BNR – CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht has resigned from the media firm, Warner Bros. Discovery said on Wednesday. The decision is effective immediately, according to the parent company.
The corporation said it had formed a temporary leadership team as it searches for Licht’s successor. The new team includes Amy Entelis, EVP of talent and content development; Virginia Moseley, EVP of editorial; Eric Sherling, EVP of US programming; and David Leavy, chief operating officer, on the commercial side.
The decision comes less than a week after the Atlantic published a piece critical of Licht.
WB Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav stated that a comprehensive search for an alternative leader will be conducted. According to the email Zaslav sent to employees on Wednesday, the search would be conducted both within the firm and externally.
“This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation,” Zaslav wrote. “Chris poured his heart and soul into it.”
He went on to say that everything did not go as planned. “Ultimately, that’s on me,” he remarked.
Licht’s Tenure and Marked by Declining Ratings in CNN
Licht took over as CEO in May 2022, succeeding Jeff Zucker, who was forced to leave. The latter failed to reveal a consensual relationship with a co-worker.
Licht was most recently EVP of special programming at CBS, as well as executive producer and showrunner for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Among other things, Licht has been slammed for the network’s plan to air a town hall with former Republican President Donald Trump on 10 May. Trump reiterated false claims about his 2020 election defeat during the show.
The former US president stated that if elected, he will pardon numerous supporters convicted of taking part in an attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. He also referred to CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins as a “nasty person.”
CNN’s ratings have been declining, despite the company’s efforts to attract more Republican viewers.
