Cable news advertising: Applying formal analysis to uncover current trends in self-promotional marketing

Abstract

The emergence of 24/7 cable news channels within the US revolutionized news consumption, offering viewers accessibility beyond fixed broadcast schedules. While the phenomenon began with CNN, competitors quickly emerged, targeting different political ideologies and mirroring the heightened polarization that has altered American society. Cable news channels must market themselves effectively to their audiences through distinctive product differentiation strategies. Understanding these approaches provides insights into information dissemination, political communication, and audience engagement dynamics. This paper aims to conduct a formal media analysis of current self-promotional advertisements across the big three cable news networks within the US to derive insights into contemporary differentiation strategies crucial for monitoring the industry’s technological transition. As the rest of the world has begun to wrestle with increased polarization, this analysis will be relevant to anticipating how non-US news sources use ideology and values to position themselves within highly competitive markets.

Keywords

cable news networks formal analysis marketing strategies media studies product differentiation

Introduction

24/7 cable news channels emerged in the latter decades of the 20th century, offering viewers the ability to receive news at times that better met their needs. Time Warner’s launch of CNN in the US, the first such channel, extended an existing core service (television news) by separating it temporally from the fixed confines of 6:00 and 11:00 pm broadcasts. Berry et al. (2006) deem this innovation a flexible solution. From a service supply chain perspective, CNN’s innovation unlocked new value for consumers by offering the availability of news and information around the clock. Since the emergence of CNN, the market has crowded. Additional cable channels catering to different ideological perspectives (e.g. MSNBC, Fox News) launched and eventually attained dominance (Mastrangelo, 2023). Occurring alongside the rise of cable news, society has witnessed an ideological hardening with increased political polarization and diminished tolerance for civic debate (Lawrence et al., 2010). Cable news channels reinforce political ideologies and play a role in establishing echo chambers (Martin and Yurukoglu, 2017). As such, it becomes incumbent upon these channels to market themselves effectively to their base through product differentiation tactics, signaling their value system to viewers with established political identities.

The role of news media as a service is critical for US citizenry. Kovach and Rosenstiel (2021) label the human need for news and information as the Awareness Instinct. At a more primal level, an independent press upholds democratic institutions (Schudson, 2018; Wolf, 2023). McNair (2009) tracks the closely intertwined history of journalism and democracy, concluding that while journalism’s role remains essential, much of the politically focused journalism on offer today is “trivial, polemical, and ultimately disposable” (p. 247). Both technological and sociopolitical dynamics are upending the news media landscape. The former includes the impacts of New Media, where internet-based innovations led to new distribution channels for niche content, which encouraged interactivity between news firms and consumers (Lee, 2012; Stanyer, 2009). The latter accounts for the increasing fusion of our political ideology and identity, creating what Klein (2020) terms identity politics. Pew Research confirms that television remains the dominant mode by which consumers still receive news and information (Shearer, 2018). However, the increased competition heightens the need for cable news to lean further into product differentiation to win and sustain its consumer base.

Branding and marketing merge the role of identity with business, where firms strive to define themselves as unique, valuable services worthy of winning a consumer’s business (Maurya and Mishra, 2012). For cable news channels, the fight has been dogged. In October 2023, Fox News averaged 1.36M viewers per day, while MSNBC averaged 895K, and CNN averaged 600K (Johnson, 2023). This does not include the recent additions of fringe channels such as OANN, Newsmax, TYT, and local affiliates owned by Sinclair that also vie for news viewership (KhudaBukhsh et al., 2022). Assessing how today’s cable news networks market themselves can offer insights into the sociocultural dynamics that have emerged over the past few decades and demonstrate how firms segment and position consumers with specific interests and needs. This paper will apply formal analysis techniques to recent cable news channel advertisements from the top three US competitors to unpack how ideology and messaging are conveyed through the texts. The focus on the US market is intentional as research indicates that America leads the broader international community in deepening polarization (Wong, 2020). Therefore, while other developed nations have seen a rise in populist politicians and increased polarization, the US appears poised as a bellwether for how these dynamics may further develop within broader international contexts. The remainder of this paper will be organized as follows: First, the background of the cable news industry and competitive marketing literature will be presented. Then, a formal analysis will be conducted on recent self-promotional advertisements from Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN that each air on their respective channels. Finally, we will conclude with a discussion and suggestions for future research.

