Thread by @SteveKrak

Chris Wallace was a serious hard news journalist and host for decades. Now he's singing duets with Dionne Warwick. What happened?

I spend 1,500 words digging into the current Wallace-CNN relationship for my first @FourthWatch #RabbitHole deep dive (paid):
fourthwatch.substack.com/p/whos-watchin…

@FourthWatch Chris Wallace was CNN's big bet for the now-defunct CNN+. Is the investment paying off?

Last weekend he was talking to actor Hugh Jackman about the height of a comic book character. It was a far journey from his 18 years hosting Fox News Sunday:
fourthwatch.substack.com/p/whos-watchin…

@FourthWatch Sunday's "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" had just 58K in the demo and 462K total viewers (well behind Fox but ahead of MSNBC).

The show airs just once at 7pmET (or 4pmPT), and isn't repeated throughout the evening.

@FourthWatch #RabbitHole ($):
fourthwatch.substack.com/p/whos-watchin…

@FourthWatch Of course, ratings aren't everything.

Wallace's interview with Nikole Hannah-Jones and AOC made news, and seemed to be in his comfort zone. But more often we see easy listening Chris Wallace, in mostly newsless softball interviews with celebrities...

fourthwatch.substack.com/p/whos-watchin…

@FourthWatch The failure to make “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” a successful traditional television show is not really Wallace’s fault. It was conceived as the centerpiece of a streaming service, where building a library of content was surely part of the plan.

fourthwatch.substack.com/p/whos-watchin…

@FourthWatch It's why the arrangement feels ill-conceived from the start. Why would this content feel at home on CNN+, which was supposed to be a news streamer? And why would someone as inexperienced in interviewing singers and actors would be their preferred vessel?
fourthwatch.substack.com/p/whos-watchin…

@FourthWatch The Chris Wallace bet was placed during the Zucker Era, and now it’s the Licht Era’s job to clean it up. Any objective observer would say CNN is not getting its money’s worth.

So what happens next? Does it stay on HBO Max but leave CNN? Or shift gears?

fourthwatch.substack.com/p/whos-watchin…

Who's Watching Chris Wallace?

From the ratings to the content to the strategy to what happens next in the CNN relationship - read my full 1,500-word #RabbitHole deep dive at @FourthWatch by becoming a paid subscriber for 5 bucks a month or 50 for a year:
fourthwatch.substack.com/p/whos-watchin…