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CNN to end Airport Network after three decades

(Photo by Josh Hallett/Flickr Creative Commons)

CNN will stop distributing a modified version of its domestic news feed to airport passengers at the end of March, according to an announcement from the news network on Tuesday.

The CNN Airport Network had offered airport passengers a variant of CNN and its sister network HNL’s around-the-clock news and opinion programming for three decades.



But economic problems caused by the ongoing global health pandemic coupled with a significant drop in airline passenger traffic prompted CNN to pull the plug on the airport network.

“Having to say good-bye to such a beloved brand is not easy,” CNN president Jeff Zucker said in a memo sent to staffers on Tuesday. “I want to thank our friends and colleagues who have contributed to its success and to celebrate the fact that for 30 years the CNN Airport  Network has kept millions of domestic travelers informed.”

It was not clear from Zucker’s announcement if CNN would replace the Airport Network with a full feed of its domestic news channels.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is a nationally-recognized, award-winning journalist who has covered the business of media, technology, radio and television for more than 11 years. He is the publisher of The Desk and contributes to Know Techie, Digital Content Next and StreamTV Insider. He previously worked for Thomson Reuters, the Walt Disney Company, McNaughton Newspapers and Tribune Broadcasting.
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