Background

Cable news industry

In an analysis of the cable TV industry, IBISWorld finds that cable networks have been expanding their offerings and distribution strategies to better compete with the emerging threat of streaming services. However, while overall subscriptions to cable services are falling, demand for cable networks is primarily driven by the demand for cable news (Rose, 2022). While many political scientists and historians have documented the fascinating history of objectivity in journalism (e.g. Maras, 2013; Schudson, 2001), today’s media sphere is informed by rapid and destabilizing technological change, which enables niche news agencies to target ideologically distinct tribes (Stroud, 2011). Klein (2020) captures this sociopolitical upheaval by tracking how our partisan identities have merged with all other aspects of identity (race, religion, geography, ideology, and culture) and indicates that the resulting meta-identities exacerbate tribal warring. Individuals now seek out niche news channels to reinforce their specific ideology rather than expand their worldview with broader information streams. Choi (2022) has studied the effects of partisan cable news and how it mobilizes viewers, finding that viewers of Fox News programing are more likely to engage in political discourse through like-minded discussions. In contrast, MSNBC viewers were mobilized to participate directly in politics. Ultimately, as indicated concisely by Jones (2012), US cable news channels have defined themselves centrally through the role of politics, where politics now govern their respective commercial strategies and branding. Fletcher et al. (2020) cite Iyengar and Hahn (2009) that “a more divided electorate in the United States occurred simultaneously with the explosion of digital media and cable television, and found strong evidence that people selected news outlets based on their political views” (p. 171).

Within the US, cable news’ primary broadcasting mechanisms leverage legacy technology (uni-directional broadcasts through cable television providers), where it remains a dominant source of news and information for much of the American population (Shearer, 2018). Cable news channels represent one prong of the societal effect of the mediatization of politics, where media exert increasing influence, encompassing a more extensive, dynamic, and process-oriented societal transformation (Strömbäck and Esser, 2014). Bae (1999) affirms that since cable news networks are included in standard cable packages, they do not compete with one another on price but through product differentiation.¹ Therefore, each cable news channel must package and promote its content as unique compared to its competitors. Kovach and Rosenstiel (2021) discuss how Fox News adopted a different type of advocacy journalism. Through their reach, the channel’s business and strategic leads (Murdoch and Ailes) did not simply report on newsworthy events but rather had loftier ambitions to “reshape the Republican Party” (p. 174). Kovach and Rosenstiel do not just criticize Fox News but, rather, all political news cable due to the rise in political operatives and paid pundits, which have transformed the landscape to one where information diffused through opinion is perceived to be more authentic and marketable.

One of the dominant threads of research on cable news networks relates to news bias, framing, and misinformation (Gil de Zúñiga et al., 2023; Martin and Yurukoglu, 2017; Nassar, 2020), inviting insights into how CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News differentiate themselves. Braun (2015) writes of MSNBC as an organization designed to merge television and the internet, pursuing synergies between its television programs and online presence. Dixon and Williams (2015) use archival data samples from cable and network news programing to reveal that non-white populations are commonly misrepresented in the topics of violence perpetration, as victims of violent crime, as undocumented immigrants, and as terrorists. Meanwhile, Parks (2019) evaluated cable news content as related to a specific newsworthy event (when Iran detained 10 US sailors in January 2016) and found that Fox News produced overtly partisan segments, whereas CNN utilized a more balanced journalistic reporting style. However, the researchers concluded that regardless of framing, both segments leveraged similar imagery, rhetoric, and ideological characterizations. Overall, the research supports Bae (1999) in that product differentiation is a critical aspect of each cable news channel’s strategy, which becomes evident in its programing, reporting styles, and ultimate values and intentions. This concept will be explored more directly later in the paper when formally analyzing cable news channel advertisements.

Commercial marketing and branding strategies

Marketing is fundamental for firms seeking brand and product differentiation within competitive markets (Dirisu et al., 2013). Through strategic marketing initiatives, companies can effectively communicate and highlight unique value propositions, attributes, and benefits associated with their brands and products. This differentiation often stems from a comprehensive understanding of consumer needs and preferences, allowing firms to tailor their marketing messages and positioning strategies accordingly (Lauga et al., 2022). By emphasizing specific features, quality, innovation, or even ethical values, firms can create a compelling narrative that resonates with their target audience. This dynamic is exacerbated for firms impacted by New Media and Industry 4.0, where firms need to leverage technology to understand consumer needs better (Ungerman et al., 2018). With regards to this study, cable news channels (and news media competitors along different distribution platforms) need to harness what they learn in the data amassed on their consumers to ensure their marketing strategies reflect these needs to drive further growth and maintain relevance with their consumer base.

