65. Erin Burnett
In her nearly 13 years fronting the 7 p.m. time slot at the network, Erin Burnett has developed a quiet yet respected leadership style that has gained the attention of executives and high profile guests. She flexed her muscle by joining with Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper to give a vote of no-confidence in network chief Chris Licht – which undoubtedly helped pave the way for his ouster this summer after just 13 months on the job. Her show OutFront began 2023 as CNN’s most-watched program, averaging more than 800,000 total viewers at 7 p.m., and it continues to be a top performer in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 age demographic. Her work in Ukraine and Israel this year drew plaudits from industry observers — and when you’re standing out for your foreign correspondent work at CNN, you’re doing something right. But she made her mark stateside too, with splashy interviews like a September throwdown with Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell. Many questions linger at the network, but she probably isn’t one of them. Erin Burnett is cornerstone franchise player for CNN.
64. Andy McCarthy
In a stormy year on the legal front for Donald Trump, Fox News viewers needed a sober and reasoned legal voice to give it to them straight. Enter Andy McCarthy, the seemingly ubiquitous Fox legal analyst and National Review contributing editor. Yes, the former federal prosecutor sometimes gives the network’s viewers the legal comfort food they seek — as he did recently when he blasted the entire New York state justice system as “fraudulent” over the former president’s civil fraud trial. But takes like those make it all the more impactful when McCarthy zags instead of zigs. McCarthy’s blunt assessment that Trump has “no defense” in the classified documents case back in June made a serious splash in conservative media. And it was a political take with which the Fox legal analyst made the biggest splash in 2023 — when, in August, he boldly stated that Trump “can’t win.” That commentary earned him a stinging rebuke from Fox colleague Mark Levin — proof that what Andy McCarthy says matters.
63. Poppy Harlow
Few people bore the brunt of an unsettling year at CNN more than Poppy Harlow. Last year, she went from co-hosting 9 a.m. with Jim Sciutto to co-hosting CNN This Morning with Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins. That did not work out — Lemon was fired, Collins got a prime time show, and Poppy Harlow was left to hold down the CNN morning show fort. Phil Mattingly has officially joined her as co-anchor, but it is still very much Harlow’s show. She is smart, respectful and able to show off her law degree in an eloquent manner that befits the sort of morning show conversation the people tune into. Harlow is among the very best interviewers on the network — she is deeply informed on complex subject matters and knows how to ask probing questions of guests from across the political spectrum without being rude or obnoxious. She gets the best out of her guests, and CNN This Morning viewers are better informed as a result. The CNN ratings battle is a steep uphill climb, but the network clearly sees Harlow as a key trooper in the expedition.
62. Martha MacCallum
Martha MacCallum had another strong year on Fox News, regularly beating not just her cable competitors but sometimes the broadcast network shows in her time slot as well. She’s a core part of Fox’s election coverage, and her headline-generating interviews included several of the Republican presidential candidates, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and multiple (often feisty) chats with John Kirby — plus a Fox Nation exclusive with Buster Murdaugh, his first after his father Alex Murdaugh was convicted for murdering Buster’s mother and brother. MacCallum also was one of the moderators of the first GOP primary debate in August, which drew 13 million viewers to Fox News and praise for her fact-checking of the candidates’ claims. When Fox News needs a big name and a straight shooter, they turn to MacCallum, and for good reason.
61. Wolf Blitzer
The cable news legend is so easy to take for granted because for more than three decades, he’s been consistently, well, consistent. But 2023 was a standout year even in Blitzer’s storied career. The CNN stalwart was awarded a lifetime achievement Emmy in late September. And just days later, he reminded everyone why he was a deserving recipient when he headed to Tel Aviv to helm some outstanding coverage in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. In one particularly notable segment, Blitzer took on an IDF spokesman about a strike on a refugee camp. It was a callback to the outstanding foreign reporting Blitzer has been doing ever since the Gulf War. Of course, even the greats get lucky sometimes — and that happened in March, when a long-planned prime time interview with Mike Pence happened just hours after former President Trump was indicted for the first time. The timing was fortuitous, and Blitzer made the most of it with a splashy, newsmaking conversation. It was an event interview — the kind Blitzer has hosted hundreds of times over the years. The kind that few of his peers have the standing to hold themselves. And heck, you also get influence points for simply being one of the most recognizable names in America.
