The CNN Airport Network – a service that broadcast cable news channel content to terminal waiting areas across the country – will close on March 31.
The end of the service launched in 1990 was announced on Tuesday in a memo from CNN President Jeff Zucker.
He said the decline in airline passenger traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased availability of streaming news video on cell phones and other devices connected to the Internet led to the decision.
The ad-sponsored CNN Airport Network was no longer a profitable operation for WarnerMedia, according to people informed on the matter who were not allowed to comment publicly. About two dozen employees based at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters will lose their jobs with the closure.
The CNN Airport Network was shown on 1,800 screens at 54 airports in the United States and Bermuda. The personalized service showed segments of CNN and other Turner channels, such as HLN and TNT.
Air disaster coverage and stories inappropriate for children were kept out of service.
The network helped give CNN brand recognition to a captive audience, even when the company faced new competition from cable competitors Fox News and MSNBC. Exposure to international travelers has also helped to build CNN’s reputation as a world news source.
“Having to say goodbye to such a beloved brand is not easy,” said Zucker in his memo. “It has also become an iconic part of the travel experience in this country.”