One week ago today, David Zaslav — who runs CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery — made an announcement. He was taking one of his top lieutenants, a man named David Leavy, and making him COO of CNN Worldwide.
On the surface, it seemed like a move to help take some of the business responsibilities off the plate of CNN CEO Chris Licht. That way, Licht could concentrate on critical matters such as ratings, on-air performance and programming. According to the organizational chart, Leavy was going to report to Licht.
But many saw the move for what it was: Zaslav telling one of his guys to get in there, poke around and then report back with what the heck was going on at CNN. You figured that fact-finding mission would take several weeks, maybe even months.
Then came the next day, Friday, and the publication of a devastating profile of Licht written by Tim Alberta in The Atlantic. CNN staffers, many of whom were devoted to previous CEO Jeff Zucker, were hurt, angered and betrayed by Licht’s criticisms of the network’s work before he arrived. Those who were already unsure of Licht’s ability to lead the network were now convinced he wasn’t the right person for the job. Reports were rampant that Licht was “done” as far as most CNN staff was concerned, that there was no way back after that.
On Monday, Licht apologized to staff for the way he came off in the profile and promised to “fight like hell” to earn their trust. But reporting from outlets said Leavy spent the weekend talking with staff, getting their feedback. If Leavy was Zaslov’s eyes and ears inside of CNN, there’s little guessing at what he saw and heard.
Licht was finished.
So, in a move that was surprising only because of the timing, Licht is now officially out at CNN, just 13 months after taking the job.
In a meeting with staff, Zaslov said, “For a number of reasons things didn’t work out, and that’s unfortunate.”
The reasons included sagging ratings, low morale, bungled programming with an ill-advised morning show featuring the now-fired Don Lemon, foot-dragging in putting together a prime-time lineup and, most of all, a disastrous town hall with Donald Trump that ended up looking more like a Trump rally.
Then came The Atlantic profile, which didn’t get Licht fired, but certainly hastened it. Alberta’s piece exposed to the world what CNN staff already knew: The network was in a free-fall mess under a leader who couldn’t handle the job.
The list of all the things that went sour at CNN under Licht is long. But worse yet, can Licht name anything that went right?
If you were Licht and fighting for your job over the past couple of days, what would you list as your wins? Your successes? What can you look back at over the 13 months in charge and be especially proud of? What could you point at as a reason for optimism about the future?
As one source told former CNN journalist Brian Stelter, Licht was “dealt a bad hand, and then he played it badly.”
Writing about the news Wednesday, The Atlantic’s David A. Graham wrote, “But the real reason Licht failed was not the way he executed his job but the way he conceived it in the first place. He wanted to turn CNN back into the neutral arbiter of truth that it once was (or seemed to be) without understanding that such a role is impossible in today’s fractured, polarized cable-news environment.”
In the end, as it always does in TV, it came down to two things: money and ratings. Under Licht’s leadership, CNN was struggling with both.
Where does CNN go from here?
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav at the film festival in Cannes, France in May. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Zaslav said he will now go on a search, both internally and externally, for a new CEO. He told staff it could take “a while.” For now, CNN will be run by Leavy; Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development; Virginia Moseley, executive vice president of editorial; and Eric Sherling, executive vice president of U.S. programming.
Taking some time might be a smart move, especially to give all the negative news about CNN — which bothered Zaslav — a chance to die down.
While it appeared Licht, perhaps under marching orders from Zaslav and the bigwigs at Warner Bros. Discovery, was trying to shift the editorial content of CNN, the public messaging about it was always a bit cloudy. Licht bristled that he wanted the network to be “centrist,” calling that “bull(expletive)” last November. He added at the time, “You have to be compelling. You have to have edge. In many cases you take a side. Sometimes you just point out uncomfortable questions. But either way you don’t see it through a lens of left or right.”
However, ratings would indicate that CNN had trouble connecting with the right, left, or anyone in between. The audience Licht was trying to appeal to doesn’t even exist in this polarized cable news world. As Graham pointed out in his Atlantic piece, “Licht’s attempts to market CNN to this imaginary audience just dragged the network down further.”
