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CNN’s top executive told staffers Wednesday that he wants to stay at the news giant, but has little knowledge of what the outlet’s soon-to-be new corporate parent has in store.
“I am enthusiastic about staying,” CNN
CEO Mark Thompson told employees during a town hall meeting, according to two people with knowledge of his remarks. Even so, he also confided he has no knowledge of how Paramount Skydance, which settled an antitrust lawsuit earlier this week with 12 state attorneys general, wants to proceed once it completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
“How Paramount wants to run news” is not known to him at present, he said.
The meeting was scheduled several days ago and not because of Paramount’s victory this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. CNN declined to make executives available for comment. Thompson also told staffers, in response to a question posed by veteran correspondent John King, that he did not know when a transition might start or when Paramount executives might be seen in CNN’s officers.
CNN personnel have reason for alarm. Paramount’s management of CBS News has been controversial, and has not been good for the business of the news unit. Changes made under Bari Weiss, installed last year as editor in chief, have brought unnecessary scrutiny to news reports, and anchors have made public entreaties on Instagram when people post notes suggesting that Weiss’ background as a digital entrepreneur and provocative opinion writer have muddied the newsgathering at the network. Tweaks made at “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News” are still too nascent to make final judgement, but both shows continue to lag their rivals in the ratings, with the morning show suffering significant erosion. Weiss’ decision to overhaul “60 Minutes,” widely considered the jewel of CBS and of TV-news overall, has left the venerable newsmagazine open to criticism and backlash.
Thompson cautioned staffers that it was not clear that Paramount intended to merge CNN and CBS News, but had no detail to offer about what next steps might look like under the new owner.
During his tenure, Thompson has focused on getting CNN content in front of younger viewers and digital audiences. CNN has been testing new formats with its “CNN All Access” subscription service, and has seen up and coming personnel like Abby Phillip and Harry Enten gain some traction. Warner Bros. Discovery projected in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year that CNN will generate $600 million in profit in 2026 on $1.8 billion in revenue.
