CNN President Jeff Zucker in a note sent to staff on Tuesday blamed the coronavirus pandemic for causing the end of CNN’s airport network after 30 years of operation.
Zucker announced that the network, which aired at 54 airports in the United States and Bermuda, will leave its business “as of March 31,” citing the disruption of the pandemic on air travel in the United States and the world. .
He also cited that travelers have resorted to transmitting news to their personal devices.
“The sharp decline in airport traffic due to COVID-19, along with all the new ways in which people consume content on their personal devices, has reduced the need for CNN’s airport network,” Zucker told the note obtained by The Hill.
“Having to say goodbye to such a beloved brand is not easy,” he continued. “I want to thank our friends and colleagues who have contributed to its success and celebrate the fact that for 30 years, CNN’s airport network has kept millions of domestic travelers informed. It also became an emblematic part of the experience of traveling to the country.
Jeff Zucker has notified CNN staff that “CNN’s airport network will end its operations as of March 31.”
“The sharp decline in airport traffic due to COVID-19, along with all the new ways in which people consume content on their personal devices, has reduced the need …” pic.twitter.com/9se3oCw1gr
– Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 12, 2021
People informed about the matter told the Los Angeles Times CNN’s ad-supported airport network was no longer considered profitable. The shutdown will result in layoffs of about two dozen employees at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters.
CNN’s airport network was first launched in 1990.
Air travel has plummeted during the pandemic, although the Transportation Security Administration estimated that millions of people boarded in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas.