CNN rolled the dice when it paired up former NBA star and basketball commentator Charles Barkley with CBS morning show host Gayle King for a weekly show.
Separately, Barkley and King are each popular with their audiences, with King anchoring âCBS Morningsâ and Barkley sitting on the panel on TNTâs âInside the NBA.â
CNNâs stock with viewers has apparently tanked so dramatically in recent years that the tandem is a primetime afterthought.
The New York Post reported ratings for the latest Wednesday evening broadcast of âKing Charlesâ lost in the ratings to reruns of âSouth Parkâ and âSeinfeld.â
The show debuted on Nov. 29 and airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
âKing Charlesâ opened with 500,000 total viewers in Don Lemonâs old time slot with 139,000 of those viewers being among the 25-54 age demographic that is sought after by advertisers, according to the Post.
Those numbers werenât particularly strong but were at least respectable.
But in the weeks since the showâs premiere, people are tuning out the show.
Citing information from Nielsen, the Post reported that the Jan. 31 broadcast only attracted 400,000 total viewers. To make matters worse, the show tanked in the age demographic, attracting only 89,000 â the first time âKing Charlesâ fell short of 100,000 viewers in this demo.
Reruns of âSouth Park,â âSeinfeld,â âEverybody Loves Raymondâ and âModern Familyâ each beat âKing Charlesâ in total viewers on Jan. 31, which is not even the most embarrassing part of the showâs unraveling.
The âSouth Parkâ episode in question â the one that defeated CNNâs exercise in gaiety â aired at 2:30 a.m., according to the Post.
People have simply had enough of CNN and its mission to spread lies, twist truths and demonize millions of conservative Americans.
Naturally, a source described as being âcloseâ to CNN, disputed the Nielsen numbers and the notion its failing show is indeed failing when pressed for comment by the Post.
CNNâs source said that the showâs ratings are not an accurate picture of how many people watch âKing Charlesâ and pointed out that the show is available to stream on-demand on MAX.
As if hordes of people who pay for the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streaming service are going to log in, ignore HBOâs vast library of great shows and choose anything from CNN.
The CNN sources also argued the show is embracing diversity and attracts more minority viewership than its competitors.
âKing Charlesâ came in a distant last place in the cable news ratings, and the apparent takeaway for those propping up the failed network is that at the very least, diversity notched a win.
Fox Newsâ âGutfeld!â smashed all the competition Jan. 31 with 2.2 million total viewers and 241,000 in the demo.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.