Extant research on commercial marketing and branding strategies for cable news channels is multifaceted, encompassing various approaches and perspectives. Farhi (2003) confirmed that as far back as 20 years ago, CNN and Fox had begun to differentiate dramatically in their approach to covering news and opinion, creating fundamentally different product offerings for consumers. Programing announcements serve as opportunities for brand differentiation, where recent assessments of lineup changes conclude that Fox News pushed further into right-wing talk, MSNBC skewed further to the left, and CNN attempted to straddle the middle-ground by hiring an acclaimed NPR journalist (Stetler, 2022). Peck (2023) compares Fox News to TYT (The Young Turks, a liberal competitor originating in the digital sphere), indicating how both position themselves with a commercial-economic model that prioritizes loyalty in viewership and strong engagement as dominant factors.

Scholars have explored how cable news channels employ branding strategies for differentiation, analyzing the distinct visual identities, slogans, and on-air personalities that establish a network’s brand identity (McDowell, 2004). Competence, timeliness, and dynamism are the most salient brand personality dimensions undergirding television news (Chan-Olmsted and Cha, 2008). Competence includes intelligence, honesty, and reliability; Timeliness includes timing and seasonedness; Dynamism includes trendy, masculine, and daring. Separately, Santin and Rubira (2014) evaluate the self-promotional tactics of television news channels, concluding that the approach attracts viewers to its programing while improving brand image, citing seminal research that identifies two self-promotion modes: program and brand (Siegert and Puhringer, 2001).² Additionally, Coffey and Cleary (2008) analyzed the role of self-promotion on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. They concluded that all stations engage in significant self-promotion. In contrast, those stations with parent companies involved in other media endeavors favor using their assets (i.e. news-crawl) for cross-selling opportunities. Overall, the literature underscores the strategic importance of branding efforts for cable news networks in establishing market positions, cultivating audience trust, and maintaining relevance in an ever-evolving media environment. This research confirms prior assertions that product differentiation is a primary marketing device in highly competitive environments. As such, cable news channels must find unique ways of marketing themselves to consumers, strategies that become more readily apparent when conducting formal advertising analysis.

Methodology

The following qualitative document analysis investigates the self-promotional advertisements utilized by cable news channels within the context of contemporary media marketing strategies. Morgan (2022) noted that document analysis is a valuable but underused qualitative approach to uncovering the generation of meaning within various cultural texts. These advertisements represent a crucial facet of branding efforts, serving as a vehicle through which networks articulate their unique value propositions, editorial philosophies, and distinctive features to the audience. The examination will isolate formal elements of filmic texts (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound, and narrative) to investigate the rhetorical elements, assessing their effectiveness in conveying the network’s identity, attracting viewership, and fostering brand loyalty. This analysis will explore the overarching strategies, narrative structures, and persuasive techniques utilized in these advertisements, shedding light on how cable news channels strategically position themselves within the competitive media landscape to maintain relevance and engage audiences amidst evolving media consumption patterns.

Analysis

MSNBC

A recent advertisement (see Figure 1) was devoted to artificial intelligence. The thirty-second spot regularly airs on MSNBC. The advertisement links the MSNBC tagline, “Understand More,” to the topic of artificial intelligence. During the commercial, a series of clips from different MSNBC shows are edited to create one singular thought on artificial intelligence, emerging as a thesis argument for the channel. What is interesting about the design of this ad is its formal construction. The commercial begins on a black screen with elegiac electronic music creating an unsettling soundscape. Over black, the sentence “WITH MORE TECHNOLOGY COMES MORE UNCERTAINTY” fades onto the screen. Over this sentence, the voice of MSNBC host Ari Melber introduces the topic, “Now we turn to an issue that is upending politics, communication, jobs. . .artificial intelligence.” A clip of Ari speaking these lines in closeup, direct to the camera, then cuts to MSNBC visual graphics that distort the “Understand More” phrase by inserting technology-related imagery (i.e. the hand of a robot reaching for the hand of a human) and digital glitches permeate the screen evoking a science-fiction trope of a technology breakdown. Seamlessly, Ari Melber’s sentiments cut to those of other MSNBC hosts, who speak the following lines in rapid succession:

Ari Melber (00:00:00–00:00:06): “Now we turn to an issue that is upending politics, communication, jobs. . .artificial intelligence.”

Ali Velshi (00:00:06–00:00:10): “We know there are things that can be made much better with AI.”

