UPDATE: Per The National Pulse’s story yesterday, below, CNN’s Chris Licht has now been terminated.
“I met with Chris and he will be leaving CNN,” Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav told CNN employees on the company’s editorial call on Wednesday.
Zaslav told staff that Licht would be replaced by interim leaders Amy Entelis, Virginia Mosely, and Eric Sherling, effective immediately. “I have great confidence in this group,” Zaslav said.
ORIGINAL REPORT FROM JUN 6 2023:
CNN’s relatively new CEO, Chris Licht, is “a dead man talking” according to “dozens of CNN on-air talent, producers, and journalists.” Staff are irate with Licht after The Atlantic published a critique of his premiership at the network, which dominated the corporate media news cycle this past week.
“Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” was largely critical of Licht’s leadership strategies for “rescuing the network,” and includes complaints about his decision to hold a town hall event with former President Donald Trump.
Licht apologized to CNN employees on Monday, telling them, “CNN is not about me.” Network big shots like Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, and Erin Burnett are said to have lost faith in Licht.
Meanwhile, David Zaslav, the CEO of CNN’s parent company Warner Bros Discovery also appears to be showing signs CEO fatigue. Zaslav recently appointed long-time colleague David Leavy to Chief Operating Officer (COO) at CNN to rebuild the network.
Zaslav recently commented on ousted anchor Brian Stelter’s Instagram page: “Looking great buddy….miss u.” This apparently has sparked rumors of Stelter’s return to the newsroom, inside the organization.