Mark Thompson is stepping in as the following CEO and chairman of CNN.
Parent corporate Warner Bros. Discovery mentioned Wednesday it appointed Thompson as the following chief of the cable news community, a couple of brief months after the ouster of Chris Licht.
Thompson up to now served as CEO and president of The New York Times from 2012 to 2020, as neatly as director-general of the BBC from 2004 to 2012. Thompson’s first day on the CNN place of work can be Oct. 9, he advised CNN staffers in a memo.
“I am confident he is exactly the leader we need to take the helm of CNN at this pivotal time,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav advised group of workers in a notice Wednesday. “Big thanks to all of you for your patience, commitment, and hard work. Simply stated: the real strength of CNN is its people, and you continue to set the highest standard in all that you do.”
The appointment of Thompson, a 40-year news veteran who used to be lately knighted for his services and products in media, happens simply as the presidential marketing campaign cycle within the U.S. speeds up.
Thompson takes the reins of CNN as cord-cutting has ramped up for the normal TV package and rankings have lagged in the back of different cable news competition. Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery introduced it will upload CNN to its Max streaming carrier starting Sept. 27. It will serve as the community’s solution to streaming as a 24/7 reside news hub.
“As everyone knows, TV journalism is approaching peak disruption. We face pressure from every direction – structural, political, cultural, you name it. Like many other media organizations, CNN has recently felt some of the uncertainty and heartache that comes with all of that,” Thompson wrote to CNN group of workers. “There’s no magic wand that I or anyone else can wield to make this disruption go away. But what I can say is that where others see threat, I see opportunity – especially given CNN’s great brand and the strength of its journalism.”
His hiring additionally follows what has been a tumultuous time for the cable news community, particularly for its management.
In early 2022, longtime chief Jeff Zucker resigned after failing to divulge a romantic dating with a high-ranking colleague – who additionally as soon as served as communications director to ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Zucker’s resignation got here as a surprise to staffers. Shortly after, high time host Chris Cuomo used to be fired after CNN mentioned it acquired new information about his arguable position in advising his brother.
Soon after Zucker stepped down, CNN’s father or mother corporate possession modified palms with the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery. Prior to ultimate the deal, Zaslav had appointed Licht as CNN’s CEO, who used to be up to now the chief govt in the back of the “CBS This Morning” news program and “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. At the time, Zaslav known as Licht a “dynamic and creative producer, an engaging and thoughtful journalist, and a true news person.”
One of Licht’s first strikes used to be the swift closure of CNN+, the cable news community’s then-newly introduced streaming platform that used to be failing to garner viewership in its early days.
Licht’s time at CNN used to be brief, alternatively. In June, Licht departed CNN after main the community for little greater than a yr that incorporated a sequence of programming missteps and rock-bottom rankings. He had additionally drew grievance within the weeks ahead of his ouster after CNN hosted a the town corridor with Donald Trump that used to be full of lots of lovers who cheered at the former president as he driven election lies and insulted host Kaitlan Collins.
Shortly after, The Atlantic printed an unflattering 15,000-word profile of Licht titled “Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” which most probably sealed his destiny. Although Licht apologized to CNN staffers it wasn’t sufficient and his departure used to be introduced within the resulting days.
While community executives Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling and David Leavy led CNN since Licht left CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery brass looked for a alternative for the management position.
Read Zaslav’s memo to group of workers:
All,
I sought after to inform you first that we will be able to be welcoming a brand new chief for CNN Worldwide. Shortly, we will be able to announce that extremely revered news govt Mark Thompson can be becoming a member of our management group as Chairman and CEO, efficient October 9, reporting at once to me. Mark has been within the news trade for greater than 4 many years and, as lots of you’re conscious, he has an outstanding track-record of innovation and excellence. I’m assured he’s precisely the chief we want to take the helm of CNN at this pivotal time.
I’ll proportion extra about Mark in a second. But ahead of I do, I wish to say that I acknowledge trade isn’t simple, and I do know you will have been via a large number of it. Big due to all of you on your endurance, dedication, and tough paintings. Simply said: the true energy of CNN is its other folks, and you still set the perfect usual in all that you simply do.
I wish to give a distinct due to Amy, David, Virginia and Eric for the outstanding activity they have got carried out main CNN and transferring the trade ahead throughout this meantime length. They pulled in combination as a group and truly delivered, and I’m in my opinion thankful for his or her exhausting paintings and sacrifices, as they added important tasks on most sensible in their considerable useful roles. I do know they are going to be an enormous assist to Mark when he comes on board.
Mark has led and remodeled two of the sector’s most dear news organizations. Most lately, he served as president and CEO of The New York Times from 2012-2020, construction the corporate right into a digital-subscription powerhouse. In reality, beneath his management, the Times greater its paid electronic subscriptions tenfold and greater than doubled its overall electronic revenues.
Before that, Mark served as director-general of the BBC from 2004-2012, the place he presided over probably the most international’s largest newsrooms as neatly as ratings of nationwide and global TV and radio services and products and in depth world electronic news belongings. He led the improvement of the BBC iPlayer, the sector’s first streaming carrier from a big broadcaster, expanded internet and smartphone services and products from news to schooling to leisure, and oversaw protection of the largest occasions of the time from the worldwide monetary disaster of 2008-09 to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Before changing into a senior govt, Mark used to be a operating researcher, director, box manufacturer and award-winning showrunner within the BBC’s news department.
I’ve lengthy admired Mark’s transformative management and his talent to encourage organizations to boost their very own ambitions and sense of what is conceivable… and succeed in it. I’ve spent a large number of time speaking with him over the previous few weeks and could not be extra excited for all that is in retailer.
Please sign up for me in welcoming Mark to the group!
David
Read Thompson’s notice to CNN staffers:
Dear all,
No doubt you will have heard the news and browse David Zaslav’s message confirming that I’m to be CNN’s subsequent Chairman and CEO. I simply sought after so as to add a couple of phrases of my very own.
I will be able to’t inform you how happy and proud I’m to be becoming a member of you after such a lot of years of gazing – and envying – your paintings from the out of doors. Over the many years, I’ve ran into CNN groups on tale after tale from Washington, DC to Tiananmen Square. Two months in the past I spent an afternoon gazing CNN’s spell-binding protection of the Wagner rebel, and I watched and browse our primary competition too. That day showed an outdated reality to me: when it issues maximum, CNN is the most efficient position to determine what is going down. You all the time upward push to the instance.
As we all know, TV journalism is coming near top disruption. We face drive from each and every course – structural, political, cultural, you title it. Like many different media organizations, CNN has lately felt one of the uncertainty and heartache that includes all of that. There’s no magic wand that I or any person else can wield to make this disruption move away. But what I will be able to say is that the place others see danger, I see alternative – particularly given CNN’s nice logo and the energy of its journalism. I’ve spent many of the previous two decades working out with colleagues at one of the international’s different nice news operations no longer simply tips on how to live on the revolution, however to thrive in it and acquire new audiences and earnings streams. I goal to do the similar at CNN. It would possibly not be myplan that wins the day however our plan, the plan we devise and put in force in combination. Which is why, in particular within the early weeks, you can to find me doing much more listening and studying than maintaining forth.
I wish to upload my non-public due to the meantime management group. Amy, David, Virginia and Eric have carried out an incredible activity steerage the send over the last couple of months and I sit up for operating with them.
My first authentic day within the place of work is 9 October however I’m making plans to pop in a couple of instances ahead of then. So for those who see a tall determine with an English accessory and a noisy chortle, you can know who it’s.
All the most efficient,
Mark