster from dominating airport television programming. However, the amendment was unsuccessful.

Ultimately, the CNN Airport Network ceased operations on March 31, 2021, with CNN's president Jeff Zucker citing changes in consumer behaviour and the ubiquity of streaming video on mobile devices as primary reasons for the decision.

The network was accused of being biased and monopolistic

The network CNN has been accused of being biased and monopolistic. In 2018, Republican Iowa congressman Steve King accused CNN of having a partisan-driven monopoly over television programming screened at airport terminals. He proposed an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 to prohibit a single broadcaster from holding a monopoly in this way.

CNN has also been accused of being biased towards left-wing politics. A 2017 Harvard study found that CNN's coverage of President Trump's first 100 days in office was 93% negative. Trump himself has been vocal in his criticism of CNN, calling it "fake news". A 2019 Pew Research survey showed that among Americans who named CNN as their main source for political and election news, 79% identified as Democrats, while only 17% identified as Republicans.

CNN has also been accused of bias in its coverage of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries debate, where it was described as being "so consistently aligned against Bernie Sanders that it compromised its claim to journalistic neutrality".

In addition to accusations of bias, CNN has also been criticised for its coverage of international incidents. During the Persian Gulf War in 1990-1991, CNN was criticised for glorifying US military action and pushing human interest stories about American soldiers, resulting in an alleged "propagandistic" presentation of the war.

Despite these accusations, CNN continues to maintain its presence in airports across the US, with millions of travellers being exposed to its content.

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