Oliver Darcy exits CNN to launch media newsletter

CNN’s senior media reporter, Oliver Darcy, has exited the network to launch his own media industry digital newsletter.

Darcy joined CNN in 2017 after stints at Business Insider and The Blaze. 

Now, he’s launching Status, an independent newsletter that is expected to be similar to his work for the “Reliable Sources” newsletter at CNN.

“Status is the new, definitive nightly briefing that informs readers about what is really happening in the corridors of media power,” reads the new venture’s website.

The first issue is expected Aug. 12, 2024.

Status will offer a “limited” free subscription that includes receiving the weekly Sunday edition with “previews” of the nightly newsletter.

To get the full 20 editions published each month, which includes newsletters Monday through Thursday evenings plus the Sunday edition, users will have to pay $14.95 a month. A prepaid yearly plan goes for $149.95, which essentially gives the subscriber two months free. This tier also includes breaking news alerts. 

A “Founders Club,” priced at $595 a year, “offers the benefit of helping to support and strengthen the future of our independent journalism.” It also includes invitations to quarterly video calls and other “to-be-determined events.”

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Status will also explore selling advertising and marketing partnerships.

Darcy is well-sourced within the industry and has a track record of delivering scoops. 

“In nearly a decade on the beat, seven years of which were for CNN, Darcy has built a reputation for consistently delivering consequential scoops and must-read insight that pulls back the curtain on the industry,” Status’ email announcement read. “His work is well-read by those who make up the industry, and for news chiefs, Hollywood bosses, tech executives, top political figures, and all those who seek a deeper understanding of the media landscape.”

Status is entering a market with a slate of other similar ventures. Puck News offers two email newsletters focused on insider news from the media scene that require a paid subscription, starting at $100 a year, to receive.

There is also media-focused podcasts, newsletters and digital coverage provided by Semafor, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Variety and more (Future’s trade publications Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News announced this week that they would cease publication). 

Another popular platform, Substack, allows users to launch their own digital subscription-based newsletters. There are already several media, film and TV-centric offerings with subscriber bases in the thousands, though many of them take a more subversive approach and declare themselves to be anti-mainstream media.

Email newsletters as a whole have become a popular way for media outlets of many types — newsletters, digital-only, TV stations and networks — to reach and engage users. Many of them are free but advertising-supported.  

Darcy was part of CNN’s “Reliable Sources” media news brand, which stemmed from the network’s longtime show of the same name that was canceled in 2022 after 30 years on the air.

Despite the show ending, CNN opted to keep the name alive with a daily email newsletter authored by Darcy, who would also make appearances on the TV side of CNN discussing media news of the day.

The “Reliable Sources” newsletter was originally created and authored by Brian Stelter, who also hosted the mothership show from 2013 to 2022.

He became one of CNN’s most vocal hosts, often drawing ire from right-leaning media outlets as his messaging become more relevant and amplified during the Trump administration. Stelter, who founded the site TVNewser while still in college and previously worked for The New York Times, was known for battling the spread of misinformation and lies spread by media outlets during his tenure.

After leaving CNN, Stelter opted to take a break from newslettering, though he has left the door open for a possible return. Darcy’s new venture, however, would likely be a competitor to any potential Stelter-driven offering.

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