With President Trump gone, CNN banked on the January 6 hearings, or circus, to bring the viewers back.  Why not?  Nobody at CNN can speak two sentences without mentioning the famous Orange Man.

Well, it looks as though the hearings did not really help CNN after all.  Check out the latest report:

Despite a fresh face at the helm, CNN's ratings are stuck in freefall mode. 

Pledging to "go a different way" as "extremes are dominating cable news," when he took over in early May, CEO Chris Licht hasn't yet seen the hoped-for results. 

Only 654,000 viewers on average per night tuned in to June's primetime lineup, while the network attracted 487,000 viewers on average during the day. These numbers represent a slight decline from May, even with the Jan. 6 House committee hearings.

Yes, no one is watching.  Wonder why?  Well, let me give Mr. Chris Licht a couple of suggestions.

First, you can't really go a different way with the same faces.  It's hard to think CNN has changed if we see the same faces on the screen.

Second, rebranding is a tough business.  Just read about Edsel and AMC or the old Rambler.  It takes a long time for people to get over it, and brands usually go out of business rather than recover their old customers.

So Chris Licht can talk about changing, but it won't work if we are watching the same faces every night.  Last, but not least, Chris Wallace is not really the answer, and having Jake Tapper finally ask tough questions of Democrats is probably too late, too.

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Image: CNN.