Help Wanted at CNN: New Boss Must Manage Restless Journalists, Active Corporate CEO
variety.comBrian Steinberg Senior TV Editor One of the most influential and alluring jobs in journalism just opened. Now the company trying to fill the position is waiting to see if anyone really wants it.
Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to move deliberately rather than quickly in its search for a new CEO for CNN. Executives are telling staffers and TV agents that it will likely take a few months to fill the role that Chris Licht held for one turbulent year.
Licht, the TV news veteran and “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” showrunner, was ousted last week after spearheading a series of programming moves and talent decisions that kept headlines about CNN circulating more often than anything else produced by the newsroom.
Licht’s final error was taking part in a profile The Atlantic published June 2 — 15,000 words detailing a “Meltdown at CNN.” Numerous statements from Licht in the story and his questionable judgment in allowing a reporter such broad access marked the last straw for his corporate managers as well as CNN insiders.
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