XPost: rec.arts.tv, alt.i-think.therefore.i-dont.listen-to.cnn, cnn.newsroom   
   From: no_offline_contact@example.com   
      
   On 2018-03-25 9:47 PM, Ubiquitous wrote:   
   > CNN’s ubiquitous presence in airports -- where it broadcasts from   
   > thousands of screens to a captive audience of millions -- is facing   
   > new scrutiny after the cable network's hard left turn.   
   >   
   > The CNN Airport network dates back to when CNN was known for   
   > straightforward news programming -- and has been a fixture at airports   
   > since before competitors MSNBC and Fox News even existed. But critics   
   > are now asking if busy travelers should be subjected to CNN’s   
   > increasingly ideological programming -- at gates, bars, food courts and   
   > baggage claims -- which can include on-screen chyrons or subtitles that   
   > gleefully mock President Trump. Many travelers have even taken to   
   > Twitter and started online petitions to urge airports to change the   
   > channel.   
   >   
   > Media Research Center Vice President Dan Gainor told Fox News that CNN   
   > has become more partisan than MSNBC since Trump moved into the White   
   > House and travelers should have the option of not watching the network.   
   >   
   > “How are airports justifying the idea of bombarding captive viewers   
   > with content many of them oppose? Sadly, almost any outlet is fairer   
   > now than CNN,” Gainor said.   
   >   
   > But CNN isn’t actually forced on travelers because airports are looking   
   > to disseminate liberal doctrine. It’s forced on travelers because of   
   > money.   
   >   
   > CNN pays airports to leave the network on, and many travel hubs even   
   > have agreements in which CNN pays for their TVs and infrastructure. The   
   > Philadelphia Inquirer reports that airports also receive “up to six   
   > minutes each hour to promote the airport or local attractions” as part   
   > of the deal.   
   >   
   > “CNN Airport covers the costs related to the TVs and related   
   > infrastructure, provides programming specifically geared for airports,   
   > and pays us for the opportunity to be in our facility,” a   
   > representative from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International said, while   
   > Miami International’s spokesperson simply pointed us to a document   
   > proving that CNN is willing to pay the most.   
   >   
   > Long-term contracts typically give CNN the ability to curate content   
   > seen by travelers whether they like it or not. The eight-year contract   
   > that was signed in 2016 promises Miami International Airport “a maximum   
   > annual guarantee of $150,000” that may be adjusted annually to ensure   
   > the deal is on par with similar airports.   
   >   
   > "Airports feel like a lesser version of hell with dirty seats,   
   > overpriced food and propaganda posing as news on CNN," Fox News host   
   > Tucker Carlson said last month.   
   >   
   > The agreements blur the lines between news and advertising as the   
   > network blurs the lines between news and political activism.   
   >   
   > Carlson said the agreement to air CNN on unsuspecting travelers made   
   > sense when CNN had a "centrist reputation," but now the network "has   
   > strayed so far to the left, constantly promoting wacky Russia-related   
   > conspiracy theories.”   
   >   
   > A CNN Airport media kit says a whopping 323 million people view CNN   
   > Airport on an annual basis at the 2,400-plus gates throughout the   
   > country that carry the channel.   
   >   
   > “We have received complaints about CNN and the content they air,” a   
   > Salt Lake City International Airport spokesperson told Fox News before   
   > noting there is a “contract in place.”   
   >   
   > CNN Airport is not the exact same feed as the standard CNN, as   
   > additional sports and weather segments are added while some graphic   
   > video is removed. CNN Airport also goes out of its way to remove any   
   > coverage of plane crashes or air disasters that could spook passengers.   
   >   
   > The airport version of CNN, which launched back in 1992, airs in   
   > roughly 60 of America’s most bustling travel hubs. Trip Savvy recently   
   > listed the 25 busiest airports in America and 20 of them are listed as   
   > airports participating in CNN Airport. When pitching to advertisers,   
   > CNN hypes avid travelers as a valued demographic who often rent cars,   
   > stay in lavish hotels and make a comfortable salary.   
   >   
   > While most airports air CNN as a cash grab, others have selected CNN   
   > Airport because they don’t have any other options.   
   >   
   > “CNN was the only news provider that responded to the Airport's request   
   > for proposal from news organizations. The Airport cannot air another   
   > network if one did not respond to the request for proposal,” a Salt   
   > Lake City International Airport spokesperson told Fox News.   
   >   
   > San Francisco International Airport told Fox News it has informed CNN   
   > that the relationship will be terminated next month when the existing   
   > contract expires, pointing to improved mobile devices and free airport   
   > Wi-Fi that allow travelers to curate their own content as the primary   
   > reason.   
   >   
   > The increasing calls for CNN to be removed from airports comes as the   
   > network has become the go-to channel for anti-Trump TV. In the last   
   > year, CNN has obsessed about Trump’s ice cream intake, fixated on a   
   > white truck that blocked the network from filming Trump playing golf,   
   > botched a date that resulted in a false report claiming the Trump   
   > campaign had early access to hacked DNC emails and even shaken up its   
   > primetime lineup to make room for the son of Democrat icon Mario Cuomo,   
   > Chris.   
   >   
   > The network’s chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, declared that   
   > Trump has heart disease despite the president’s doctor giving him a   
   > clean bill of health, and chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta   
   > has emerged as one of the faces of the anti-Trump media. Acosta was   
   > even kicked out of the Oval Office after badgering Trump with racially   
   > charged questions.   
   >   
   > Furthermore, CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter has   
   > repeatedly questioned the President’s mental health and fitness for   
   > office.   
   >   
   > CNN’s prominence at airports is often mocked by critics, who are quick   
   > to joke that the network’s only viewers are waiting for a flight. CNN   
   > declined comment when asked if CNN Airport actually impacts CNN’s   
   > ratings.   
   >   
   > Back in 2013 when CNN was still considered mostly non-partisan, a   
   > Philadelphia International Airport staffer admitted that it is   
   > impossible for employees to even lower the volume on the televisions   
   > blaring cable news.   
   >   
      
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