- Chris Licht will announce his departure from CNN in next 48 hours
- He took over from Jeff Zucker in May 2022 and had a disastrous year in charge
Chris Licht is out at CNN after a disastrous first year of trying to overhaul the network during which ratings slumped, profits shrank and staff revolted against him.
In an announcement this morning, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav said: ‘I have great respect for Chris, personally and professionally.
‘The job of leading CNN was never going to be easy, especially at a time of huge disruption and transformation, and he has poured his heart and soul into it.
‘While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team we have in place and will continue to fight for CNN and its world class journalism.’
Until a permanent replacement is found, the network will be shepherded by Amy Entelis, EVP of Talent, Virginia Moseley, EVP of editorial, and Eric Sherling, EVP of US programming.
Licht’s departure comes after a hellish first year at the helm of the flailing network. He took over from Jeff Zucker in May last year after Zucker’s affair with Allison Gollust was revealed.
