Mark Thompson is widely recognized for transforming The New York Times from print journalism into a digital newsroom while serving as director-general of BBC. Also, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav lauded his experience running global news organizations when announcing Thompson’s hire on Wednesday.
The Whole Plot
On Wednesday, CNN fired its Chief Executive after they had endured an extremely trying year – their ratings and profits had plummeted significantly while they oversaw numerous programming missteps.
His efforts to increase viewerships and profits via a live town hall special with President Trump had failed miserably, while any attempts he made at politically re-orienting his network through inviting guests with specific viewpoints had only angered journalists further.
David Zaslav, chief of parent company Warner Discovery, stressed the need for an impartial news brand that was credible to all upon Licht’s hiring last May. Unfortunately, Licht was unable to reverse CNN’s decline – forcing out after just one year with CNN being dismissed on Wednesday during its daily editorial meeting.
Mark Thompson New CEO of CNN
Mark Thompson, former New York Times CEO, has been appointed the new CEO of CNN. Thompson takes over an organization whose revenue streams have been declining as viewers move away from cable subscriptions in favor of streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu.
CNN new CEO, Thompson, will assume his new post on October 9 and take charge of a network that has experienced numerous significant challenges over the last 20 months, such as shutting down CNN+, firing popular hosts Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, as well as mass layoffs.
CNN Newsroom will face an increasingly contentious political environment as President Donald Trump and his allies target CNN with attacks. According to one source, Thompson is up to the challenge; his background includes leading major media organizations and growth at other companies. He will work alongside interim leaders Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, and Eric Sherling, who have all previously held leadership roles within CNN, plus long-time Warner Bros Discovery associate David Leavy as part of their interim management team.
Let’s See What Happened
Chris Licht was brought in as CNN CEO with an audacious promise that he understood exactly what was wrong and had a clear strategy to address it. Yet just over one year later, with ratings slumping, show formats in disarray, and internal strife reaching crisis proportions, he is no longer employed at CNN and was abruptly fired by Discovery CEO David Zaslav – his corporate patron who lured him there initially.
Zaslav named Licht, an experienced TV producer from Stephen Colbert’s late-night show, to replace CNN founder Jeff Zucker last spring. Licht was given an agenda that involved moving more towards political neutrality so as to appeal to both Republican viewers and Democratic ones alike – yet an event with Donald Trump that descended into chaos was widely disapproved of, and an attempted revamp of the morning show fell flat when Don Lemon was fired by CNN.
Mark Thompson: Personal Details
For those who are eager to know Mark Thompson CEO salary Package, we’ve got you covered. Mark Thompson salary is expected to be between $5-10 lakhs annually, which is huge! Additionally, Mark Thompson Net Worth is around $11 million dollars. Mark Thompson wife is Jane Blumberg, who has also been in the journalism business for quite some time.
