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Mark Thompson, a former chief executive of The New York Times and leader of the BBC, is expected to be named the next top executive of CNN, according to three people with knowledge of the decision. Some senior executives at Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, have already been informed of the decision to hire Mr. Thompson, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because some executives at CNN hadn’t yet been informed of the decision. Mr. Thompson and a spokesman for Warner Bros. Ratings have plummeted, profits have slumped, and the network is still reeling from Chris Licht’s tenure as chief executive, which was terminated in June amid sagging staff morale.

Persons: Mark Thompson, Thompson, Chris Licht’s, Licht’s, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling —, David Leavy, David Zaslav Organizations: The New York Times, CNN, Warner Bros, Discovery, Warner Bros .

☆ CNN is reportedly in talks to bring in a British boss to clean up Chris Licht's mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Chris Johnston | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two British media figures have been linked with the top job at CNN, Semafor reported. Mark Thompson, the former New York Times Company CEO, is the "leading candidate," per the outlet. Not one, but two, British media figures have been linked with the role, Semafor first reported. Before an eight-year stint as The New York Times boss, he was director-general of the BBC. The decision to launch CNN Max comes about year after the company axed CNN+.

Persons: Semafor, Mark Thompson, James Harding, Chris Licht, Licht, Donald Trump, He'd, Jeff Zucker, Thompson, he'd, Semafor's Ben Smith, David Zaslav, Oli Scarff, Harding, WBD, CNN Max Organizations: CNN, New York Times Company, BBC News, Morning, The, Street Journal, New York Times, BBC, Financial Times, Washington DC, Max Locations: British, London, AFP, Asia, Washington

☆ The future of CNN is coming into view as the network regains its footing following a rocky period
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —CNN’s future is coming into greater focus. Last week, CNN announced a sweeping overhaul of its lineup, establishing its all-important prime time roster while also making several other key programming moves. And on Thursday, the outlet announced the launch of CNN Max, a new service that represents the beginning of a streaming future for the channel following the abrupt shuttering of the nascent CNN+. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, there continues to be an active search for the next leader of CNN, following Licht’s dismissal. And while CNN Max might not be the luxurious streaming lifeboat that CNN+ might have been, it is a lifeboat — and some form of a vessel is better than none at all.

Persons: CNN —, Chris Licht, CNN Max, Mark Thompson, Thompson, CNN Max doesn’t, I’ve, WBD, —, CNN’s Organizations: CNN, The New York Times, Warner Bros, Discovery

☆ CNN news is coming to Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service Max
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. Discovery announced Thursday that CNN Max will be added to its Max streaming service on Sept. 27, and will serve as a 24/7 live news hub. Discovery relaunched its flagship streaming service HBO Max as Max, combining content from Warner Bros. and Discovery+ under one roof. As for including sports on Max, Warner Bros. Discovery is targeting the start of MLB playoffs this fall to introduce sports on the streaming app, CNBC previously reported.

Persons: CNN Max, Jim Acosta, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker, Fredricka Whitfield, Jim Sciutto —, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, HBO Max, Max, Jeff Zucker, Chris Licht, Semafor, Mark Thompson, David Zaslav, we'll, We've, Zaslav, Warner, It's, Jim Sciutto Organizations: Cable News Network, CNN, Warner Bros . Discovery, Max, HBO, Warner Bros, Discovery, BBC, New York Times, MLB, CNBC Locations: Atlanta , Georgia

It is unclear how far along the talks are with Mr. Thompson and the other candidates. Mr. Thompson declined to comment. Semafor earlier reported CNN’s interest in Mr. Thompson. Since Mr. Licht’s departure, CNN has been run by four people, three of whom — Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling — are CNN veterans. The fourth, the CNN chief operating officer David Leavy, has been a longtime lieutenant to Mr. Zaslav, and was appointed shortly before Mr. Licht’s dismissal.

