CNN's recently debuted look for its on-air news anchors is causing much discussion online, where many are asking if it's an attempt to look more like a podcast.
Instead of the clean, sleek, modern look of the newsroom desks with large LED screens featuring city scenes and bold graphics, Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper are now hosting their segments from busy sets that seem to evoke the modern-day video-format podcast, and not everyone is impressed with what they describe as an attempt to look like a low-budget podcast.
Why did CNN change up the studio design?
In Friday's segment of The Lead, Tapper showed off the space he uses as his office, saying, "So, you're probably wondering what's going on." The room is filled with campaign posters and other memorabilia, including a large preserved arachnid in a glass box sitting front and center on his desk.
"We thought we would bring you into the space where me and my team do our actual journalism and plan the show every day," Tapper told the audience. "So here we are giving it a shot."
Networks changing up their formats isn't new; from set designs to font choices, they adapt to current trends over time. That said, the segment in The Lead feels visually chaotic, making it difficult for the eye to know where to look.
YouTuber Keith Edwards told the news site Status that in going for the podcast vibe without understanding why people enjoy listening to (and now watching) podcasts "shows they fundamentally don't understand why audiences are leaving." It's the authenticity of the person behind the mic that viewers want, not the look of a low-budget home-office setup.
Tapper wasn't the only one whose setup changed, as Anderson Cooper 360 also had a podcast-like atmosphere, with overt desk mics and a busy background.
Viewers were largely unimpressed with CNN's attempt at modernization
Posts on social media revealed that viewers were, overall, not fans of what they felt was the major news network's attempts to stay relevant in a changing media landscape. One of the major complaints was that the network was going for the podcast aesthetic without following through on genuine and honest podcast messaging, no matter the genre of podcast.
@5149jamesli tweeted, "What CNN and the rest mainstream media still fail to understand is that people tune into podcasts not because it 'looks low budget', but because for the most part, podcasters tell you what they are actually thinking."
"I don’t actually hate the Edward R. Murrow cosplay here, but they should let him smoke a cig or at least pump some haze in to get the ambiance right," @jbillinson said jokingly, sharing a photo of Cooper's new setup.
"They’re attempting to turn their anchors into on-air podcasters," @WesternLensman wrote. "Things are getting desperate over at CNN."
@Krull53835798 added, "I cannot get over what a feeble attempt this is at making corporate media seem more like a podcast. Can I bet on this? Does Kalshi have a marker how long this will last? This is just laughably pathetic."
There were, of course, some who applauded the podcast vibe; they were just few and far between.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
