Chris Licht Named Chairman and CEO of Discovery’s CNN Global
variety.comBrian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN will have a new chief for a new chapter.Chris Licht, a veteran producer who has overseen programs like MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and CBS’ “CBS This Morning” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” was named chairman and chief executive of CNN Global — a new name for the news operation once its parent, WarnerMedia, is acquired by Discovery.
Licht will report directly to David Zaslav, who will be CEO of the combined company.Discovery is expected to take control of WarnerMedia sometime in mid-April, depending on a shareholder vote, among other conditions.The prospect of a new owner and a new top executive has spurred speculation about what new programming and operating direction may be in store for the venerable cable-news outlet, which has been under scrutiny since WarnerMedia ousted former president Jeff Zucker after he failed to disclose a romantic relationship with Allison Gollust, CNN’s former chief marketing officer. “I know you have a lot of questions.
Perhaps the biggest one is how will CNN change?” Licht said in a memo to CNN staffers on Monday. ” The honest answer is that I don’t know yet.
David Zaslav has given me one simple directive: To ensure that CNN remains the global leader in NEWS as part of Warner Bros.
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