Chris Licht, who led CNN for a little over a year, is no longer with the news network, according to an announcement made by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday morning. The company’s shares rose 7% following the announcement. In the interim, executives Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling, and David Leavy will lead CNN, the company said. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav stated in a memo to staff that they have strong confidence in this group and would fully support them until a new CEO is named. Zaslav also added that the company would conduct an internal and external search for CNN’s next leader, taking the time they need to run a thoughtful and thorough search for a new leader.
Licht’s departure came after facing a rebellion among CNN’s talent and staff. His tenure, which began when he eliminated the network’s expensive CNN+ streaming service, was riddled with programming missteps and rock-bottom ratings. Licht drew heated criticism in recent weeks after the network hosted a town hall with Donald Trump that was packed with scores of the former president’s cheering fans. While the event drew 3.3 million viewers, CNN’s ratings plummeted afterward. Two days after the town hall, CNN’s prime-time viewership came in below right-wing outlet Newsmax, a much smaller network.
Leavy named new COO of CNN
The move comes soon after David Leavy, a key Zaslav ally, was named the network’s new chief operating officer. Leavy was tasked with taking over marketing, public relations, advertising sales, facilities, and other logistics. The move was intended to allow Licht to focus more on programming. Licht helped launch MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” as its executive producer in 2007 and later became executive producer and showrunner of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS. Licht did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Zaslav apologized to staffers in a memo on Monday morning after The Atlantic published an unflattering 15,000-word profile of Licht, titled “Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” that might have sealed his fate. Top brass at CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, including CEO David Zaslav, were not pleased with the article and its aftermath.
The departure of Chris Licht marks a significant change for CNN, which will now be led by a team of experienced programming executives, as the company seeks a new CEO. CNN has some of the world’s greatest journalists and is deeply committed to supporting them and the critical work that they do every day. It is essential to get this right, and Warner Bros. Discovery will take the time needed to select the right leader for CNN, both internally and externally.
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