Persons: Mark Thompson, Thompson, David Zaslav, Chris Licht, Semafor, Licht’s, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling —, David Leavy, Zaslav Organizations: The New York Times, CNN, Warner Bros, Mr, Discovery

☆ A Conductor Who Wants to Put You ‘Inside the Sound’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Joshua Barone | More About Joshua Barone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Growing up, the conductor Maxime Pascal was a self-identified musical dilettante. As a child in the south of France, he had some skill on the violin, and sat in on the piano lessons his mother taught. Now, though, Pascal, 37, is arguably his generation’s finest conductor of 20th-century music, as well as an essential interpreter of contemporary works. And his schedule reflects both the breadth of his ambition and the respect he has garnered on some of the industry’s most prestigious stages. This month, Pascal is at the podium of the Vienna Philharmonic for the Martinu rarity “The Greek Passion” at the Salzburg Festival in Austria.

Persons: Maxime Pascal, Pascal, ”, Pierre Audi, Le Balcon, Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht’s Organizations: New Orleans, Threepenny Opera, Vienna Philharmonic, Salzburg Festival Locations: France, Aix, Provence, Austria, Paris

☆ Why TV news executives are having a brutal year in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In his place, CBS announced Monday that Wendy McMahon will be chief executive and president of CBS News, the network’s local stations, and CBS Media Ventures. The formidable task is reflective of the extraordinary challenges traditional media outlets are facing amid a period of rapid and existential change to their business models and advertising woes. Increasingly, there is no longer a single powerful media executive tasked with solving for the less-than-ideal set of circumstances. The industry veteran noted that there is less of a focus on making splashy — perhaps at times risky — moves to build for the future among the C-suite ranks. Instead, there is a mounting emphasis on slashing costs to best position the mammoth media companies for the inevitable decline of linear television.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Chris Licht, Noah Oppenheim, Kim Godwin, Bob Iger, Suzanne Scott, Neeraj Khemlani, I’m, Wendy McMahon, Ingrid Ciprian, Matthews, Helming, yesteryear, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, NBC News, ABC, Fox News, Voting, CBS News, CBS, CBS Media Ventures, GOP

☆ CBS News Chief Neeraj Khemlani is stepping down from his role
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —CBS News President and co-head Neeraj Khemlani, who has led the Tiffany Network’s news division and local TV stations for a little more than two years, abruptly announced Sunday that he would step down from his role. “I have some news to share today, and I don’t want to bury the lede,” read a memo from Khemlani to staffers. During his tenure, Khemlani bolstered CBS News’ reporting ranks, luring prominent journalists such as Robert Costa and Cecilia Vega to the outlet. The CBS News chief was the subject of a human resources probe earlier this year. Khemlani is the third network news chief to exit in 2023.

Persons: Khemlani, Tiffany, “, ”, I’ve, ” Khemlani, Simon, Simon & Schuster, Wendy McMahon, George Cheeks, Robert Costa, Cecilia Vega, Chris Licht, Noah Oppenheim Organizations: CNN, CBS, Simon &, Khemlani, CBS News, Evening, ”, NBC, ABC, NBC News

☆ CBS News chief Neeraj Khemlani reportedly stepping down
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Neeraj Khemlani, president of CBS News, at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2023. Neeraj Khemlani, the president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, is stepping down from his role, according to a Sunday report from Variety. In his current role, Khemlani is responsible for running CBS News, its local stations and popular programs like "Face the Nation," "60 Minutes" and "CBS Evening News." It is not immediately clear who will succeed Khemlani, but CBS could announce the new executive as soon as Monday, Variety said. Before joining the network, Khemlani spent more than 10 years at Hearst, where he held a number of leadership roles like executive vice president of Hearst Newspapers, president of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication and chief creative officer.

Persons: Neeraj Khemlani, Khemlani, Variety, shakeup, CNN's Chris Licht Organizations: CBS, White, Correspondents, Variety, CBS Evening, Paramount, Hearst, Hearst Newspapers, Hearst Entertainment, Media Locations: Washington , U.S

☆ How the founder of The Daily Upside used the lessons he learned as a media banker to build a profitable newsletter company
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Patrick Trousdale's The Daily Upside newsletter for investors just hit 1 million subscribers. It's an example of how a media company can be profitable in a jittery time for the industry. As an investment banker at Guggenheim Partners in the last decade, Patrick Trousdale had the chance to observe the media industry up close. "You have sizzle before the steak at times with digital media," Trousdale, 33, told Insider. Patrick Trousdale.

