CNN ousts top exec following loss of confidence from audiences — and journalists

CNN ousted chief executive Chris Licht after a tumultuous year leading the struggling news network that culminated in a damning magazine profile and the growing realization that he'd lost the confidence of the network's journalists.

The change was announced at CNN's editorial meeting Wednesday morning and came just two days after Licht said he would "fight like hell" to earn the trust of those around him.

David Zaslav, CEO of CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, appointed a four-person interim leadership team, and said at the editorial meeting that he would conduct a thorough search for Licht's replacement.

Licht had a mandate to try and make CNN more palatable to both sides of the U.S. political divide. But some at the network saw Licht's mandate for change as a repudiation of their past work, and a live town hall interview with former U.S. president Donald Trump last month drew widespread criticism.

Earlier in the year, Licht revamped the network's morning show, but that proved unsuccessful and led to the firing of longtime personality Don Lemon. Efforts to build a new prime-time lineup moved slowly, with Kaitlan Collins only recently appointed to fill at 9 p.m. hour without a permanent host since Chris Cuomo was fired in December 2021.
 

Layoffs, inner turmoil

Licht oversaw layoffs last year following Zaslav's decision to shutter the CNN+ streaming service only weeks after it had started.

Licht, who had produced MSNBC's Morning Joe, CBS' morning news show and Stephen Colbert's late-night show, was appointed by Zaslav just over a year ago to replace an internally popular predecessor, Jeff Zucker. Zucker was fired for not revealing a consensual relationship with a fellow CNN executive.

Zaslav said in a memo to CNN staff members that the job "was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation.

"Chris poured his heart and soul into it," he said. "He has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped — and ultimately that's on me."

Licht did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Top anchors speak out

A lengthy profile of Licht in the Atlantic magazine that came out on Friday, titled "Inside the Meltdown at CNN," proved embarrassing and likely sealed his fate. Some journalists were angered because of Licht's criticism of some of CNN's COVID coverage before he had arrived.

Some of CNN's chief anchors — Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett — had privately expressed their reservations about Licht's leadership, according to a Wall Street Journal article that was posted Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, viewers were disappearing. CNN's prime-time viewership of 494,000 in May was down 16 per cent from April and was less than half of its closest news rival, MSNBC.

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Zaslav appointed four current CNN executives — Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling and David Leavy — to run the network while a search for a replacement is conducted.

"We are in good hands, allowing us to take the time we need to run a thoughtful and thorough search for a new leader," Zaslav said in the memo.