Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Here is what you need to know about the January 6 committee's hearing delay and network coverage plans for Hurricane Ian. Plus, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton are zinging Fox News, Q3 ratings are in, and Meta has shut down two influence operations. And finally, why The Try Guys have become The Tri Guys. But first, here's the A1.

THE A1

CNN illustration/Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Hannity Producer's Big Ask: In early January 2021, during the politically turbulent time before Joe Biden assumed the office of the presidency, the executive producer of Sean Hannity's radio show sought to meet directly with then-President Donald Trump.

The producer, Lynda McLaughlin, texted Mark Meadows, the former acting chief of staff, with a big ask, claiming she had "hard data" which "show[ed] proof of the fraud" — evidently about the 2020 election. McLaughlin characterized the dubious information as "irrefutable" and wanted to take it straight to Trump.

"Mark -- are we able to present our data to POTUS?" McLaughlin asked.

The texts, which have not been previously reported, were published in "The Breach," the new book out Tuesday from former Rep. Denver Riggleman, who served as a previous adviser to the January 6 committee. Riggleman's unauthorized book, which has not been greeted warmly by the January 6 committee, bills itself as offering a "behind-the-scenes look" at the probe into the Capitol attack. It contains previously unpublished material, such as this exchange between McLaughlin and Meadows.

CNN has independently obtained the same messages that McLaughlin sent to Meadows. And, through a spokesperson, McLaughlin declined to comment. A lawyer for Meadows did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did a spokesperson for Trump or spokespeople for Hannity.

The messages underscore the intimate relationship that Hannity, his team, and the right-wing media writ large shared with the Trump White House. The cozy relationship exposed in the messages lays bare that in many cases, right-wing media outlets and personalities not only positively covered the Trump White House, but actively worked arm-in-arm with it.

For instance, when McLaughlin texted Meadows introducing herself ("Hey it's Lynda from Hannity") and told Meadows she was "rallying the troops," Meadows replied by thanking her for her "wonderful" contribution and connecting her with the Trump-supporting Rep. Jim Jordan. "Jim Jordon [sic] will gladly coordinate with the House team," Meadows texted McLaughlin. "Do you need his contact?"

A spokesperson for Jordan didn't respond to a request for comment.

And Meadows seemed to stop responding to McLaughlin later in the conversation, after she asked to meet with Trump. But messages, of course, show Meadows continued to communicate with Hannity until after the devastating attack on the Capitol. And it's no secret Hannity himself worked as a top informal adviser to Trump.

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

Ian Blows Back 1/6 Hearing: On Tuesday morning, news networks were preparing to juggle two major stories on Wednesday: Hurricane Ian and the final Jan. 6 hearing. Luckily for the networks, the Jan. 6 committee decided to delay its hearing because of the looming storm. As one network source indicated to me, the outlet very much appreciated the move because it allowed them to focus full-time on the dangerous situation in Florida.

The decision to delay also made sense from a strategic standpoint for the committee: maximizing media coverage of the final hearing. Given the likelihood networks would immediately shift to hurricane coverage afterward, holding it on Wednesday afternoon increasingly made little sense. As one committee source told me, "The committee was aware of the increasing severity of the hurricane and didn't want to distract or compete with coverage of the storm."

CNN illustration/Rob O'Neal/The Key West Citizen/AP

National Media Zooms In: The national news media is getting into place as Ian inches closer to Florida's shores. Norah O'Donnell on Tuesday broadcast the "CBS Evening News" from Tampa, the only of the big three networks to be live on-scene. But the other networks are gearing up for coverage as well. NBC News and ABC News have both deployed sizable teams to the area. On cable, CNN will have John Berman on the ground to accompany network correspondents. MSNBC will be live at 10am with José Díaz-Balart anchoring on-scene and Ali Velshi contributing. And Fox News will draw on reporting from correspondents on the ground.

OFF THE WIRE

The top headline on Tampa Bay Times' site Tuesday evening: "Tampa Bay in final hours of prep as Hurricane Ian nears." (Tampa Bay Times)
But the latest forcecast shows that Ian's track has shifted south. The Tampa mayor said at a news conference that it isn't "good news for our neighbors, but would be for the Tampa Bay area." (CNN)
Disney and Universal have shuttered Orlando theme parks as Ian intensifies. (Orlando Sentinel)
Filming has shut down in Tampa Bay, including for Netflix's upcoming "Pain Hustlers." (Deadline)

THE INFO WARS

Clintons Fire at Fox: Hillary and Chelsea Clinton are coming out swinging against Fox News in a cover story for Variety's 2022 Power of Women issue. Chelsea Clinton bluntly told Variety, "We were the reason that Fox News was created. Because Rupert Murdoch recognized a great market opportunity." Hillary Clinton added that she did not believe the press, when it comes to combatting right-wing media, is "as relentless in rebutting, refuting, and making clear that this is nothing but a play for profits at the cost of truth." She continued, "Tech companies, the rest of journalism, ordinary people with platforms, we haven't done enough to point out the dangers, point out the falsehoods, point out the hypocrisy."

