Massive layoffs, a cancerous fake news crisis, and the humiliating (and expensive) implosion of its digital platform, appear to be the least of CNN’s problems. Because on top of all that, when compared to last year, the far-left cable channel has lost -30 percent of its primetime viewers and -23 percent of its total day viewers.

The viewership problems for the anti-Trump outlet are breathtaking, especially when compared to its competition. Throughout the week of February 5, CNN could only scrape together an average 674,000 total day viewers. During the all-important primetime hours, CNN averaged only 888,000 viewers.

Those numbers not only put CNN in last place behind MSNBC and Fox News, it puts the 24/7 Trump-hating channel in last place by a country mile.

In total day, the openly left-wing MSNBC averaged 972,000 viewers (compared to CNN’s paltry 674,000). Fox News, however, nearly beat both CNN and MSNBC combined with 1.529 million average viewers.

During primetime, MSNBC smoked CNN by nearly a million viewers — 1.747 million (compared to CNN’s 888,000). Fox beat both MSNBC and CNN combined with a whopping 2.605 million.

While the pro-North Korea CNN lost nearly a third of its primetime viewers, MSNBC actually gained in total day (+26 percent) and primetime (+22 percent).

While retaining its King of the Hill status by a wide margin, Fox’s audience dip was only about half that of CNN’s.

No one can argue that the news cycle is not every bit as intense in February of 2018 as it was in February of 2017. No one can argue that the population has declined.

So why is CNN imploding while its competition continues to thrive?

It probably comes down to a combination of fake news and hate fatigue.

To begin with, MSNBC does not lie to its viewers. It advertises itself as an openly left-wing network, while CNN — which is even further to the left than MSNBC — continues its ridiculous pose as objective and unbiased.

Worse still, CNN cannot seem to stop lying to its viewers. CNN chief Jeff Zucker has created a veritable Fake News Factory over there, a wildly hypocritical one that has undermined all of its reporting and moral authority. If you are going to pose as a news outlet, your reporting must have credibility. Nobody believes anything CNN reports, nor should they.

Lastly, CNN’s 24/7 contribution to the Climate of Hate in this country is not only dangerous, it is simply exhausting. No matter what time of day you turn the failing channel on, it is TRUMP IS HITLER and REPULICANS ARE RACIST and WORSE THAN WATERGATE and I’M OUTRAGED and I’M STILL OUTRAGED and CHRISTIANITY IS BIGOTRY AND HATE and GIMME YOUR GUNS and MOCK US AND WE WILL DESTROY YOU and GIVE UP YOUR FREEDOM TO CENTRAL GOVERNMENT and TRUMP IS CRAZY and and LET’S WHIP UP SOME VIOLENCE and, finally, LET ME LECTURE YOU ON DECENCY EVEN THOUGH I MYSELF AM A SERIAL LIAR.

Even if you agree with CNN’s monstrous worldview and appalling politics, the hate machine’s shrill and sanctimonious  presentation is so hysterical, so neurotic, so smug and one-note, it is just not attractive to watch.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.

Hours after the horrendous toll of the Florida school shooting on Wednesday became apparent, Hollywood veteran actor Adam Baldwin reacted to gun-grabbing celebrities by calling for school staff members to be armed with guns.

And this call is more than reasonable when one considers that Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had two armed resource officers assigned to it, yet a killer was still able to infiltrate campus and harm innocents. Armed teachers and staff might have been able to take out the killer once he got on campus, thereby saving every life or at least saving some.

Baldwin tweeted:

Again, the shooter was stopped by people with firearms.

Schools need armed security and volunteer staff members with CCW.

— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) February 14, 2018

Baldwin makes the point about men with guns stopping the attack because men with guns apprehended the attacker. But the critical point is that a school staff ought not be required to be sitting ducks.

Looked at another way, students ought not be required to be sitting ducks because of asinine policies that keep school staff members from being armed for self-defense.

Baldwin’s suggestion is very important for another reason, he understands that armed resource officers and armed staff are crucial to school safety.

Again, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High had resource officers but lacked the armed staff. Therefore, when the killer made it past the outside parameter there was no one on the inside who could stop him. Anyone who thinks of copy-catting the Florida attack should not only have to fear the presence of officers but should also have to frustrate themselves to near paralysis in worrying about which teachers and staff can (and will) shoot back.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.

Despite the total commitment by network officials and employees to tie their entire brand to taking down President Trump, CNN’s risky strategy is beginning to look like a big loser.

Not only did a recent poll identify CNN as having the most toxic and polarizing name in the “news” business but now according to reports, the self-proclaimed “most trusted name in news” is going into layoff mode.

In a coming move to slice costs, CNN will be dumping a least fifty employees after failing to meet revenue projections. Gee, I wonder why.

The news comes via a Vanity Fair report that cites “people familiar with the matter” in a delightful and ironic twist of the knife into the network that routinely uses anonymous sources to push fake news.

CNN PREPS FOR DOZENS OF LAYOFFS… https://t.co/YrsHSviAQw

— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) February 13, 2018

Via The Hill “CNN set for layoffs: report”:

CNN, which just one year ago was touting an ambitious digital strategy, is planning to lay off as many as 50 people, Vanity Fair reported on Monday.

The layoffs are expected to come this week and will hit CNN staff around the world who work on digital businesses such as CNN Money, video, product, tech and social publishing, the magazine reported. The exact number of layoffs is still not clear.

According to Vanity Fair’s reporting, CNN will curtail some high-profile digital initiatives such as their virtual reality and Snapchat production efforts. The team that produces digital extensions for some of the network’s documentary-style shows is reportedly going to be reorganized.

CNN, reports @JoePompeo, is planning on eliminating as many as 50 jobs across the globe later this week https://t.co/AeJcy8SuLo

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 12, 2018

Vanity Fair fleshes out some of the additional details:

But despite the so-called Trump Bump, CNN appears to be re-thinking at least some elements of its digital strategy. I’ve learned that CNN, a key property in AT&T’s planned takeover of CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, is targeting big savings on the digital side, with as many as 50 jobs around the globe scheduled to be eliminated this week, according to people familiar with the matter, who noted the exact number could still be in flux. The cuts will affect employees who work in premium businesses including CNN Money, video, product, tech and social publishing, these people said. Several high profile digital initiatives are being scaled back, including CNN’s virtual reality productions and its efforts on Snapchat, where CNN recently nixed a live daily webcast after just four months.

AND

The looming cuts may not be altogether Earth-shattering for an institution with thousands of employees around the world and $1 billion in annual profits. But one imagines they will at least further rattle nerves within a company already beset by a fair amount of uncertainty, which largely centers around how long Zucker will remain after AT&T’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, assuming the Department of Justice doesn’t succeed in its efforts to scuttle the deal. A trial to adjudicate that matter is set to kick off on March 19 in Washington, D.C.

The truth? You can just never watch this one too many times!

.@realDonaldTrump lays the smackdown on cnn AGAIN! #CNNBlackmail pic.twitter.com/GQ8FYqJcLL

— Vidgeo (@thevidgeo) July 14, 2017

HE BROKE THEM!