Thursday, March 28, 2024

Chris Licht Stepping Down As CNN Boss

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A brief and turbulent tenure is coming to a close.

Embattled chief is leaving his post following a damning exposé in The Atlantic that revealed widespread dissent within the ranks.

The decision by Licht comes less than a month after the network's town hall with former President .

Licht hoped to appease CNN's right-wing critics through the town hall. However, both sides remained dissatisfied with the outcome. Trump's strongest supporters were upset with host for fact-checking his false claims of election fraud in battleground states. Meanwhile, the network staff and on-air talent were disappointed that the former president received a major platform.

The Times reports:

Mr. Licht's 13-month run at CNN was marked by one controversy after another, culminating in his exit earlier this week. He got off to a bumpy start even before he had officially started when he oversaw the shuttering of the pricey CNN+ streaming service at the request of its network's new owners, who were skeptical about a stand-alone digital product. The cuts resulted in scores of layoffs.

Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company, did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Licht's departure represents a dramatic fall not long after he departed as an executive producer of Stephen Colbert's top-rated late night show and vowed to bring a middle-of-the-road balance to CNN's journalism. When Mr. Licht took the job, he told friends it was a “calling.”

Puck earlier reported that Mr. Licht was leaving CNN.

Puck News' Dylan Byers reports “Warner Bros. Discovery will announce that Licht will be stepping down as chairman and CEO of CNN” within the next 48 hours.

Byers first reported that Licht had been tapped to lead the cable news network 16 months ago.

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Patrick Houck
Patrick Houck
Patrick Houck is an avid political enthusiast based out of the Washington, D.C. metro area. His expertise is in campaigns and the use of targeted messaging to persuade voters. When not combing through the latest news, you can find him enjoying the company of family and friends or pursuing his love of photography.

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