Persons: Patrick Trousdale's, Patrick Trousdale, Trousdale, Trousdale forgoing, Puck, Graydon Carter's, Nat Rubio, Leah McGrath Goodman, Goodman, John Keeling, —, " Keeling, Patrick Boyle, Substack, Keeling, there's Organizations: Guggenheim, Guggenheim Partners, Guggenheim Securities, Vice Media, Morning, Financial Times, Apple, Plaid, Business Development, Air Mail, Facebook, Google Locations: Puck

☆ How a Guggenheim banker-turned-newsletter publisher is building the anti-Vice, profitably
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Variety faces calls for a retraction as its head-turning story about CNN drama begins to fall apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Variety has a mess on its hands. Former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, The Atlantic journalist Tim Alberta, and Puck Editor-In-Chief Jon Kelly have all called for the outlet to publicly correct the record. But, thus far, Variety has resisted taking any such action, outside quietly removing the widely panned Tatiana Siegel-written feature from its online homepage. The outlet’s deafening silence comes as the piece begins to fall apart in public. (It goes without saying that Zucker’s camp denied to Siegel that this ever happened, but she printed it anyway.)

Persons: Jeff Zucker, Tim Alberta, Puck, Jon Kelly, Tatiana Siegel, Chris Licht, ”, Byers, Zucker, Siegel, David Zaslav, ” Byers, Siegel weaved, imploring, Natalie Korach, Zucker’s, Ramin Setoodeh, Cynthia Littleton, Korach, Kelly, Puck’s, “, Jeffrey Goldberg, …, ” Goldberg Organizations: CNN, Variety, The Atlantic, Warner Bros, Penske Media Corporation, PMC, The Locations: . Alberta, ” Alberta, Miami, cabanas, ”, Russian, Littleton

☆ A top Warner Bros. Discovery ad sales exec has exited, and insiders say rumors are flying of layoffs and changes as early as next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Insiders are speculating more layoffs and organizational changes are on the way. The media giant is wrapping its ad sales upfront period, where sales have been soft across the industry. Discovery has parted ways with another top ad sales exec, and insiders are speculating that more layoffs and changes are on the way. He's also a vet of Hulu ad sales and active in digital advertising, serving on the board of trade group the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Keller's exit is the second big WBD ad sales departure this year; John Dailey stepped down from his position as SVP of ad sales in March.

Persons: Discovery's, salespeople, Jim Keller, Jon Steinlauf —, Keller, He's, WBD, Keller didn't, Chris Licht, Steinlauf, David Zaslav, John Dailey Organizations: Warner Bros, Insiders, HBO Max, Hulu, Interactive, CNN, Discovery Locations: Discovery

☆ Explosive Variety report on behind-the-scenes CNN drama ignites fierce backlash from top industry figures
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Variety is facing a blistering wave of backlash. “Siegel was informed by The Atlantic that the charges were completely false, but she nevertheless decided to smear Alberta. Jon Kelly, editor in chief of Puck, similarly defended his reporter, who was portrayed in the piece as a Zucker shill. Reached for comment, a Variety spokesperson notably offered a defense of the piece that contained far less fervor. The spokesperson simply said, “Variety stands by our investigative story about CNN written by one of the best journalists in the business.”

Persons: Tatiana Siegel, Jeff Zucker, Zucker, —, Risa Heller, Heller, ” Heller, Chris Licht, Tim Alberta, Dylan Byers, Puck, ” Jeffrey Goldberg, “ Siegel, Siegel, ” Goldberg, Licht, “, Jon Kelly, “ Dylan Byers, ” Kelly, ” Organizations: CNN, Variety, Hollywood, Warner Bros, The, The Atlantic, Alberta Locations: Alberta, Alberta’s

☆ A former CNN reporter is suing the network for racial discrimination, alleging she was told she didn't have 'the look' for presenting
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former CNN reporter is suing the company for discrimination and improper dismissal. A former CNN reporter is suing the network for racial discrimination and improper dismissal. Saima Mohsin, a former international correspondent for CNN, broke her foot in 2014 while on assignment covering the Israel-Palestine conflict. "I worked hard to become an international correspondent and loved my job with CNN," Mohsin says in the claim, according to The Guardian. "My management believes they did the right thing as service to the American people," Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international correspondent, said in a Columbia Journalism School commencement speech.

