CNN Airport Network will shut down after a 30-year run, as airport traffic remains stunted by the coronavirus pandemic and more people turn to their own mobile devices for entertainment.
CNN’s president Jeff Zucker announced to staff that the airport TV network will end operations March 31, according to a memo posted on Twitter by CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy.
Jeff Zucker has notified CNN staff that "the CNN Airport Network will end operations as of March 31."
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 12, 2021
"The steep decline in airport traffic because of COVID-19, coupled with all the new ways that people are consuming content on their personal devices, has lessened the need..." pic.twitter.com/9se3oCw1gr
Zucker wrote in a memo that the airport network “became an iconic part of the traveling experience in this country. I am sure most of us have a story to tell about which airport we were at when we first learned of a major event.”
Atlanta-based CNN Airport Network currently airs on TV screens in 58 airports around the country, with a mix of live CNN news, lifestyle and entertainment, business and sports news.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has long had CNN Airport Network airing in its terminal and concourses.
It’s yet to be seen what may replace CNN Airport Network on airport TV screens. The Atlanta airport rebid the contract multiple times from 2016 to 2018, twice getting CNN Airport Network as the only bidder. Then-airport manager Roosevelt Council said at the time that he wanted to focus more on “premium programming” and include the airport’s own advertising. The airport ended up again awarding the contract to CNN Airport Network in 2019.
Hartsfield-Jackson now plans to rebid the contract, but expects there will be a lag between the shutdown of CNN Airport Network and the start of a new vendor. In the meantime, the airport is considering showing its own videos about airport services on the screens.
CNN did not comment on how many employees will be affected by the shutdown.
