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Sep 26, 2023

Who Will Take Over For Chris Licht At CNN? 4 Potential Replacements

CNN is on the hunt for a new CEO after Chris Licht's abrupt exit. CNN chief

CNN is on the hunt for a new CEO after Chris Licht's abrupt exit.

CNN chief Chris Licht is out after facing increasing discontent within the offices of CNN following a scathing Atlantic article last week and internal pushback over a much-criticized town hall with Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump last week. Despite receiving initial public support from Warner Bros. Discovery WBD CEO David Zaslav, Licht found his position become increasingly untenable as reaction to the story grew amid frustration over the network's flagging financials.

With Licht out, the question now is who will take his place. CNN desperately needs direction. During Licht's 13-month tenure, overshadowed by CNN and parent company Warner Bros.'s acquisition by Discovery, the network tried to walk back the on-air questioning of Trump during his presidency that led to ratings surges. Licht also killed CNN+ just days after launch, a perhaps not unjustified but ultimately costly decision.

Whoever comes in will have a mass of financial and personnel headaches to deal with. CNN's profits failed to top $1 billion last year for the first time in recent memory. Beyond staking its territory in the increasingly partisan cable news arena, the network is also chafing against greater structural issues—cord cutting has decimated traditional cable subscriptions, which has led to cratering carriage rates (what cable carriers pay networks to carry their channels).

On the personnel side, CNN has laid off employees and dismissed several high-profile hosts, including Don Lemon and Brian Stelter. The network needs to decide its identity moving forward (pulling back on the Trump criticism was a Licht initiative but Zaslav appeared to support it) and hire new talent accordingly. And, of course, the new chief will need to decide on the biggest issue of all: Whether to let Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper get blitzed on the air on New Year's Eve. Licht's veto of that tradition didn't go over well with many viewers.

Here are four possible replacements for Licht.

She is perhaps the most obvious pick. Tabbed as one of three people to take the reigns at CNN while Zaslav searches for a replacement, Entelis also stepped in on an interim basis last year, when longtime CNN chief Jeff Zucker was pushed out for not disclosing a consensual relationship with the network's marketing head, Allison Gollust.

Entelis is a network veteran (a decade at CNN Films) who has broadened its programming scope to focus on documentaries, a successful move that also gives the network greater editorial depth and more content options. She has an impeccable resume and unmatched grasp of what makes a news network tick—she cut her teeth at ABC News, where she worked as a producer on the nightly news with Peter Jennings and at seminal newsmagazine 20/20.

As Licht's tenure began hurtling toward an end last week, Leavy, a Zaslav confidante who has worked for Discovery and Warner Bros. Discovery for more than two decades, was called in to patch some holes. CNN named him chief operating officer just days before Licht's departure, and if Zaslav's past tendencies are any indication, Leavy would be the smart bet. Zaslav takes a hands-on approach with anything that struggles, and over the past year, CNN has received much of his attention. Having a second lieutenant he trusts running the outlet would be a logical step. Leavy reportedly has held direct conversations with CNN talent since coming aboard.

The most outside-the-box pick on the list, Thomas is also the most intriguing. The executive producer of CBS Mornings is a brilliant, agile executive with the new media chops CNN needs to successfully move ahead of the competition in the coming years. She has made a huge positive impact on Mornings in her brief time on the job, and her resume boasts a mix of old and new media. She has worked for such upstarts as Quibi and Vice as well as spending a decade at NBC News, where she helped smooth Chuck Todd's transition to hosting Meet the Press. If Thomas doesn't get this job, she seems destined for another high-profile position soon.

Sounds like a wild card, but stranger things have happened. Zucker was popular during his tenure, has a huge depth and breadth of news experience (he came from NBC), and still seems to miss his time at the network, which he led for more than a decade before his firing. He and Zaslav used to be tight but have been on the outs, making the rehiring less likely—but dollar signs are the biggest motivator in business, and Zucker knows how to produce them. Don't be shocked if the two powerful men suddenly kiss and make up, and Zucker is re-ensconced in time to lead 2024 presidential race coverage.