And that is a mess that will have to be cleaned up by the next person in charge.
Politico’s Jack Shafer wrote, “As the Licht era fades to black, his successor, not yet picked, will inherit a bruised enterprise. The upside is that all of the most unpopular work — downsizing, firing, navigating toward the center — has been done. The new boss, whoever they might be, would be wise to audit a class or two at the Zucker Charm Institute. And never believe Zaslav when he says, ‘I’ve got your back.’”
Licht’s successor will ultimately be selected by Zaslav, the same person who picked Licht and, perhaps, wil be given the same mandate as Licht. Although, unlike the last time when Zaslav picked Licht on his own with no other candidates, Zaslav said he is committed to a more formal recruiting process this time.
The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin wrote, “After appointing Mr. Licht, Mr. Zaslav said he didn’t want CNN to be an ‘anti-Trump network,’ a reference to his plan to air a wider range of political viewpoints, including from conservatives. Mr. Zaslav is still committed to that strategy, said two people familiar with his thinking, but he faces a major hurdle: Recruiting a replacement for Mr. Licht who shares that vision for CNN and can win back the trust of the newsroom, which had bristled at Mr. Licht’s leadership.”
CNN staff is reportedly thrilled that Licht is gone. One on-air CNN personality told The Washington Post’s Elahe Izadi and Jeremy Barr, “Can you hear the champagne popping?”
And anchor Jake Tapper told The Post, “I want to talk about our journalism. I want the coverage of CNN to be on our journalism.”
What about Licht?
I appeared on a radio station KNX in Los Angeles on Wednesday to talk about the CNN news and was asked a question that few are talking about: What about Licht?
Hmm, that’s an interesting question. What happens to him? Does he still have a future in TV?
Well, it’s doubtful anyone is going to hand him the keys to a network, cable or otherwise, again. And you would think that, for now at least, he’s untouchable in the media world.
But he does have friends and supporters in TV, including places he used to run — Stephen Colbert’s late-night show on CBS and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
It probably will take some time, but Licht’s career isn’t dead. It’s just wounded at this time.
Grim news from LA Times
The Los Angeles Times is eliminating a whopping 74 positions — about 13% of its newsroom. In a memo to staff, Times executive editor Kevin Merida used the phrase that seems to appear in every one of these layoff memos: economic headwinds.
Merida wrote to staff, “The restructuring stems from the same persistent economic headwinds facing news media across the country. Collectively, we have done a vast amount of work as a company to meet the budget and revenue challenges head on. But that work will need acceleration and we will need more radical transformation in the newsroom for us to become a self-sustaining enterprise.”
According to The Los Angeles Times, those impacted are mostly news editors, copy editors, audience engagement staff and audio producers. Reporting positions, however, will largely be spared.
My colleague, Angela Fu, has more, including a statement from the Los Angeles Times Guild that it was “blindsided” by the news.
LIV leftovers
LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau at a tournament in May. (Hunter Martin/LIV Golf via AP)
As soon as the PGA announced Tuesday that it was merging with the Saudi-backed LIV Tour, I couldn’t wait to read Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins because you just knew she would bring out a machete and whack her way through the PGA Tour’s hypocrisy.
Jenkins did not disappoint. Here are the first two sentences in her column “The PGA Tour is calling this a victory, but something doesn’t smell right”: “What’s the going rate to turn an American executive into a boot boy for a despotic torturer such as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman? Just how worn out are the knees of PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan’s pants legs?”
As only she can, Jenkins carved up the Monahan and the PGA and also pointed out a curious connection that I hadn’t seen before. Edward Herlihy, the chair of the PGA Tour policy board, is partner and co-chair of a law firm that specializes in multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions. And which law firm advised the PGA through this merger with LIV? You can guess.
Meanwhile, this merger seems great for LIV and, especially, the Saudi government, which many see as using “sportswashing” to clean up its deplorable and well-deserved reputation.
If you want to know what “sportswashing” is and see it in action, just take a look at this CNN interview with LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau. Near the end of this clip, DeChambeau is asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about the harsh criticism from families of 9/11 victims about LIV Golf being financially backed by the Saudi government.
