Chris Licht, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide.
Courtesy: CNN
CNN CEO Chris Licht is about to get some assist operating his information community from a longtime shut confidant of Warner Bros. Discovery chief government officer David Zaslav.
Licht has employed David Leavy as CNN’s new chief working officer, the corporate introduced Thursday. Leavy is Warner Bros. Discovery’s chief company affairs officer and has labored intently with Zaslav for greater than 15 years. Licht took over as CNN’s CEO in April 2022.
The transfer seems to offer Zaslav an added window into what is going on on at CNN. Licht has drawn growing scrutiny from his personal workers amid falling scores and questionable decision-making.
Reporters and staffers openly criticized Licht’s decision to air a Donald Trump city corridor with legions of screaming followers final month. Licht has since acknowledged production issues with the manufacturing whereas standing behind the choice to broadcast a reside Trump city corridor.
Placing Leavy subsequent to Licht may very well be seen as a proxy for Zaslav. And, bringing in an government who has served as a consigliere to Zaslav for greater than a decade suggests there are a number of boundaries or secrets and techniques between Licht and Zaslav.
Leavy’s hiring was truly Licht’s concept, not Zaslav’s, in keeping with folks conversant in the matter. Leavy had been serving to Licht discover a COO for CNN, performing as a sounding board for candidates. CNN initially made a proposal to a feminine information government, stated the folks, who requested to not be named as a result of the discussions had been non-public. But Licht wished somebody to start out instantly, and that government was nonetheless beneath contract at her present place.
When that fell via, Leavy steered he could also be a match for the job. Both Licht and Leavy then went to Zaslav with the concept, and he signed off, stated the folks. A CNN spokesperson declined to remark
Leavy might be primarily based in Washington, D.C., close to the place his household lives.
Running CNN
Leavy is conversant in executives and operations throughout Warner Bros. Discovery and can now lead CNN’s advertising, public relations, promoting gross sales, amenities and different logistics.
Chris Marlin, CNN’s head of technique and enterprise operations, will now concentrate on producing different income streams for the community exterior of tv, the job he was initially employed to do, in keeping with one of many folks conversant in the hiring course of. Such alternatives embody potential partnerships or sponsorships, the individual stated.
Licht’s background is present producing, with stints operating MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and CBS’s “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Leavy’s hiring ought to enable Licht to focus extra on programming and editorial technique and fewer on logistics. Leavy could have no enter on the editorial aspect of CNN.
Licht has made important adjustments to CNN’s TV programming, together with constructing a new morning present and primetime lineup. The early outcomes have been discouraging. CNN’s viewers fell 16% in May from April by way of each whole primetime viewers and amongst adults 25 to 54, a prized demographic for advertisers, according to Nielsen data. Average daytime viewership fell 13% general and 17% amongst adults 25 to 54.
CNN fired Don Lemon in April and is moving Kaitlin Collins to its 9 p.m. primetime slot. Both anchors had been a part of Licht’s original morning show, which lasted lower than a yr.
CNN’s general and primetime viewership trailed each Fox News and MSNBC, in keeping with Nielsen. Fox News Channel averaged 1.09 million whole daytime viewers and 1.42 million whole primetime viewers in May. MSNBC averaged 736,000 daytime viewers and 1.16 million primetime watchers. CNN averaged simply 416,000 in day and 494,000 in primetime.
David Zaslav
Anjali Sundaram | CNBC
In the previous few weeks, Zaslav has had conversations with some CNN workers to get their sense of how issues are going, in keeping with folks conversant in the matter, who requested to not be named as a result of the discussions had been non-public.
But whereas Zaslav and Licht aren’t thrilled with CNN’s scores, they’re linked collectively charting the go-forward technique of CNN. Leavy’s hiring solely underlines that connection.
WATCH: CNBC’s full interview with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav