CNN has named Mark Thompson, the former chief executive of the BBC and The New York Times, as the new chair and CEO of the news organization. The announcement was made by David Zaslav, the head of the network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Thompson replaces Chris Licht, who was fired in June, along with a four-person team that had been running CNN in the interim.
Thompson is credited with transforming The New York Times into a digital-first organization during his eight-year tenure as president and CEO. He shifted the focus towards paid subscribers instead of relying on the declining advertising market. Prior to his time at the Times, Thompson served as the director-general of the BBC from 2004 to 2012.
Licht’s departure follows a challenging 13 months for CNN, during which the network fell behind Fox News and MSNBC in popularity. CNN struggled to compete in a politically polarized time when opinionated news resonated more with viewers. Licht had advocated for CNN to find a middle ground and emphasize its newsgathering capabilities, but ultimately failed to connect with many employees, who were loyal to his predecessor, Jeff Zucker.
In addition to declining ratings, CNN’s finances have also suffered. The network’s profit dropped from $1.08 billion in 2020 to $892 million in 2022, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Furthermore, CNN’s recent streaming service was abruptly discontinued shortly after Licht took on his new role. However, CNN news will now be included in the network’s Max streaming service.
Over the past two years, CNN has also dismissed two popular prime-time hosts, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon. Licht was unable to establish a stable prime-time lineup during his tenure. The interim leadership team, consisting of Amy Entelis, David Leavy, Virginia Moseley, and Eric Sherling, recently announced a new lineup with Kaitlan Collins, Abby Phillip, Laura Coates, Christiane Amanpour, and Chris Wallace taking on various roles.
Thompson’s appointment was first reported by the website Puck.
