Jeff Zucker has guided his producers and talent to cover Donald Trump until the eyeballs start turning away. Apparently, his producers already want to.
At a network town hall on Thursday, producers complained about the obsessive coverage the network has given the GOP frontrunner, including airing full campaign rallies and an endless amount of segments dedicated to Trump.
One producer expressed concern that the network, as TheWrap first reported, bumped an Anderson Cooper special on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina last month to air a post-Trump-rally hour hosted by Don Lemon.
On overall Trump coverage, Zucker simply responded “we are not perfect,” the insider said. Responding specifically to the pre-empting of Cooper’s Katrina special, Zucker pointed to the fact that Cooper was on vacation when the special was scheduled to air.
“On Katrina he felt it was better to run it when Anderson was back anchoring,” the insider said of Zucker’s response. The CNN boss also defended the move by saying the ratings for the special were strong when it eventually aired.
But many at the network scratched their heads over the rationale since the program was pre-taped.
CNN will get a whole lot more of Trump in the next week as the network gears up for the GOP presidential debate it will air September 16.
Its promo commercials feature Trump and Jeb Bush sounding off.
2016 Presidential Contenders: The Race to the White House (Photos)
Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz was the first person to officially throw his hat into the ring on March 23.
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Republican Senator Rand Paul announced his candidacy on April 7.
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Former First Lady and Secretary of State, Democrat Hillary Clinton announced she would again seek the Oval Office on April 12.
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A Tea Party favorite, Florida Senator Marco Rubio announced his candidacy on April 13.
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A self-described democratic socialist, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced he would run on April 28.
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Retired neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson announced his candidacy on May 3. A native of Detroit, the Republican lived in Baltimore for 36 years.
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The first woman to lead a Fortune 20 company, Republican Carly Fiorina announced her candidacy on May 4.
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Former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee announced his second presidential run in the GOP field on May 5.
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A former Republican senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum announced his second presidential bid on May 27.
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Former New York Governor George Pataki announced the launch of his presidential campaign with a YouTube video on May 28.
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Martin O'Malley, a Democrat and former governor of Maryland, joined the race on May 30.
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Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, announced he would run for the highest office on June 1.
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A former Republican and independent governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee announced his bid for the Democratic nomination on June 3.
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Rick Perry threw his hat into the ring for a second time on June 4. The Republican was the longest serving governor in Texas history.
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The son of one former president and brother of another, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced his bid for the Republican nomination on June 15.
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Republican real estate mogul Donald Trump threw his hat into the presidential ring on June 16, saying he'd be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created.”
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"I'm running for President of the United States of America," tweeted Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, who used social media to announce his candidacy on June 24.
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After declaring that "both parties have failed our country," New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie announced his intention to run on June 30.
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Jim Webb, a decorated Vietnam vet and the former Democratic governor of Virginia, announced his candidacy on July 2.
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Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker announced his candidacy on July 13 with a campaign video.
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Ohio Governor John Kasich announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination on July 21, saying no other candidate else has his experience dealing with deficits, unemployment and national security.
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Jim Gilmore, former Army intelligence officer and Republican governor of Virginia, announced his candidacy on July 30.
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From Jeb Bush to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the race continues to grow
Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz was the first person to officially throw his hat into the ring on March 23.