CNN head Chris Licht is out after a brief, tumultuous tenure
By: Las Vegas Sun
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Associated Press
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 | 7:07 a.m.
NEW YORK — Chris Licht is out after a year as chief executive at CNN, following a series of missteps and plunging ratings.
David Zaslav, the CEO of CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, announced the leadership change on CNN's morning editorial call on Wednesday.
Zaslav appointed a four-person leadership team to lead the network in the interim.
Licht replaced Jeff Zucker as CNN's chief executive last year, with a mandate to make the network move the network more toward the political center. But a town hall meeting with Donald Trump received wide criticism, and a revamp of the network's morning show imploded with the firing of Don Lemon.
A lengthy profile of Licht in Atlantic magazine that came out on Friday proved embarrassing and likely sealed his fate. Only two days ago, Licht promised on the same morning editorial call to fight to regain the trust of CNN employees.
But internally, Licht couldn't gain the support of many at the network who felt loyal to Zucker, who was forced out following the revelation of an improper relationship with a work colleague.
CNN's May ratings were dismal, with prime-time viewership less than half of rival of MSNBC, with Fox News Channel still leading among the cable networks.
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 a memo to CNN staff.
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Licht wanted to move CNN to the right. In his eagerness to do so he made concessions to Donald Trump related the recent townhall. When that fiasco unfolded Licht was a sitting duck.
There is a very long Atlantic piece recently that was the result of the reporter having access to Licht for a year or so, and he did the fly on the wall thing. The article makes Licht look in way over his head and an amateur. That along with acting as a toady for Trump sealed his fate.
I think CNN should move more to the center.
Actually, what I would like is cable news giving us straight news without all the commentary. Just give me the facts and I will figure it out for myself
what about alternate facts?
george floyd was killed by a cop. after his death there were protests. were they justified? did they go too far? or not far enough? "just the facts" would probably not sufficiently explain all that.
You and I both know there is no such thing as alternate facts. However, there are people who hear one thing and believe another. Mr G is like that. It goes in one ear, does a complete 180, and comes out the other ear completely different
Peaceful protests are fine. The looting, burning, murder attempts are outrageous and unlawful.
And such acts are rarely performed by right wingers.
Don't you remember? It was all out of town, right wing, agitators...............according to some./S
He tried to make it a news organization. That was a mistake.
A news organization would not have given a platform to Trump and made sure the audience was filled with Trump supporters.
Define platform.
Yes, how dare a news organization interview a Presidential front runner.
You've got to be kidding.
A pathological liar with the ability to overpower the points made by the interviewer through sheer bullying and bluster doennt "deserve" anything.
google it
Then she was overmatched and someone more qualified should have done the interview. No sane person can believe she was pro-Trump in her intent.
They should have had them both separately miked and cut off his mike every time he interrupted the interviewer. He just doesnt deserve anything better than that.
She asked him specific questions that he refused to answer , then went off own lying points and the crowd went wild.
One of the low points, for sure, in recent journalism.
He should have been able to cut off her mike every time she interrupted him. People weren't there to listen to her whining. They were there to listen to Trump.
She asked him stilted questions that were driving her narrative. She didn't give a shit how he answered- she wasn't going to allow him to speak. The crowd treated her how it should have- as an antagonizing bitch.
Calling anything CNN does journalism is inane.
Folks say the same about FOX ... 'funny' how everything evens out.
Where did I say Fox was news?
I lump all media in the same category/depth chart. Just slightly above lawyers and politicians in terms of ethics, morals, and truthfulness.
It seems some people think if you are against CNN it must mean you are for Fox. Or if you are against Biden it must mean you support Trump. They can't seem to grasp one thing does not necessarily mean the other.
He tried to please his boss David Zaslav.
Chris wanted to bring CNN back to being a news organization and not a left wing propaganda station. He and his bosses came to realize CNN is way too far gone for that ever to happen. They should have called CNN's death and stopped trying to resuscitate it and its ratings a year or so ago. Now it will just flounder for a year or so before the plug is finally pulled.