Persons: Saima Mohsin, Mohsin, we'll, Don Lemon, Lemon, Chris Licht, Christiane Amanpour, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, Guardian, Twitter, Trump Town Hall, Columbia Journalism School, The New York Post Locations: Israel, Palestine, London

☆ A bolder CNN is emerging after the ouster of former network chief Chris Licht
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The post-Chris Licht era at CNN is taking shape. Viewers saw the most visible change on Monday when CNN updated the network’s on-screen banners that Licht had implemented in the final days before his departure. While the former network chief sought to tone down the volume, the emerging iteration of CNN is reporting the news in a bolder, unbridled way. To be clear, CNN has not reverted entirely back to the style of journalism that it practiced under former network chief Jeff Zucker. And the new programs that Licht introduced into the lineup, such as “CNN News Central,” remain in place, for now.

Persons: Chris Licht, Licht, I’m, Jeff Zucker, Donald Trump’s, it’s Organizations: CNN, CNN News Central Locations: Florida, Russia

☆ Former CNN anchor Don Lemon speaks out two months after his ouster from the network: 'I'm not a perfect person. No one is.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is speaking out two months after he was ousted from the anchor's chair. Lemon, who worked at CNN for 17 years, told ABC24 Memphis he wasn't in a "rush" to land a new gig. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon in a recent interview spoke of his commitment to the pursuit of truth two months after his ouster from the network that employed him for 17 years. CNN is unable to corroborate the alleged accounts," the network said at the time. After a turbulent 13-month tenure at the helm of CNN, Licht was also fired from his position earlier this month.

Persons: Don Lemon, Lemon, ABC24, ABC24 Memphis, I'm, Nikki Haley, Chris Licht, Haley, Licht Organizations: CNN, Morning, ABC, Republican Locations: ABC24 Memphis, American, insurrectionists, Memphis, Tenn, South Carolina

☆ Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says he'll 'challenge any leader in tech to bench press' after Musk/Zuck cage fight vow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Airbnb chief Brian Chesky said he'll "challenge any leader in tech to bench press." The vow follows Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg apparently agreeing to hold a cage fight. Brian Chesky told Bloomberg's Dave Lee he'd "challenge any leader in tech to bench press. The vow comes days after Musk escalated his rivalry with the Meta CEO by challenging him to a cage fight. The Airbnb chief weighed in on the billionaires' plans to cage fight and told Lee: "I've been waiting for these physical battles in tech.

Persons: Brian Chesky, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Chesky, Bloomberg he's, Bloomberg's Dave Lee he'd, Musk, Zuckerberg, Lee, I've, Christ Licht, he'd, Licht, Jeff Zucker, Zucker, Airbnb didn't Organizations: Bloomberg, CNN Locations: Atlantic

☆ Who will be the next CEO of CNN? 12 execs who could be in the running to replace Chris Licht, according to company insiders and news veterans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav is faced with finding another CEO for CNN after Chris Licht's exit. Just over a year after appointing Chris Licht to run CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav now faces the task of finding his replacement. He might look for a woman or person of color to bring diversity to a Warner Bros.

Persons: David Zaslav, Chris Licht's, Amy Entelis, Chris Licht, Zaslav, he's, he'll, CNN's, WBD, that's, Licht, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling, David Leavy, Claire Atkinson Organizations: Warner Bros . Discovery, CNN, Company, that's, Warner Bros, Discovery, Comcast

☆ CNN’s Business Challenges Run Deeper Than Chris Licht
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Joe Flint | Isabella Simonetti | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-top-business-challenge-awaiting-cnns-next-ceo-a1d3bc5a

Persons: Dow Jones, a1d3bc5a

☆ Fox News said its chyron calling Biden a 'wannabe dictator' was immediately taken down and 'addressed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Fox News chyron called Biden a "wannabe dictator" who had his "political rival" Donald Trump arrested. Fox said in a statement Wednesday that "the chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed." Fox did not explain how the message made it onto the screen and how the matter was addressed. While Fox News aired Trump's speech live, MSNBC did not. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow made a similar pronouncement before that network chose not to air Trump's speech live.