60. Peter Doocy
The White House press briefing is not the daily spectacle it was during the Trump years, or even the Psaki years. But Fox’s chief White House Correspondent provides the biggest reason to tune in. On an almost daily basis he grills White House officials on the latest scandal blanketing the air on Fox News – whether real or imagined. Take, for example, his relentless questioning about President Biden’s handling of classified documents — an interrogation so tough that Doocy later said he felt bad for Karine Jean-Pierre. It’s not all fighting, however. Some of the most memorable moments in the briefing room this year involved a mutual fondness between Doocy and Jean-Pierre (Doocy jokingly promised to name his daughter after the White House spokesperson). Of course, the most sensitive topic of late has been Hunter Biden, and the battles between the two over the president’s wayward son have been headline-making. But Doocy’s demonstrated willingness to call balls and strikes on the subject — as he did just a few weeks ago when he said Congressional Republicans haven’t provided “concrete evidence” connecting the president to his son — only enhances the stakes when he does challenge the White House’s official position. When Doocy talks, people tune in – even if it often seems like Jean-Pierre would prefer to have him on mute.
59. Gayle King
Gayle King continued to be the sunny but tough center of the Tiffany Network’s breakfast news show as co-anchor of CBS Mornings throughout the week with Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson, as well as a constant presence in prime time. Recently, the show closed to within striking distance of second place in the ratings within the key younger demographic. King distinguished herself by scoring high-profile interviews of celebrities like Jay-Z and Ed Sheeran and newsmakers like Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris. But toward the end of the year, Gayle expanded her reach into cable news with the debut of King Charles, a new CNN show that partners King with controversial NBA legend Charles Barkley for a weekly show that puts the chemistry of the hosts up against sports, media, and entertainment stars. The show was conceived and announced during the brief and troubled Chris Licht era at CNN. It’s still early, and while the ratings for King Charles have been nothing to write home about, CNN points out they’ve done better with younger viewers — undoubtedly thanks in no small part to King.
58. Jake Sherman
A dramatic and even historic year on Capitol Hill rendered the always indispensable Jake Sherman even more invaluable. Sherman, who previously spearheaded Politico’s ubiquitous Playbook newsletter and left a few years ago to help found Punchbowl News, has long been a must follow for anyone interested in explanatory deep dives and breaking scoops alike from the halls of Congress. But in a year that saw Rep. Kevin McCarthy scratch and claw his way to the speakership through 15 rounds of voting only to be ejected from it a few months later, Sherman reached the apotheosis of his career. Sherman’s relationship with McCarthy was scrutinized in January, but the reputational cost of that relationship paled in comparison to the value it provided throughout a tumultuous year in the House of Representatives during which we all found ourselves obsessively refreshing Sherman’s social media feed. What’s more, Punchbowl News has been an impressive success story in a media industry known for failures in recent years. The outlet struck a deal in December that valued the company, just three years in, at more than $100 million.
57. Manu Raju
Screenshot via CNN.
The domestic political story of the year was the chaos in Congress. The tiny Republican majority and increasingly large quotient of what John Boehner might refer to as “legislative terrorists” ensured that Congress had, in the words of The New York Times, “one of the most tumultuous and unproductive legislative years in recent memory.” And no one owned the Capitol Hill chaos like CNN’s peripatetic reporter, Manu Raju. Time and again, Raju chased down members of Congress on both sides and asked them the tough questions. And he scored coveted one-on-ones with George Santos and Kevin McCarthy that made serious news. CNN’s indefatigable congressional correspondent parlayed his respected work on the Hill into his own show — Inside Politics Sunday — a much deserved promotion. A true breakout year for the hardest working reporter on the Hill.
56. Citizen Free Press
Citizen Free Press, Dec. 20
The Drudge Report no longer holds the favor of Donald Trump, who has asserted that “when Drudge went anti-Trump, the site fell apart.” While that’s simply untrue (see: Drudge’s traffic; ranking on this list) the wrath of the former president presented the perfect opportunity for Citizen Free Press. The buzzy new site has, with little shame, slapped its name at the top of its homepage in the same manner and font that Drudge does, and followed it up with a curation of carefully selected links that lean right. Big traffic followed. Run by an elusive figure who goes by the name Kane, Citizen Free Press is a strong argument for the rising power of independent media. “CFP had 224 Million pageviews in December, more traffic than Politico,” reads its bio on X, where it shares already – and turns – posts viral on a daily basis. In an age of incessant posting, Citizen Free Press outpaces all of the competition online, providing its conservative followers with plenty of fodder for outrage and others with insight into the conservative id. Drudge remains the undisputed king of aggregation, but there’s little doubt that CFP is carving out a sizable slice of the pie.
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