DEVELOPING STORY: CNN Chairman Chris Licht is no longer employed at the network – effective immediately.
Mr. Licht’s 13-month run at CNN was marked by one controversy after another, culminating in his exit earlier this week, The New York Times reported.
He tried to reverse CNN’s ratings collapse by embracing more Republican and conservative voices on the network — a decision that infuriated staffers.
They were especially angered when he fired far-leftists like Don Lemon and Brian Stelter.
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“He got off to a bumpy start even before he had officially started when he oversaw the shuttering of the costly CNN+ streaming service at the request of its network’s new owners, who were skeptical about a stand-alone digital product. The cuts resulted in scores of layoffs,” the Times reported.
One of the greatest moments during Licht’s tenure was the CNN town hall featuring former President Trump. It was a ratings winner for the last-place network.
“I have great respect for Chris, personally and professionally,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a statement.
“The job of leading CNN was never going to be easy, especially at a time of huge disruption and transformation, and he has poured his heart and soul into it,” Zaslav continued. “While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team we have in place and will continue to fight for CNN and its world class journalism.”