CNN CEO Chris Licht will leave the network just 16 months after being picked to save the embattled media company.
On Wednesday, Licht announced he would leave CNN after meeting with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
The CEO will be replaced in the interim by a three-person leadership team, including CNN executive Amy Entelis, who worked closely with former cable news boss Jeff Zucker who left in February of 2022.
“For a number of reasons, things didn’t work out, and that’s unfortunate,” Zaslav said.
“It’s really unfortunate. And ultimately, that’s on me. And I take full responsibility for that.”
Zaslav said CNN is “in the process of conducting a wide search” for a new leader that could “take a while.”
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As The Daily Wire reported:
Licht’s tenure at CNN was rough from the start. Weeks after Licht took over the reins, the cable news giant’s attempt at launching a streaming service failed after a month in operation, attracting fewer than 10,000 daily users. The CNN executive also faced criticism from his employees and poor ratings performances in the news channel’s primetime slots.
Familiar faces on the network, such as longtime journalist Brian Stelter and host Don Lemon, were axed under Licht’s reign. The tumultuous leadership of Licht came to a boiling point when the network hosted a town hall with former President Donald Trump in May. Leftist critics ripped the company for giving Trump a platform.
Politicians and media personalities from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Joe Scarborough were angered by CNN’s decision to host Trump on the platform that has consistently offered friendly coverage to Democrats.
Licht faced fire last week after the Atlantic published a 15,000-word profile titled “Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” which angered executives at Warner Bros. Discovery.
“I have great respect for Chris, personally and professionally,” Zaslav added in a news release.
“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,” he added.
‘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.”
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The problem isn’t the CEO CNN it’s the CIA.