CNN’s Licht Faces Wave of Tough Reporting in Wake of Executive Shakeup
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A series of tough headlines are hitting CNN CEO Chris Licht. First, Mediaite reported Thursday on the appointment of a new executive to take over business operations at CNN in a move seen as a rescue operation for the network leader. Then, The Atlantic dropped a tough cover story on the network chief, and Dylan Byers of Puck News reported Licht faces serious headwinds.
Byers, who used to work for CNN, said in the Puck newsletter on Friday that confidence in Licht has “wavered considerably” following the appointing of David Leavy – chief corporate affairs officer at Warner Bros. Discovery – to now handle the business side.
The revelation of Leavy’s appointment as COO was first reported by Mediaite’s Colby Hall, who followed up with a piece spelling out what this means for Licht and CNN.
“There’s no way they would put David Leavy down into CNN to work for Chris Licht,” one industry insider told Mediaite. “He’s too important to Zaslav to take what on paper sounds like a demotion. It sure sounds like he’s taking one for the team.”
The Puck reporting came hours after The Atlantic also published a lengthy and not exactly flattering profile of Licht’s tenure at CNN, which has seen precipitous ratings declines since Licht replaced former chief Jeff Zucker.
In April 2022, CNN was acquired by Warner Bros. Discovery, whose CEO David Zaslav sought to move the network toward the political center. Since that time, opinion commentary from hosts is much rarer and Republican lawmakers and commentators have become staples of CNN’s programming. Famously, the network played host to Donald Trump’s first town hall of the 2024 campaign in May, which received major backlash.
“The official corporate line is that Leavy’s appointment will allow Licht to focus on programming and editorial strategy while Leavy manages the P&L, operational logistics, and marketing and P.R.—and that much is true,” Puck reported. “But while Leavy will officially report up to Licht, the new org chart belies the true nature of his position.”
