Changes are coming to CNN as new president Chris Licht begins to implement his ideas for the network. Axios reports that the company will skew away prime-time partisanship and double down on news-gathering.
Furthermore, the report adds that Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav favors credibility over ratings. Licht and Zaslav communicated a belief that CNN was chasing prime-time ratings at the cost of the brand.
As a result, Zaslav, at the recommendation of mentor and Liberty Media chairman John Malone, is likely to drive CNN back to hard news and out of red-hot liberal opining. Licht has successfully been at the helm of CBS’ EVP of Special Programming — succeeding with three very different programs. Malone has publicly commented previously about CNN needing to change its content strategy.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” rose under Licht to become the most-watched network late-night show. “CBS This Morning” got a ratings jolt when Licht served as the program’s E.P.. He was also co-creator and the original E.P. of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
The network plans to emphasize the indispensable coverage people have seen from Ukraine as an example of what they will strive for under Licht.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
