Hey CNN, be careful what you wish for
On the night in question, she was clad in a white pantsuit. White symbolizes purity — and innocence. Perhaps it was intentional. After all — Donald Trump was there, and he is all darkness. Perhaps it was meant to be a contrast — between dark and light.
In the days following the Trump town hall, Kaitlan Collins was mentioned often. So was her white outfit, which many gave a thumbs up to. Unfortunately, her interview style did not receive the same.
Collins was accused of letting Trump get away with too much, of not pushing back on certain vital subjects like a woman’s right to have an abortion. When Trump basically labeled the whole democratic party as murderers, Collins said nothing.
But perhaps she knew she didn’t have to. Maybe she knew the gig was already hers. Puck was the first to break the news that Collins would take the 9:00 PM slot, which has remained as opened as a gaping wound since the firing of Chris Cuomo.
And now it’s hers — Collins apparently passed the Licht test, and it’s official. Collins has the 9:00 PM slot and will officially start in June. None of this is that surprising. But I have one thing to say about it: be careful what you wish for.
Collins is taking over the slot at a particularly sensitive (and awful) time. CNN’s ratings are tanking. The network has moved firmly to the right. Licht is micromanaging the whole team and managing to piss off a lot of employees at the same time.
Collins will have to play the role of company gal. She will likely be micromanaged. She will be encouraged to put emotion aside. Perhaps she will be told to be more “dispassionate.”
In the meantime, there are rumors of people boycotting CNN and of many hitting up CNN’s advertisers to also boycott. There are rumors Licht’s on his way out. There are so many rumors floating that it is hard to tell reality from fantasy in the CNN den.
But one thing is sure. Collins will be expected to pump up ratings. She will have much pressure put on her. I do not envy her the task she is about to embark on.
This is because CNN has doomed itself. They have people fleeing in droves. To get those people back, CNN would have to do something spectacularly unusual.
Giving Collins the 9:00 PM was the most predictable move out of anything that could have been done.
Collins now has her work cut out for her as she finds herself a very big fish in an awfully small pond, that’s getting smaller with each passing day.