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Fox News promoted a false talking point about Merrick Garland more than 400 times, a MMFA review found. (MMFA)
"We just want to set the record straight." Jake Tapper called out the DCCC for selectively editing a segment from his show. (CNN)
The chair of Ofcom said the UK broadcasting regulator should "not regulate the culture wars." (Deadline)
Arit John looked at how election workers have trained "for battle against conspiracy theories and misinformation before [the] midterms." (LAT)

THE BUSINESS

Cable News Ratings Slide: Q3 ratings have arrived and, predictably, showed a continued decline in viewership since Trump left office. Ratings in the key 25-54 advertising demo were down across the board during the period between June 27 to Sept. 25. At CNN, primetime averaged 150K demo viewers, down 21% from last year. MSNBC's primetime programming averaged 127K demo viewers, down 22%. Over at Fox News, ratings were also down, averaging 294K demo viewers, representing a 23% decline from last year.

Who's Watching Chris Wallace?: The ratings are also in for the first week of Chris Wallace's new CNN program — and they were not very strong. The 7pm hour, when the show debuted, averaged 425K total viewers and 46K in the 25-54 demo. That was down from the 6pm hour, "CNN Newsroom," which averaged 457K total viewers and 70K in the key demo. Wallace's numbers were also below those in the slot in recent Sundays.

► A CNN spokesperson, however, noted that Wallace's show started to stream on HBO Max ahead of its CNN air date. "As you know, the program doesn't follow a typical linear distribution model so its success won't be determined like one," the spokesperson said. "Live domestic TV viewers represent only fraction of its intended audience."

IN THE MARKET

CNN has laid off a handful of staffers in its audio division, Claire Atkinson reports. (Insider)
The SEC has accused three former MoviePass executives of violating federal securities laws. (THR)
Warner Bros. Discovery International President Gerhard Zeiler at the RTS London Convention: "Everyone who believed cinema is dead has been proven wrong and will be (shown to be) wrong in the future." (THR)
Zeiler also committed to local content: "If you want to be a global player, you have to have relevant local stories." (Variety)
New York Public Radio announced its 2022 gala will be hosted by Samantha Bee. (Variety)

MEDIA MOVES

Matt Lappin has been promoted to co-executive producer of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." (THR)
CNN has elevated Marcus Mabry to SVP of digital editorial and programming. (Variety)
POLITICO has hired Heidi Przybyla as a national investigative correspondent. (POLITICO)
POLITICO Mag has hired Jesús A. Rodríguez to cover law, politics, and democracy. (Twitter)
Reuters has hired Francesco Guerrera as global economics editor. (TalkingBizNews)

THE VALLEY

CNN illustration/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Meta shuts down Influence Operations: Meta has put the quash on two influence operations from Russia and China, the company said Tuesday. The Russian account network, which pushed pro-Kremlin talking points, was the bigger of the two. But, while China's was smaller, it was surprising. Meta's global threat intelligence chief, Ben Nimmo, said they had not seen Chinese accounts previously target Americans in this way. "They were running fake accounts that pretended to be Americans and try to talk like Americans and they were talking about really divisive domestic issues like abortion and gun control," he said. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has the details here.

TOO MANY TABS

Kurt Wagner captured the send off Sheryl Sandberg received on her final day at Meta HQ. (Twitter)
Elon Musk and Twitter are arguing over unresolved pretrial information requests. (WSJ)
TikTok is facing a roughly $26 million fine in the UK over privacy violations related to children. (Guardian)
YouTube Shorts is copying-and-pasting another key TikTok feature. (TechCrunch)
Google is making three big updates to its Play Store. (The Verge)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN illustration/Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The Tri Guys: The viral team known as the The Try Guys have cut ties with Ned Fulmer amid allegations he had an extramarital affair with a colleague, transforming their quartet into a trio. The group, which found fame at BuzzFeed, said Fulmer "is no longer working" with them "as a result of a thorough internal review." The statement didn't go further, but Fulmer released a statement of his own apologizing for having a "consensual workplace relationship." CNN's Sandra Gonzalez has more here.

OFF STAGE

Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine in a new "Deadpool" film due out in 2024 (CNN)
"House of Dragon" viewership rose 3% this past Sunday. (Variety)
The "Phantom of the Opera" saw a spike in ticket sales after announcing it will leave Broadway. (THR)
Elton John and Britney Spears have released a music video for "Hold Me Closer." (YouTube)
Meghan Markle's podcast is coming back October 4. (Variety)