Chris Hayes (00:00:10–00:00:18): “I have never seen technology explode in the consciousness of folks. I mean, it has been moving at an astonishingly fast clip, clip.” [author’s note: the double iteration of the clip at the end of the sentence was not an actual misspeak from host Chris Hayes but an intentional manipulation by the advert’s editor to mirror the digital choppiness effect of a technology breakdown.]

Mika Brzezinski (00:00:18–00:00:25): “Hundreds of tech executives warn that AI poses an existential threat to humanity.”

Alex Wagner (00:00:25–00:00:28): “All of this is happening while lawmakers have fallen behind on regulating this technology.”

Figure 1.

MSNBC’s advertisement on AI.

As Alex Wagner’s sentiment concludes, the commercial cuts from the original embedded clip of Wagner, centered on the screen, excised from her primetime news program, back to the MSNBC “Understand More” slogan, which reappears in the center of the screen in thick white font. The black background remains. Suddenly, the letter “O” in the word “More” cycles through various iconographic images (an image of the earth, a computer-generated scan of a human brain, a laptop computer, a judge’s gavel, the face of a toy robot, and the dome of the US capitol). The white text fades blue and dissolves to the MSNBC logo while the tense electronic music and on-screen images fade.

A few critical takeaways from this advertisement are worth highlighting that become more apparent through formal analysis methods. The tight juxtaposition of singular sentiments cleaved from individual broadcasts accomplishes signals that MSNBC programs cover the same broad topics. The resulting montage of edited-together sentences serves as one collective thought, sounding like a persuasive essay’s introductory paragraph. Editing as a formal system has been studied by film scholars since the emergence of the discipline, where meaning is derived through the act of juxtaposing two or more disparate shots together (Bordwell et al., 2008). Editing systems can highlight differences (i.e. Eisenstein’s jarring political montage and feminist film theory’s location of the male gaze). However, montage editing techniques can highlight similarities by bridging space and time to unify disparate thoughts (Fischer, 2004). From a technical perspective, this can be accomplished via formal techniques that help bridge the spectator across divides of space and time, namely sound bridges and graphic matches, which are on display in this advertisement through the continuation of a single thought of the connected sentences and the similarity of the camera’s framings of the hosts (center frame, staring down the barrel of the lens).

This juxtaposition signals the hosts’ (and, by extension) all MSNBC programing’s homogeneity. Whereas self-promotional advertisements on television channels typically highlight one program at a time, this advertisement succeeds in highlighting the collective programing of the channel. The fact that a singular message could be strung together from edited clips derived from at least five separate broadcasts indicates that MSNBC and its host adopt similar perspectives on issues. The channel is selling itself as offering a singular point of view on AI, one that uses heightened language, including positioning it as an existential threat, all underscored by the solemnity of the black background and synthesized, pulsating music echoing the rising heartbeat of a terror-stricken viewer. The commercial overlays techno-glitch effects and superimposes iconographic imagery interspersed amongst the clips of the program’s hosts. These images symbolically brace MSNBC’s ideology and cater to its viewers through the power of one specific topic and an arsenal of hosts all aligned to discuss it. Lastly, MSNBC has an identically structured ad related to climate change. Taken collectively, MSNBC is carving itself out as a singular platform for conversations on issues that permeate all shows rather than emphasizing singular personalities.

Fox News

The opposite approach, an emphasis on personality over singular issues, is taken by competitor Fox News. In July 2023, Fox News launched a promo highlighting a shake-up in its primetime schedule. The advertisement opens on a green-screened image of four news hosts, Laura Ingraham, Jesse Waters, Sean Hannity, and Greg Gutfeld, walking in slow-motion toward the camera. Behind them is a computer-generated newsroom with the word PRIMETIME emboldened. Dramatic orchestral music with thundering drums underscores the imagery, which moves from a long shot to a medium shot of the four hosts as a masculine voice-over starts. “Fox News primetime. The Right voices at the right time.” The ad then cuts to individual segments highlighting the virtues of each host and what they bring to the network. See Figure 2 for several screenshots.

Laura Ingraham: “#1 Female Host on Cable News”

Jesse Waters: “#1 Fastest Growing Show on Cable News”

Sean Hannity: “Longest Running Primetime Cable News Host in TV History”

Greg Gutfeld: “The King of Late Night.”

Figure 2.

Fox News’ advertisement on their new primetime lineup.