Persons: chyron, Biden, Donald Trump, Mediaite, —, Joe Biden, Fox, General Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Trump, Karine Jean, Pierre, — Trump, Joe Tacopina, Sean Hannity's, William Barr, Jonathan Turley, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Sara Just, Chris Licht, Jake Tapper, Tapper, It's, It's Mr, Rachel Maddow, Maddow Organizations: Fox, Service, — Fox, PBS, Trump, CNN, Fox News, White, Twitter, YouTube, MSNBC, GOP Locations: New Jersey, Jersey, New York

☆ What we talk about when we talk about diversity, and CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Trisha Gopal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This week, CNN CEO Chris Licht was fired after a scathing profile was published in the Atlantic. In the profile, Licht details his own thoughts about how diversity should be defined in the media industry. In Alberta's profile, Licht claimed to be operating under his own idea of "diversity," one that does not include "virtue signaling." "I think 'Defund the police' would've been covered differently if newsrooms were filled with people who had lived in public housing," Licht continued. The diversity Licht did seem to value was geographic diversity, which can be a coded way of saying "not from the liberal coasts."

Persons: Chris Licht, Licht, MAGA, Stephen Gutowski, Trump, Tim Alberta, Jean Carroll, Kevin McCarthy, Rick Scott, Jim Acosta's, Brian Stelter's, Warner, David Zaslav, Franklin Leonard, Washington Post's Perry Bacon Jr, John Miller, Miller, Lehman, Tara Narula, Don Lemon, Reagan, Lisa Ling, Kamau Bell, New York Mondaire Jones, Jones, Kaitlin Collins, Lemon, Poppy Harlow, Collins, Laura Coates Organizations: CNN, NRA, Atlantic, Warner Bros, Discovery, Republicans, Harvard, Insider, NYPD, Stanford, Catholic, LSU, Republican, White House, Daily, White Locations: Alberta, Washington, New York City, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Birmingham , Alabama, Mobile , Alabama, New York, Alabama, Asia

☆ What Chris Licht Got Right and Wrong at CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Holman W. Jenkins Jr. is a member of the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Jenkins joined the Journal in May 1992 as a writer for the editorial page in New York. In February 1994, he moved to Hong Kong as editor of The Asian Wall Street Journal's editorial page. Mr. Jenkins won a 1997 Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished business and financial coverage. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Jenkins received a bachelor's degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

Persons: Holman W, Jenkins, Mr, Gerald Loeb, William Smith Organizations: Street, William, William Smith Colleges, Northwestern University, University of Michigan Locations: New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Hobart

☆ Who wants to be a CEO right now?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Let's be real: Being a CEO sucks right now. But 2023 has brought a level of scrutiny that makes being a CEO today a nightmare for even the toughest leader. CNN's former chief Chris Licht stepped down on Wednesday after less than a year, following intense criticism from inside and outside his newsroom. Meme stock company GameStop fired its CEO Matthew Furlong on the same day as Licht, also after a short tenure. At the low point of a boom-and-bust cycle where high interest rates and high expectations reign supreme, being a CEO sucks.

Persons: Let's, CNN's Chris Licht, —, Jack Welch, CNN's, Chris Licht, Licht, Matthew Furlong, Jeff Shell, Jack Bowles, Patience, Matt Turner, Raul Vargas Organizations: Corporate, Service, General Electric, Observers, GameStop, Google, Farmers Group Locations: freefall, British

☆ Warner Bros Discovery and Tesla power this week's gains as S&P 500 hits highest level since August
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Warner Bros Discovery and Tesla helped push the market higher this week, as the S & P 500 approached its fourth straight week of gains. Warner Bros Discovery popped 19% week to date, and still has another 47% upside — based on FactSet's average analyst price target. About 59% of the analysts covering the stock rate it a buy. Meanwhile, Tesla 's ride higher continued this week, with the electric vehicle maker climbing about 16% since Monday. Norwegian has rallied more than 41% in 2023, but just 37% of analysts covering the stock rate it a buy.

Persons: Tesla, Chris Licht, Donald Trump, Itay Michaeli Organizations: Warner Bros Discovery, Warner Bros, CNN, GM, Ford, Citi, Cruise, Cruises Locations: Norwegian

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