Collins asked, “They’re accused of financing terrorism. They’re also accused of killing Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi. How do you feel knowing that is where the money is backed by?”
DeChambeau started by saying he was sympathetic to the families of 9/11 victims and called the attacks “horrible.” But then part of his answer sounded like it was written by the Saudis: “I mean look, it’s unfortunate what has happened but that is not something I can necessarily speak on because I’m a golfer. What I can say is that, what they’re trying to do, what they’re trying to work on is be better allies, because we are allies with them. I’m not going to get into the politics of it. I’m not specialized in it. But what I can say is they’re trying to do good for the world and showcase themselves in a light that hasn’t been seen in a while. Nobody is perfect but we’re all trying to improve in life.”
Trying to do good?
A light that hasn’t been seen in a while?
Nobody is perfect?
We’re all trying to improve?
Is he serious?
If I were advising DeChambeau or any other LIV golfer before going on CNN and facing questions you know you’re going to get about the Saudi government, I’d tell them to brush up on the topic before they start talking. Then again, my initial advice would be to not go on CNN.
Stephen A’s controversial comments
The public perception of ESPN’s stance on mixing politics with sports has always been a little off-kilter. While it’s clear that ESPN has preferred its personalities not wade too far into the political pool, it would be wrong to say ESPN has a ban on it. Many of the network’s personalities have weighed in on such things as social issues and protests.
But when Stephen A. Smith — one of ESPN’s highest-paid, well-known and featured on-air personalities — appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show this week, he said something that was shocking in its candor.
Smith would not take Hannity’s bait that President Joe Biden is a “cognitive mess,” but he was critical of the president.
Smith said, “Excuse me, I’m not going to label it that way, Sean. What I’m going to tell you is this. I’m looking at him and I don’t like what I see, I’m not impressed with what I see, and I’ve been very concerned with what I’ve seen. And the fact that he’s going to be 82 years of age at election time, if he were to win the election, then he’d be in the White House until he’s 86 years old. I think, in the year 2023, it is utterly embarrassing that the liberal side has him as their best candidate. What does it say about you when that is the best candidate that you can give the left? That is ridiculous! That’s not a knock against Joe Biden, that is more of an indictment of the Democratic Party.”
I’m not saying it’s wrong for Smith to voice his opinion, and ESPN gives Smith a lot of leeway (he has his own political podcast), but it still was mildly surprising to see Smith a.) on another cable news network and b.) being so politically outspoken.
Awful Announcing’s Andrew Bucholtz has more, including the video.
Media tidbits
- Fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson debuted his Twitter show on Tuesday night. And now Axios’ Sara Fischer with this scoop: “Fox News says Tucker Carlson breached his contract.”
- The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin with “Lester Holt Suggests You Hold Those Hot Takes, Please.”
- The Wall Street Journal’s Jeff Horwitz and Katherine Blunt with “Instagram Connects Vast Pedophile Network.”
- There’s a new documentary out about legendary CBS newsman Dan Rather. Michael Schneider writes about it for Variety.
- The Wall Street Journal’s Alistair MacDonald with “Wanted: Buyer for the Daily Telegraph, a 150-Year-Old British Newspaper.”
Hot type
- The New York Times’ Raymond Zhong joined scientists on a 90-mile raft expedition through the Grand Canyon and wrote the words and took the photos for this superb piece: “The Grand Canyon, a Cathedral to Time, Is Losing Its River.”
- Andscape’s William C. Rhoden with “The NBA’s Florida conundrum: Black players see what is happening in the state and must find a way to express their disapproval.”
More resources for journalists
- Sign up for Beat Academy (Now-Oct. 19) (Webinar series) — You’ll get tips, sources, inspiration and ideas to cover emerging newsroom beats. Enroll now.
- Executive Leadership Summit (Oct. 2023) (Seminar) — Apply by Aug. 14.
- Level Up: Critical Skills for Local Reporters (Oct. 3-Nov. 14) (Seminar) — Apply by Aug. 31.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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