In addition to the iconography of each host cleaving their perspective on the network, each offers their talking point. Ingraham stresses that “real Americans need to be heard.” Hannity remarks, “I believe in faith, family, and the USA.” This messaging aligns with research from Peck (2019), which characterizes the strategy of Fox News as one guided by populism, branding the news giant’s conservative ideology as meeting working-class populations. Gutfeld indicates his program to be “close to entertainment.” The mise-en-scene of the scene emphasizes the colors of the American flag while CG stars zoom by on the screen. Taken collectively, this advertisement skews more traditional than MSNBC. It highlights the individual personalities of its hosts while celebrating their bona fides in text proclamations on the screen. Gutfeld’s emphasis on American ideals and Hannity’s utterance of “faith” and “entertainment” de-emphasizes journalistic values. This encodes Fox News as less concerned about facts or journalistic methods. Instead, the hosts appear more with winning viewers and reflecting conservative ideology to their viewer base.

CNN advert

The advertisements airing on CNN during this period took a third approach to marketing the channel. In a series of identical ads, CNN has correspondents in international locations announce their name, location, and station identification, all in approximately 7 seconds. The advertisement consists of a single medium shot (see Figure 3). The correspondent has directed a solemn gaze into the camera’s lens, noting, “I am Alex Marquardt at the Israel-Gaza border, and this is CNN.” The medium shot wipes to the CNN logo. The entire advert is a fraction of the thirty-second ads deployed by MSNBC and Fox News. The primary focus is on its brevity and efficiency. The mise-en-scene is dramatic. It is the worn-torn landscape of a current, hot conflict. The correspondent is dressed all in black with a flak jacket emblazoned with the word PRESS. The image’s location, intensity, austerity, and direct-to-camera address connote a network intent on meaningful journalism that sheds focus on international conflicts by embedding their correspondents in the middle of the action. There is no self-promotional celebration as was the case with Fox News about who is number one or the fastest-growing. Unlike MSNBC, there is no broader thesis on an ideological value system. It is a dramatic approach that contrasts all three networks significantly.

Figure 3.

CNN’s advertisement with correspondent at Israel-Gaza border.

Discussion and conclusion

In Hall’s (2000) seminal cultural studies work on Encoding/Decoding, he uses the television model to depict the institutional structures of mass communication. Drawing analogies to Capital, a circulation model emerges where broadcasting structures transmit encoded messages. He writes, “Before this message can have an ‘effect’. . .it must first be appropriated as a meaningful discourse and be meaningfully decoded” (p. 53). The structural encoding of messaging through broadcast communication requires that subtext and meaning first be encoded into a message, then broadcast, and finally, the meaning must be decoded to be understood by the receiver. The literal application of Hall’s approach is appropriate to cable news channels in general and their self-promotional advertising, more specifically. The advertisements studied in this paper have layers of meaning: explicit, implicit, and ideological. The more abstracted the meaning, the more the mechanisms of encoding and decoding rely on shared iconography. Whether that be the unification of message across hosts in MSNBC’s advertising or the red, white, and blue nationalism of faith and entertainment espoused by Fox News, values and ideology are encoded in the advertising.

Understanding how these networks differentiate themselves offers insights into information dissemination, political communication, and audience engagement dynamics. Cable news networks employ distinct editorial styles, content emphasis, and framing techniques that cater to specific target demographics, shaping public discourse and influencing perceptions of current events and societal issues. Investigating these differences provides a nuanced comprehension of media strategies, the construction of narratives, and the impact on viewer perspectives, contributing to a deeper understanding of media influence, journalistic practices, and the broader socio-political landscape. The future is uncharted for cable news. The industry will continue facing challenges from New Media competitors. For future analysis, it would benefit generalizability to explore how international news channels have opted to differentiate. Is this dynamic of leaning into ideological and values-based symbols just as pronounced outside of the US?

Cable news may be disrupted from within. The industry trade journal The Hollywood Reporter recently discussed that cable news channels explore untethering from pay TV bundles (Weprin, 2023a). If the move proves successful, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox may become primarily streaming properties that would dismantle the cable news concept altogether. While CNN attempted an earlier foray into streaming called CNN+, which was shuttered after only a few months, industry analysts predict that significant lessons were learned that do not preclude future attempts to expand beyond the boundaries of cable television (Fitzgerald, 2022). Through a formal analysis of current cable news channel advertising, we are afforded insights into how Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN opt to differentiate themselves from one another today. Continued attention must be paid as the industry works through this technological transition.

Footnotes

Funding

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD

Derek Dubois

Notes

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