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Chris Licht Leaves CNN, Parent Company After Over A Year Leading News Network warner bros discovery announced Wednesday morning.
The company said it was looking for a replacement. The company said executives Amy Entellis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Shearing and David Levy will lead CNN during that time.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a memo to staff on Wednesday: “We have great faith in this group and will fully support them until a new CEO is appointed. I will,” he said, adding that he would investigate CNN internally and externally. next leader. “We are in a good position to spend the necessary time thoughtfully and thoroughly searching for new leaders.”
Licht’s resignation came in the face of an uprising of CNN talent and staff. His tenure, which effectively began with the network’s expensive CNN+ streaming discontinuing his service, was riddled with show failures and low ratings.
“I have known Chris for many years and have great respect for him both personally and professionally. , Chris put his heart and soul into this work,” Zaslav said. said in his note. “Unfortunately things didn’t work out the way we wanted them to.
Chris Licht, Chairman and CEO, CNN Worldwide
Courtesy: CNN
Licht has drawn heavy criticism in recent weeks after the station hosted a town hall with Donald Trump, which was filled with thousands of fans cheering for him. The event attracted 3.3 million viewers, but CNN’s ratings plummeted afterward.Two days after City Hall, CNN’s primetime ratings soar came under Right-wing outlet Newsmax is a much smaller network.
But that was Licht’s 15,000-word profile, and it wasn’t flattering. Atlantic – titled ‘Inside CNN’s Meltdown’ – may have sealed his fate. He apologized to staff on Monday morning, but executives, including David Zaslav, the CEO of CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, were unhappy with the story and its aftermath. rice field.
“I have tremendous personal and professional respect for Chris,” Zaslav said in a news release. “The task of leading CNN has never been an easy one, especially in a time of great turmoil and change, but he put his heart and soul into it. He knows what needs to be done to identify a new leader.” We know we are left, but we have absolute confidence in our team and will continue to fight for CNN and its world-class journalism.”
The move comes on the heels of Levy, a major Zaslab ally, being appointed as the network’s new chief operating officer. Mr. Leavy was responsible for marketing, public relations, advertising sales, facilities and other logistics.
The move was intended to allow Licht to focus more on programming. Licht helped launch his MSNBC’s “Morning His Joe” as Executive Producer in 2007 and later became Executive Producer and Showrunner of CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Did.
Please read Mr. Zaslav’s note to staff.
all,
Chris Licht announced this morning that he is leaving CNN and will be conducting an extensive search for new leaders, both internally and externally. This news affects you and your team, so I wanted you to hear it directly from me.
I have known Chris for many years and have great respect for him both personally and professionally. The job has never been easy, especially in times of great turmoil and change, but Chris put his heart and soul into it. He had a deep love for journalism and the business, which was evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately things didn’t go the way we wanted them to. Ultimately it’s my responsibility. I will take responsibility. Needless to say, we thank Chris for his hard work and dedication and wish him the best of luck.
We appointed a deputy leader team of experienced programming executives and developed a solid migration plan… Amy EntelisVice President of People and Content Development, Virginia MoseleyVice President, Editor-in-Chief, and Eric ShearingVice President of U.S. Programming, and David Levy, COO, Commercial. We have great confidence in this group and will fully support them until a new CEO is appointed. We are in a good position to spend the necessary time in a thoughtful and thorough search for new leaders. We understand that changes like this can be stressful, and we appreciate your continued patience as we move through this process.
You’ve heard me say it many times. CNN has some of the greatest journalists in the world…we are deeply committed to supporting them and his important work that CNN does every day. We must get this right, and we will!
David
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of MSNBC and CNBC.